IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


4p 


1.0    us 


■^|21    12.5 


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Hiotographic 
Sciences 

PnmnrqKnin 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRHT 

WnSTIR,N.Y.  14SM 

(71«)I72-4S03 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/iCIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  IMicroraproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  tachniquos  at  bibllographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  avaiiabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantiy  changa 
tha  uauai  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


D 
D 
D 

n 

D 
D 

n 

D 

0 


D 


Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 

Covara  damagad/ 
Couvartura  andommagte 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataur^a  et/ou  paliiculta 

Covar  titia  miaaing/ 

La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

Colourad  mapa/ 

Cartaa  g^ographiquaa  an  coulaur 

Colourad  inic  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  biaclc)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

Coiourad  piataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 
Pianchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  an  coulaur 

Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
RailA  avac  d'autraa  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liura  aerrAe  peut  cauaar  da  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
diatortion  la  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  iaavaa  added  during  reatoration  may 
appear  within  tha  text.  Whenever  poaaibia,  theae 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  ae  peut  que  certainea  pagea  blanchea  ajouttea 
lore  d'une  reatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  texte, 
maia,  loraqua  cela  Atalt  poaaibia,  caa  pagea  n'ont 
pea  tti  filmtea. 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm^  la  mailleur  exemplaire 
qu'ii  lui  a  At4  poaaibia  da  ae  procurer.  Lea  dttaila 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  aont  peut-Atre  uniquea  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dana  la  mAthoda  normale  de  filmage 
aont  indiqute  ci-daaaoua. 


D 
D 
D 


D 
D 
D 
D 


Colourad  pagea/ 
Pagea  da  coulaur 

Pagea  damaged/ 
Pagea  andommagtea 

Pagea  raatorad  and/or  laminated/ 
Pagea  reataur^aa  at/ou  pellicultea 


r~71   Pagea  diacolourad,  atainad  or  foxed/ 
Iv  I   Pagea  dteolortea,  tachetAea  ou  piqutea 


, I   Pagea  detached/ 
JlJ   Pagea  d^tachtea 

EShowthrough/ 
Tranaparence 


Quality  of  print  variea/ 
Quaiit*  InAgaia  de  I'impreaaion 

Inciudea  aupplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  matAriai  aupplAmantaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  diaponibia 

Pagea  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  errata 
alipa,  tiaauaa,  etc.,  have  been  ref limed  to 
enaure  the  beat  poaaibia  image/ 
Lea  pagea  totalament  ou  partiellement 
obacurciaa  par  un  fauillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  AtA  filmAea  it  nouveau  da  fapon  A 
obtanir  la  meilleure  image  poaaibia. 


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all 
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all 
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Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairea  auppl^mantairaa: 


i  rregular  pagination :   [  1  ]  -  xvi,  9  -  832  p. 


Thia  item  la  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  film*  au  taux  da  rMuction  indiquA  ci-deaaoua. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


)( 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


38X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  hero  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'9XBtrtitB\n  filmA  fut  reproduit  grflce  A  la 
gAnArositt  de: 

BibliothAque  nationale  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  In  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  AtA  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetA  de  rexemplaire  fiimi,  et  en 
conformlt6  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemplaires  orlginaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim6e  sont  filmAs  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
orlginaux  sont  filmte  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminanl  par 
la  dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^-  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ^^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  §tre 
filmte  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  11  est  film6  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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FIFTY   YEARS 


I 


IN  THE 


M 


CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


(2^6Vw 


BY 


FATHER  CHINIQUY, 

THE  APOSTLB  OF  TEMPERANCE  OF  CANADA. 

AirrROR  OP  "thb  manual  of  tbmpbrancb,"  "the  friest,  the  woman,  and  thb 

CONFBSSIONAL,"  "  PAPAL  IDOLATRY,"  "  ROMS  AMD  BOUCATION,"  BTC. 


Xf 


) 


A«Y  6^ 


CHICAGO: 
Craig  &  Barlow,  170  Madison  Street. 

188^. 


'**■■■  ^.  «* 


"i^pppppfwpfl^iiPPfPi? 


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4^  •'  ^ 


I 


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V 


COPYRIGHT. 

1884 

■Y  RBV.  CHARLES  CHIMXQVY,  ST.   ANNS,  KANKAKBB  CO..  IIX. 


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i-'' 


1 


», 


I 


DEDICATION. 


TO  COLONEL  EDWIN  A.  SHERMAN. 


Allow  me  to  mention  your  name  the  first  among  the  many  to  whom  I 
dedicate  this  book. 

I  owe  this  to  you  as  a  token  of  gratitude  for  your  help  in  my  researches 
after  the  true  murderers  of  our  martyred  President  Abraham  Lincoln. 

I  found  you  as  wise  and  honorable  in  your  counsels  as  our  country 
found  you  brave  on  the  battlefields  of  Liberty. 

FREEMASONS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  AND  OF 
THE  WHOLE  WORLD  ! 

to  you  I  dedicate  this  book  also. 

I  know  that  many  are  reproaching  you  with  your  Secrecy.  But 
where  is  the  civil  or  Christian  organization  which  has  not  its  secrets? 

Has  not  Christ  himself  kept  his  own  secrets  well  when  he  warned  his 
disciples  that  he  had  many  things  more  to  tell  them :  but  they  were  not 
yet  wise  and  strong  enough  to  hear  them?  Has  not  Paul  said  the  very 
same  thing  to  the  first  Christians? 

Where  is  the  home  which  has  not  its  secrets?  Can  we  find  a  well 
regulated  family  where  no  secrets  exist  in  the  relations  of  the  father,  the 
mother,  and  the  children  ? 

What  civil  government  could  staad  without  keeping  well  its  own 
secrets? 

Have  we  ever  heard  of  a  well-organized  army  on  a  battlefield,  without 
some  sacred  secrets  lietween  the  general  and  his  ofiScers  in  the  face  of  the 
foe? 

Where  is  the  successful  merchant,  or  the  wise  banker,  who  has  not  his 
secrets? 

Freemasons!  I  am  neither  your  apologist  to  defend  you,  nor  your  judge 
to  condemn  you.  But  so  long  as  I  hear  nothing  worse  against  you  than 
your  secrecy,  I  will,  respectfully,  say  to  your  opponents:  "  You  speak  very 
loud  against  the  Freemasons.     But,  I  have  heard  a  much  louder  voice  in 

3 


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r.  '■'' '  .    • ' ' "'  ■':"•,  r     I 


V  : 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


their  favor,  when  our  great  God  called  them  to  march  at  the  head  of  the 
armies  of  Liberty  sent  to  pulverize  the  usurped  throne  of  the  Pope." 

For  who  will  deny  that  the  Freemasons  were  the  chosen  ones  of  God 
to  cheer  up  the  heart  and  strengthen  the  arm  of  the  greatest  soldier  of 
Liberty  heaven  ever  gave  to  the  world — Garibaldi? 

Is  it  not  by  the  sacrifice  of  incalculable  treasures  of  money  and  lives, 
that  the  Freemasons  wrenched  from  the  hands  of  the  Pope,  and  forever 
broke  the  bloody  sword  w  hich  had  spread  terror  and  death  all  over  the 
world,  lor  so  many  centuries.  , 

As  in  every  human  institution,  the  Freemasons  may  have  their  weak 
points.  But  the  Christians  owe  them  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  they  will 
never  be  able  to  pay,  in  their  long  and  successful  efforts  to  break  the  heavy 
and  ignominious  yoke  of  the  Pope  over  Italy  and  the  whole  world,  under 
the  name  of  "  King  of  Rome?" 

Freemasons!  read  these  "Fifty  Years  in  the  Church  of  Rome"  and 
you  will  learn  that  your  providential  work  is  not  yet  finished.  The  seven- 
headed  monster  you  have  wounded  and  enchained  in  Rome,  is  at  work,  here 
in  America  to  forge  new  chains  for  this  young  Republic.  The  United, 
States  are,  more  than  ever,  in  need  of  your  wi&dom  and  your  devotedness 
to  the  interests  of  Liberty,  Equality  and  Fraternity. 


K 


TO  THE  ORANGEMEN  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  CANADA, 
GREAT  BRITAIN,  AUSTRALIA,  TASMANIA 
AND  NEW  ZEALAND,* 

this  book  is  also  dedicated  by  the  humblest  of  their  brethren. 

Orangemen !  Read  this  book :  you  will  not  only  understand  Roman* 
ism  as  you  never  did,  but  you  will  find  many  new  reasons  to  be,  more  than 
ever,  vigilant,  fearless  and  devoted,  even  to  death,  in  the  discharge  of  the 
sacred  duties  imposed  upon  you,  by  your  love  for  your  country,  your  breth- 
ren and  your  God. 

TO  THE  HONEST  AND  LIBERTY-LOVING  PEOPLE   OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES, 
I  also  dedicate  this  book. 

Americans!  You  are  sleeping  on  a  volcano,  and  you  do  not  suspect 
it!  You  are  pressing  on  your  bosom  a  viper  which  will  bite  you  to  death, 
and  you  do  not  know  it. 

Read  this  book,  and  you  will  see  that  Rome  is  the  sworn,  the  most  im- 
placable, the  absolutely  irreconcilable  and  deadly  enemy  of  your  schools, 
your  institutions,  your  so  dearly  bought  rights  and  liberties. 


rfA.*. 


♦L.  O.  A.  B.  A.    BoYNE  L.  O.  L.  No  401. 

Montreal,  20th  Sept,  i8j^. 
This  is  to  Certify  thnt  Bro.  C.  Chiniquy  was  duly  initiated  into  Boyne  L.  O.  L.  Mo. 
I,  and  is  a  member  in  frond  standing,  and  we  do  therefore  request  all  Brethren  to  receive 
'.  witness  our  hand  und  seal  hereto  affixed. 


j£ 


im  as  such,  whereof  > 


Master  No.  401. 

John  Hamilton,  Secretary. 


^?^it^flMW^'»;-r'»n!.'>.''j'aK^»>r<y»>'<'»j'i>y nr^mwwmu'.'ii-i' 


DEDICATION. 


Read  this  book,  and  you  will  not  only  understand  that  it  is  to  Rome 
you  owe  the  rivers  of  blood  and  the  unspeakable  horrors  of  the  last  civil 
war:  but  you  ^111  also  learn  that  Romanism  and  Lioerty  can  not  live  on 
the  same  gronnd.    This  has  been  declared  by  the  Popes,  hundreds  of  times. 

Read  this  book:  And  you  will  not  only  see  that  Abraham  Lincoln  w^as 
murdered  by  Rome,  but  you  will  learn  that  Romanism,  under  the  mask  of 
religion,  is  nothing  but  a  permanent  political  conspiracy  against  all  the 
most  sacred  rights  of  man  and  the  most  holy  laws  of  God. 

In  those  pages,  you  will  not  learn  to  hate  the  Roman  Catholics.  No! 
But  you  will  learn  to  be  more  than  ever  watchful  in  guarding  the  precious 
treasures  of  Freedom  bestowed  upon  you  by  your  fathers.  You  will  learn 
never  to  let  them  fall  into  the  hands  of  those  who,  with  the  sacred  name  of 
Liberty  on  their  lips,  and  the  mask  of  Liberty  on  their  faces,  are  sworn  to 
destroy  all  Liberty. 

TO  ALL  THE  FAITHFUL  MINISTERS  OF  THE  GOSPEL, 
I  also,  dedicate  this  book. 

Venerable  Ministers  of  the  Gospel !  Rome  is  the  great  danger  ahead 
for  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  you  do  not  understand  it  enough. 

The  atmosphere  of  light,  honesty,  truth  and  holiness  in  which  you  are 
born,  and  which  you  have  breathed  since  your  infancy,  makes  it  almost  im- 
possible for  you  to  realize  the  dark  mysteries  of  idolatry,  immorality,  degra- 
ding slavery,  hatred  of  the  Word  of  God,  concealed  behind  the  walls  of  that 
modern  Babylon.  You  are  too  honest  to  suspect  them ;  and  your  precious 
time  is  too  much  taken  by  the  sacred  duties  of  your'  ministry,  to  study  the 
long  labyrinth  of  argumentations  which  form  the  bulk  of  the  greater  num- 
ber of  controversial  books.  Besides  that,  the  majority  of  the  books  of  con- 
troversy against  Rome  are  of  such  a  dry  character  that,  though  many  begin 
to  read  them,  very  few  have  the  courage  to  go  to  the  end.  The  consequence 
Is  an  ignorance  of  Romanism  which  becomes  more  and  more  deplorable 
and  fatal,  every  day. 

It  is  that  ignorance  which  paves  the  way  to  the  triumph  of  Rome,  in 
a  near  future,  if  there  is  not  a  complete  change  in  your  views  on  that 
subject. 

It  is  that  ignorance  which  paralyzes  the  arm  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and 
makes  the  glorious  word  "  Protestant "  senseless,  almost  a  dead  and  ridicu- 
lous word.  For  who  does  really  protest  against  Rome,  to-day?  where  are 
those  who  sound  the  trumpet  of  alarm? 

When  Rome  is  striking  you  to  the  heart  by  cursing  your  schools  and 
wrenching  the  Bible  from  the  hands  of  your  children ;  w^hen  she  is  not  only 
battering  your  doors,  but  sealing  your  walls  and  storming  your  citadels, 
how  few  dare  to  go  to  the  breach  and  repulse  the  audacious  and  sacrilegious 
foe? 

Why  so?  Because  modern  Protestants  have  not  only  forgotten  what 
Rome  was,  what  she  is,  and  what  she  will  forever  be ;  the  most  irrecon- 


m 


*'?«a 


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wm!^pT!-PT 


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FIFTY    YBARS   IN    THB   CHURCH   OF   ROMB. 


!i^ 


cilable  and  powerful  enemy  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  but  they  consider  her 
almost  as  a  branch  of  die  church  whose  corner  stone  is  Christ. 

Faithful  ministers  of  the  Gospel!  I  present  you  this  book  that  you  may 
know  that  the  monster  Church  of  Rome,  who  shed  the  blood  of  your  fore- 
fathers,  is  still  at  work,  to-day,  at  your  rery  door,  to  enchain  your  people  to 
the  feet  of  her  idols.  Read  it,  and,  for  the  first  time,  you  will  see  the 
Inside  life  of  Popery  with  the  exactness  of  photography.  From  the  su- 
preme art  with  which  the  mind  of  the  young  and  timid  child,  is  fettered, 
enchained  and  paralyzed,  to  the  unspeakiible  degradation  of  the  priest  under 
the  iron  heel  of  the  bishop,  everything  will  be  revealed  to  you  as  it 
has  never  been  before. 

The  superstitions,  the  ridiculous  and  humiliating  practices,  the  secret 
and  mental  agonies  of  the  monks,  the  nuns  and  the  priests,  will  be  shown  to 
you  as  they  were  never  thown  before.  In  this  book,  the  sophisms  and  errors 
of  Romanism  are  discussed  and  refuted  with  a  clearness,  Riir.plicity  and 
evidence  which  my  twenty-five  years  of  priesthood  only  could  teach  me.  It 
is  not  in  boasting  that  I  say  this.  There  can  be  no  boasting  in  me  for  hav- 
ing been  so  manj  years  an  abject  slave  of  the  Pope.  The  bock  I  offer  you  is 
an  arsenal  filled  with  the  best  weapons  you  ever  had  to  fight,  and,  with  the 
help  of  God,  conquer  the  foe. 

The  learned  and  zealous  champion  of  Protestantism  in  Great  Britain, 
Rev.  Dr.  Badenoch,  who  has  revised  the  manuscript,  wrote  to  a  friend:  "  I 
do  not  think  there  is  a  Protestant  work  more  thrilling  in  interest  and  more 
important  at  the  present  time.  It  is  not  only  full  of  incidents,  but  also  of 
arguments,  on  the  side  of  truth  with  4ill  classes  of  Romanists,  from  the 
bishops  to  the  parish  priest.  I  know  of  no  work  which  gives  so  graphically 
the  springs  of  Roman  Catholic  life,  and,  at  the  same  time,  meets  the 
plausible  objections  to  Protestantism  in  Roman  Catholic  circles.  I  wish 
with  all  my  heart  that  this  work  would  be  published  in  Great  Britain." 

The  venerable,  learned  and  so  well  known  Rev.  Dr.  Kemp,  Principal 
of  the  Young  Ladies  College  of  Ottawa,  Canada,  only  a  few  days  before  his 
premature  death,  wrote:  "Mr.  Chiniquy  has  sulmiitted  every  chapter  of  his 
•Fifty  Years  in  the  Church  of  Rome '  to  me:  I^ve  read  it  with  care  and 
with  the  deepest  interest;  and  I  commend  it  to  the  public  favor  in  the  high- 
est terms.  It  is  the  only  book  I  know  that  gives  anything  like  a  full  and  au- 
thentic account  of  the  inner  workings  of  Popery  on  this  continent,  and  so 
effectively  unmasks  its  pretence  to  sanctity.  Besides  the  most  interesting 
biographical  incidents,  it  contains  incisive  refutations  of  the  most  plausible 
assumptions  and  deadly  errors  of  the  Romish  Church.  It  is  well  fitted  to 
awaken  Protestants  to  the  insidious  designs  of  the  arch-enemy  of  their 
faith  and  liberties,  and  to  arouse  them  to  a  decisive  opposition .  It  is  written 
in  a  kindly  and  Christian  spirit,  does  not  indulge  in  denunciations,  and, 
while  speaking  in  truth,  it  does  so  in  love.  Its  style  is  lively  and  its  English 
good,  with  only  a  delicate  flavor  of  the  author's  native  French." 


''«£•* 


Vf,'T;'"l»','!lW1W"WH' 


Mfp'i'l^'f Jl'i  ffjVWT'  '^rnmin^ 


■fii 


DBDICATION.  7 

TO  THE  BISHOPS,  PRIESTS  AND  PEOPLE  OF  ROME, 

this  book  !■  alio  dedicated. 

In  the  name  of  your  Immortal  sotiU,  I  a«k  yoilp  Roman  Catholics,  to 
read  this  book. 

By  the  mercy  of  Goa,  you  will  find,  in  its  pages,  how  you  are  cruelly 
deceived  by  your  vain  and  lying  traditions. 

You  will  see  that  it  is  not  through  your  ceremonies,  masses,  confessions, 
purgatory,  indulgences,  fastings,  etc.,  you  are  saved.  You  have  nothing  to 
do  but  to  believe,  repent  and  love. 

Salvation  is  a  gift  I  Eternal  life  is  a  gift!  Forgiveness  of  sin  is  a  gift  I 
Christ  is  a  gift! 

Read  this  book,  presented  by  the  most  devoted  of  your  friends,  and,  by 
the  mercy  of  God,  you  Mrill  see  the  errors  of  your  ways — ^you  will  look  to 
the  GIFT— you  will  accept  it — and  In  Its  poHeuion  you  will  feel  rich  and 
happy  for  time  and  eternity. 


'^Hi*^ 


^.  ■■"T-.-.f^T.flglf.Tf;*" 


■!^  ■'^ '■/;'%:>:'  rmw^ 


'^m 


CONT?i:NTS. 

Pagt 

Title , i 

Dboicatiok 3-7 

Chapter  I. 
The  Bible  and  the  Priest  of  Rome 9 

Chapter  II. 
My  first  school-days  at  St.  Thomas— The  Monk  and  Celibacy i^f-ai 

Chapter  III. 
The  Confession  of  Children 33-30 

Chapter  IV. 
The  Shepherd  whipped  by  his  Sheep.  ..t 31-40 

Chapter  V. 
The  Priest,  Purgatory,  and  the  poor  W  idow's  Cow 41-48 

Chapter  VI. 
Festivities  in  a  Parsonage 49-5^ 

Chapter  VII. 
Preparation  for  the  First  Communion — Initiation  to  Idolatry 57-^ 

Chapter  VIII. 
The  First  Communion 61-65 

Chapter  IX 
Intellectual  Education  in  the  Roman  Catholic  College 66-74 

Chapter  X. 

Moral  and  Religious  Instruction  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Colleges. . .  75-85 

ix 


■5!!^^»?^,ili  ^J|.ll I, ,.,.. ', >\sf^  Kf.:  ^\'^^JJ!W•!l>,,^,J•'Wl'■"■^^:iS•,;■^j Ti 


•;n^^,"P  '►  nv,"?| 


X  FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 

Chapter  XI.  P«g» 

Protest  int  Children  in  llf^  Convents  and  Nunneries  of  Rome 86-93 

Chapter  Xlt. 

Rome  and  Education — Why  does  the  Church  of  Rome  hate  the  Com- 
mon Schools  of  the  United  States,  and  wants  to  destroy  them  ? — 
Why  does  she  object  to  the  reading  of  the  Bible  in  the  Schools?  94-117 

Chapter  XIII. 

Theology  of  the  Church  of  Rome:  ito  Anti-Social  and  Anti-Chris- 
tian Character iiS-iaS 

Chapter  XIV. 
The  Vow  of  Celibacy 139-140 

Chapter  XV. 
The  impurities  of  the  Theology  of  Rome 141-153 

Chapter  XVI. 

The  Priest  of  Rome  and  the  Holy  Fathers;  or,  how  I  swore  to  give 

up  the  Word  of  God  to  follow  the  word  of  Men 154-162 

Chapvr  XVII. 
The  Roman  Catholic  Priesthood,  or  Ancient  and  Modern  Idolatry.  :63-i73 

Chapter  XVIII. 
Nine  Consequences  of  the  Dogma  of  Transubstantiation — The  old 

Paganism  under  a  Christian  name 173-182 

Chapter  XIX. 
Vicarage,  and  l<ife  at  St.  Charles,  Rivierre  Boyer 183-194 

Chapter  XX. 
Papineau  and  the  Patriots  in  1833 — The  burning  of  "  Le  Canadien  " 

by  the  Curate  of  St.  Charles 195-303 

s 

Chapter  XXI. 

Grand  Dinner  of  the  Priests — The  Maniac  sister  of  Rev.  Mr. 

Perras 204-215 


fimmmam^^^  ^ .  ilHIPIpp^ 


CONTENTS.  Xi 

Chapter  XXII.  Page 

I  am  appointed  Vicar  of  tlie  Curate  of  Charlesbourgh — The  Piety, 

Lives  and  Deaths  of  Fathers  Bedard  and  Perras 316-226 

Chapter  XXIII. 

The  Cholera  Morbus  of  1834 — Admirable  courage  and  self-denial 

of  the  Priests  of  Rome  during  the  epidemic 237-335 

Chapter  XXIV. 

I  am  named  a  Vicar  of  St.  Roch,  Quebec  City— The  Rev.  Mr. 

Tetu—Tertullian— General  Cargo— The  Seal  Skins 236-241 

Chapter  XXV. 

Simony— Strange  and  sacrilegious  traffic  in  the  so-called  Body  and 
Blood  of  Christ — Enormous  sums  of  Money  made  by  the  sale 
of  Masses — The  Society  of  three  Masses  abolished  and  the 
Society  of  one  Mass  established 242-151 

Chapter  XXVI. 
Continuation  of  the  Trade  in  Masses 352-260 

Chapter  XXVII. 

Quebec  Marine  Hospital — ^The  first  time  I  carried  the  "  Bon  Dieu  " 
(the  wafer  god)  in  my  vest  pocket — The  Grand  Oyster  Soiree 
at  Mr.  Buteau's— The  Rev.  L.  Parent  and  the  «'  Bon  Dieu"  at 
the  Oyster  Soiree 361-267 

Chapter  XXVIII. 

Dr.  Douglas — My  First  Lesson  on  Temperance — Study  ot  Anatomy 
— Working  of  Alcohol  in  the  Human  Frame — The  Murderess 
of  her  own  Child — I  forever  'give  up  the  use  of  Intoxicating 
Drinks , -68-282 

Chapter  XXIX. 

Conversions  of  Protestants  to  the  Church  of  Rome — Rev.  Anthony 
Parent,  Superior  of  the  Seminary  of  Quebec :  His  peculiar  way 
of  finding  access  to  the  Protestants  and  bringing  them  to  the 
Catholic  Church — How  he  spies  the  Protestants  through  the 
Confessional — I  persuade  ninety-three  Families  to  become 
Catholics t 383-393 


'X 


mm 


,  ■  •  •  -;^^^':-'i^w?!pw«i-r|cii^  S!^°»-'^^»PJ!'Sai 


XII 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH     OK    ROME. 


Chapter  XXX.  P«g« 

The  Murders  and  Thefts  in  Quebec  from  1835  to  1836— The  night 
bxcurr.ion  with  two  Thieves — The  Restitution — Tlie  Dawn  of 
Light 394-303 

Chapter  XXXI. 
Chambers  and  his  Accomplices  Condemned  to  death — Asked  me 
to  prepare  them  for  their  terrible  Fate — A  week  in  their  Dun- 
geon— Their  Sentence  of  Death  changed  into  Deportation  to 
Botany  Bay — Their  Departure  for  Exile — I  meet  one  of  them 
a  sincere  Convert,  very  rich,  in  a  high  and  honorable  position 
in  Australia  in  1878 304-317 

Chapter  XXXII. 

The  Miracles  of  Rome-^Attack  of  Typhoid  Fever — Apparition  of 
St.  Anne  and  St.  Philomene — My  Sudden  Cure — The  Curate 
of  St.  Anne  Du  Nord,  Mons  Ranvoize,  almost  a  disguised 
Protestant 318-334 

Chapter  XXXIII. 

My  Nomination  as  Curate  of  Beauport — Degradation  and  Ruin  of 
that  place  through  Drunkenness — My  opposition  to  my  nomi- 
nation useless — Preparation  to  Establish  a  Temperance  Society 
— I  write  to  Father  Mathew  for  advice 335-343 

Chapter  XXXIV. 
The  Hand  of  God  in  the  establishment  of  a  Temperance  Society  in 

Beauport  and  Vicinity 34J-350 

Chapter  XXXV. 

Foundation  of  Temperance  Societies  in  the  neighboring  Parishes — 
Providential  arrival  of  Monsignor  De  Forbin  Janson,  Bishop  of 
Nanc  V — He  publicly  defends  me  against  the  Bishop  of  Quebec 
and  forever  breaks  the  opposition  of  the  Clergy 351-359 

Chapter  XXXVI. 
The  God  of  Rome  eaten  by  Rats 360-367 

Chapter  XXXVII. 

Visit  of  a  Protestant  stranger — He  throws  an  Arrow  into  my 

Priestly  Soul  never  to  be  taken  out 368-373 

Chapter  XXXVIII. 

Erection  of  the   Column   of  Te  mperance — School   Buildings — A 

noble  and  touching  act  of  the  people  at  Beauport 374-383 

0 


1.1 


pPw'^'^'f^^W^W^ 


CONTENTS. 


Xlll 


Chapter  XXXIX.  Page 

Sent  to  succeed  Rev.  Mr.  Varin,  Curate  of  KamOuraska — Stem 
opposition  of  that  Curate  and  the  surrounding  Preists  and 
People — Hours  of  Desolation  in  Kamouraska — The  good  Mas- 
ter allays  the  Tempest,  and  bids  the  Waves  be  still 384-393 

Chapter  XL. 

Organization  of  Temperance  Societies  in  Kamouraska  and  sur- 
rounding Country — The  Girl  in  the  Garb  of  a  man  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Curates  of  Quebec  and  Eboulements — Frightened 
by  the  Scandals  seen  everywhere — Give  up  my  Parish  of 
Kamouraska  to  join  the  "Oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate  of 
Longueuil." 394-403 

Chapter  XLI. 

Perversion  of  Dr.  Newman  to  the  Church  of  Rome  in  the  light 
of  his  own  explanations,  Common  Sense  and  the   Word  of 

God 404-430 

Chapter  XLII. 

Noviciate  in  the  Monastery  of  the  Oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate  of 
Longueuil — Some  of  the  thousand  Acts  of  Folly  .ind  Id  olatry 
which  form  the  life  of  a  Monk — The  Deplorable  Fall  of  one  of 
the  Fathers — Fall  of  the  Grand  Vicar  Quiblier — Sick  in  the 
Hotel  Dieu  of  Montreal — Sister  Urtubise,  what  she  says  of 
Maria  Monk — The  two  Missionaries  to  the  Lumber  Men — 
Fall  and  Punishment  of  a  Father  Oblate — What  one  of  the 
best  Father  Oblates  thinks  of  the  Monks  and  the  Monastery.. .  431-449 

Chapter  XLIII. 

I  accept  the  hospitality  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard  of  Longueuil — I 
Give  my  reasons  for  leaving  the  Oblates  to  Bishop  Bourget — 
He  presents  me  with  a  splendid  Crucifix  blessed  by  his  Hcii- 
ness  for  me,  and  accepts  my  services  in  the  cause  of  Temper- 
ance in  the  Diocese  of  Montreal 450-456 

Chapter  XLIV. 

Preparations  for  the  last  Conflict — Wise  Counsel,  Tears  and  Dis- 
tress of  Father  Mathew — Longueuil  the  first  to  accept  the 
great  reform  of  Temperance— The  whole  District  of  Montreal 
St.  Hyacinthe  and  three  rivers  Conquered — The  City  of  Mon- 
treal with  the  Sulpicians  take  the  Pledge — Gold  Medal — offi- 
cially named  Apostle  of  Temperance  in  Canada — Gift  of  £500 
from  Parliament 457-4^9 


jglgllifiglllglj^ll^igllglllj^^^ 


r?W- 


XIV 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


iimP  -'7^  ■''■■■■  ■ 


'^y/:>'' 


l,v.5, 


u 


Chapter  XLV.  P««« 

My  Sermon  on  the  Virgin  Mary — Compliments  of  Bishop  Prince 
— Stormy  Night — First  serious  doubts  about  the  Church  of 
Rome — Faithful  discussion  with  the  Bishop — ^The  Holy  Fath- 
ers opposed  to  the  modern  Worship  of  the  Virgin — The 
Branches  of  the  Vine 470-483 . 

Chapter  XLVI. 

The  Holy  Fathers — New  mental  troubles  at  not  finding  the  Doc- 
trines of  my  Church  in  their  writings — Purgatory  and  the 
Sucking  Pig  of  the  Poor  Man  of  Varennee 484-496 

Chapter  XLVII. 
Letter  from  the  Rev.  Bishop  Vandeveld  of  Chicago— Vast  project 
of  the  Bishop  of  the  United  States  to  take  possession  of  the 
Rich  Valley  ot  the  Mississippi  and  the  Prairies  of  the  West,  to 
rule  that  Great  Republic — They  want  to  put  me  at  the  head  of 
the  Work — My  Lectures  on  Temperance  at  Detroit — Intemper- 
ance of  the  Bishops  and  Priests  of  that  City 497-505 

Chapter  XLVIII. 

My  visit  to  Chicago  in  1 857 — Bishop  Vandeveld — His  Predecessor 
Poisoned — Magnificent  Prairies  of  the  West — Return  to  Cana- 
da— Bad  Feelings  of  Bishop  Bourget — I  decline  sending  a  rich 
Woman  to  the  Nunnery  to  enrich'the  Bishop — A  Plot  to  Des- 
troy me 506-531 

Chapter  XLIX. 

The  Plot  to  Destroy  me— The  Interdict— The  Retreat  at  the  Jesuit's 
College — The  Lost  Girl,  Employed  by  the  Bishop,  retracts — 
The  Bishop  Confounded,  sees  his  Injustice,  makes  amends — 
Testimonial  Letters — The  Chalice — ^The  Benedictir  before  I 
leave  Canada 523-534 

Chapter  L. 
Address  presented  me  at  Longueuil — I  arrive  at  Chicago— I  select 
the  spot  for  my  Colony — I  build  the  first  Chapel — Jealousy  and 
Opposition  of  the  Priests  of  Bourbonnais  and  Chicago^Great 
Success  of  the  Colony 535-541 

Chapter  LI. 
Intrigues,  Impostures,  and  Oiminal  life  of  the  Priests  in  Bourbon- 
nais— Indignation  of  the  Bishop — The  People  ignominiously 
turn  out  the  Criminal    Priest  from  their   Parish — Frightful 
Scandal — Faith  in  the  Church  of  Rome  seriously  Shaken 54^553 


mtm 


CONTENTS. 


XV 


;*3 


Chapter  LII.  pa^ 

Correspondence  with  the  Bkhop 554-5^9 

Chapter  LIII. 
The  Immaculate  Conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary 570-579 

Chapter  LIV. 
The  Aliominations  of  Auricular  Confession 580-603 

Chapter  LV. 
The  Ecclesiastical  Retreat— Conduct  of  the  Priests — The  Bishop 

Forbids  me  to  Distribute  the  Bible 603-616 

Chapter  LVI. 

Public  Acts  of  Simony — Thefts  and  Brigandage  of  Bishop  O'Regan 
— General  Cry  of  Indignation — I  determine  to  resist  him  to 
his  face — He  employs  Mr.  Spink  again  to  send  me  to  Gaol,  and 
he  fails — Drags  me  as  a  Prisoner  to  Urbana  in  the  Spring  of 
1856  and  fails  again — Abraham  Lincoln  defends  me — My  dear 
Bible  becomes  more  than  ever  my  Light  and  my  Counsellor. .  617-629 

Chapter  LVII. 

Bishop  O'Regan  sells  the  Parsonage  of  the  French  Canadians  of 
Chicago,  pockets  the  money,  and  turns  them  out  when  they 
come  to  complain — He  determines  to  turn  me  out  of  my  Colony 
and  send  me  to  Kahokia — He  forgets  it  the  next  day  and  pub- 
lishes that  he  has  Interdicted  me — My  People  send  a  Deputa- 
tion to  the  Bishop — His  Answers — ^The  Sham  Excommunica- 
tion by  three  drunken  Priests 630-643 

Chapter  LVIII. 

Address  from  my  People,  asking  me  to  remain — I  am  again  dragged 
as  a  prisoner  by  the  Sheriff  to  Urbana — Abraham  Lincoln's 
anxiety  about  the  issue  of  the  Prosecution — My  Distress — 
The  Rescue — Miss  Philomene  Moffat  sent  by  God  to  save  me 
— LeBelle's  Confession  and  Distress — My  Innocence  acknowl- 
edged— Noble  Words  and  Conduct  of  Abraham  Lincoln — ^The 
Oath  of  Miss  Philomene  Moffat 643-667 

Chapter  LIX. 
A  moment  of  Interruption  in  the  Thread  of  my  «'  Fifty  Years  in 
the  Church  of  Rome,"  to  see  how  my  sad  Previsions  about  my 
defender,  Abraham  Lincoln,  were  to  be  realized — Rome  the 
Implacable  Enemy  of  the  United  States 668-^7 

Chapter  LX. 

The  Fundamental  Principles  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  drawn  from  the  Gospel  oi  Christ — My  first  visit  to 
Abraham  Lincoln  to  warn  him  of  the  Plots  I  knew  against  his 
Life — The  Priests  circulate  the  news  that  Lincoln  was  bom  in 
the  C'urch  of  Rome — Letter  of  the  Pope  to  Jeff  Davis — My 
last  visit  to  the  President — His  admirable  reference  to  Moses — 
His  willingness  to  die  for  his  Nation's  Sake 688-710 


•■■V 


•I 


'if 


XVI 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Chapter  LXI. 


Pig« 


K:**i 


Abraham  Lincoln  a  true  man  of  God,  and  a  true  Disciple  of  the 
Gospel — The  Assassination  by  .Booth — The  tool  of  the  Priests — 
John  Surratt's  house — The  Rendezvous  and  Dwelling  Place  of 
the  Priests — ^John  Surratt  Secreted  by  the  Priests  after  the 
murder  of  Lincoln — The  Assassination  of  Lincoln  known  and 
published  in  the  town  three  hours  before  its  occurrence 71 1-735 

Chapter  LXIL 
Deputation  of  two  Priests  sent  by  the  People  and  the  Bishops  of 
Canada  to  persuade  us  to  submit  to  the  will  of  the  Bishop — The 
Deputies  acknowledge  publicly  that  the  Bishop  is  wrong  and 
that  we  are  right — For  peace  sake,  1  consent  to  withdraw  from 
the  contest  on  certain  conditions  accepted  by  the  Deputies — 
One  of  those  Deputies  turns  false  to  his  promise,  and  betrays 
us,  to  be  put  at  the  head  of  my  Colony — My  last  interview 
with  him  and  Mr.  Brassard '. 736-750 

Chapter  LXIIL 

Mr.  Desaulnier  is  named  Vicar  General  of  Chicago  to  crush  us — 
Our  People  more  united  than  ever  to  defend  their  rights — Let- 
ters of  the  Bishops  of  Montreal  against  me,  and  my  answer — 
Mr.  Brassard  forced,  against  his  conscience,  tocondfmn  us — 
My  answer  to  Mr.  Brassard — He  writes  to  beg  my  pardon ....   751-77 J 

Chapter  LXIV. 

I  write  to  the  Pope  Pius  IX.  and  to  Napoleon,  Emperor  of  France, 
and  send  them  the  Legal  and  Public  Documents  proving  the 
bad  conduct  of  Bishop  O'Regan — Grand  Vicar  Dunn  sent  to 
tell  me  of  my  victory  at  Rome,  and  the  end  of  our  trouble — I 
go  to  Dubuque  to  offer  my  submission  to  the  Bi  hop — The 
peace  sealed  and  publicly  proclaimed  by  Grand  V  jar  Dunn 
the  28th  of  March,  1858 774-783 

CrtAPTER  LXV. 

Excellent  testimonial  from  my  Bishop — My  Retreat — Grand  Vicar 
Saurin  and  his  assistant.  Rev.  M.  Granger — Grand  Vicar 
Dunn  writes  me  about  the  new  storm  prepared  by  the  Jesuits — 
Vision —Christ  offers  Himself  as  a  Gift — I  am  forgiven,  rich, 
happy  and  saved — Back  to  my  People 784-800 

Chapter  LXVL 
The  Solemn  Responsibilities  of  my  New  Position — We  give  up  the 
Name  of  Roman  Catholic  to  call  ourselves  Christian  Catholics 
— Disma}'  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishops — My  Lord  Duggan, 
Coadjutor  of  St.  Louis,  hurried  to  Chicago — He  comes  to  St. 
Anne  to  persuade  the  People  to  submit  to  his  Authority — He 
is  ignominiously  turned  out,  and  runs  away  in  the  midst  of  the 
Cries  of  the  People , 801-817 


Chapter  LXVII. 


w 


Bird's-eye  View  of  the  Principal  Events  from  my  Conversion  to 
this  day — My  Narrow  Escapes— The  end  of  the  Voyag<ithroujh 
the  Desert  to  the  Promised  Land ',  818-833 


-t»;,  '*i^^ 


Chapter  I. 


TBX  "BTWiTB  AND  THB  PBJBST  07  BOMB. 


■■H3 


I  > ' 


MY  father,  Charles  Chiniquy,  bom  in  Quebec,  had  studied  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  of  that  city,  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  priesthood.  But  a  few  days  before  making  his  vows, 
having  been  the  witness  of  a  great  iniquity  in  the  high  quarters 
of  the  church,  he  changed  his  mind,  studied  law,  and  became  a 
notary. 

Married  to  Reine  Peri^ult,  daughter  of  Mitchel  Perrault,  in 
1808,  he  settled  at  first  in  Kamoraska,  where  I  was  bom  on  the 
30th  July,  1809. 

About  four  or  five  years  later  my  parents  emigrated  to 
Murray  Bay.  That  place  was  then  in  its  infancy,  and  no  school 
had  yet  been  established.  My  mother  was,  therefore,  my  first 
teacher. 

Before  leaving  the  Seminary  of  Quebec  my  father  had 
received  from  one  of  the  Superiors,  as  a  token  of  his  esteem,  a 
beautiful  French  and  Latin  Bible.  That  Bible  was  the  first 
book,  after  the  A  B  C,  in  which  I  was  taught  to  read.  My 
mother  selected  the  chapters  which  she  considered  the  most 
interesting  for  me;  and  I  read  them  every  day  with  the  greatest 
attention  and  pleasure.  I  was  even  so  much  pleased  with  several 
chapters,  that  I  read  them  over  and  over  again  till  I  knew  them 
by  heart. 

When  eight  or  nine  years  of  age,  I  had  learned  by  heart  the 
history  of  the  creation  and  the  fall  of  man;  the  deluge;  the 
sacrifice  of  Isaac;'  the  history  of  Moses;  the  plagues  of  Egypt; 
the  sublime  llfyrmn  of  Moses  after  crossing  the  Red  Sea;  the 
history  of  Samson;  the  most  interesting  events  of  the  life  of 
David;  several  Psalms;  all  the  speeches  and  parables  of  Christ; 


'  r 


lO 


f 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


and  the  whole  history  of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  our  Saviour 
as  narrated  by  John. 

I  had  two  brothers,  Louis  and  Achille;  the  first  about  four, 
the  second  about  eight  years  younger  than  myself.  When  they 
were  sleeping  or  playing  together,  how  many  delicious  hours  I 
have  spent  by  my  mother's  side,  in  reading  to  her  the  sublime 
pages  of  the  divine  book. 

Sometimes  she  interrupted  me  to  see  if  I  understood  what  I 
read;  and  when  my  answers  had  made  her  sure  that  I  under- 
stood it,  she  used  to  kiss  me  and  press  •  me  on  her  bosom  as  an 
expression  of  her  joy. 

One  day,  while  I  was  reading  the  history  of  the  sufTerings  of 
the  Saviour,  my  young  heart  was  so  much  impressed  that  I  could 
hardly  enunciate  the  words,  and  my  voice  trembled.  My  mother, 
perceiving  my  emotion,  tried  to  say  something  on  the  love  of 
Jesus  for  us,  but  she  could  not  utter  a  word — her  voice  was 
suffocated  by  her  sobs.  She  leaned  her  head  on  my  forehead, 
and  I  felt  two  streams  of  tears  falling  from  her  eyes  on  my 
cheeks.  I  could  not  contain  myself  any  longer.  I  wept  also; 
and  my  tears  were  mixed  with  hers.  The  holy  book  fell  from 
my  hands,  and  I  threw  myself  into  my  dear  mother's  arms. 

No  human  words  can  express  what  was  felt  in  her  soul  and 
in  mine  in  that  most  blessed  hour!  No!  I  will  never  forget  that 
solemn  hour,  when  my  mother's  heart  was  perfectly  blended 
with  mine  at  the  feet  of  our  dying  Saviour.  There  was  a  real 
perfume  from  heaven  in  those  my  mother's  tears  which  were 
flowing  on  me.  It  seemed  then,  as  it  does  seem  to  me  to-day, 
that  there  was  a  celestial  harmony  in  the  sound  of  her  voice  and 
in  her  sobs.  Though  more  than  half  a  century  has  passed  since 
that  solemn  hour  when  Jesus,  for  the  first  time,  revealed  to  me 
something  of  His  suffering  and  of  His  love,  my  heart  leaps  with 
joy  every  time  I  think  of  it. 

We  were  some  distance  from  the  church,  and  the  roads,  in 
the  rainy  days,  were  very  bad.  On  the  Sabbath  days  the  neigh- 
boring farmers,  unable  to  go  to  church,  were  accustomed  to 
gather  at  our  house  in  the  evening.  Then  my  parents  used  to 
put  me  up  on  a  large  table  in  the  midst  of  the  assembly,  and  I 


■%. 


THE   BIBLE   AND   THE    PRIEST   OF   ROME. 


II 


delivered  to  those  good  people  the  most  beautiful  parts  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments.  The  breathless  attention,  the  applause 
of  our  guests,  and — may  I  tell  it — often  the  tears  of  joy  which 
my  mother  tried  in  vain  to  conceal,  supported  my  strength  and 
gave  me  the  courage  I  wanted,  to  speak  when  so  young  before 
so  many  people.  When  my  parents  saw  that  I  was  growing 
tired,  my  mother,  who  had  a  fine  voice,  sang  some  of  the  beauti- 
ful French  hymns  with  which  her  memory  was  filled. 

Several  times,  when  the  fine  weather  allowed  me  to  go  to 
church  with  my  parents,  the  farmers  would  take  me  into  their 
caleches  (buggies)  at  the  door  of  the  temple,  and  request  me  to 
give  them  some  chapter  of  the  Gospel.  With  a  most  perfect 
attention  they  listened  to  the  voice  of  the  child,  whom  the  Good 
Master  had  chosen  to  give  them  the  bread  which  comes  from 
heaven.  More  than  once,  I  remember,  that  when  the  bell  called 
us  to  the  church  they  expressed  their  regret  that  they  could  not 
hear  more.  * 

On  one  of  the  beautiful  spring  days  of  1818  my  father  was 
writing  in  his  office,  and  my  mother  was  working  with  her 
needle,  singing  one  of  her  favorite  hymns,  and  I  was  at  the  door, 
playing  and  talking  to  a  fine  robin  which  I  had  so  perfectly 
trained  that  he  followed  me  wherever  I  went.  All  of  a  sudden 
I  saw  the  priest  coming  near  the  gate.  The  sight  of  him  sent  a 
thrill  of  uneasiness  through  my  whole  frame.  It  was  his  first 
visit  to  our  home. 

The  priest  was  a  person  below  the  common  stature,  and  had 
an  unpleasant  appearance — his  shoulders  were  large  and  he  was 
very  corpulent;  his  hair  was  long  and  uncombed,  and  his  double 
chin  seemed  to  groan  under  the  weight  of  his  flabby  cheeks. 

I  hastily  ran  to  the  door  and  whispered  to  my  parents,  "  M.  le 
cure  arrive"  ("Mr.  Curate  is  coming").  The  last  sound  was 
hardly  out  of  my  lips  when  the  Rev.  Mr.  Courtois  was  at  the 
door,  and  my  father,  shaking  hands  with  him,  gave  him  a 
welcome. 

That  priest  was  born  in  France,  where  he  had  a  narrow 
escape,  having  been  condemned  to  death  under  the  bloody 
administration  of  Robespierre.     He  had  found  a  refuge,  with 


'i'' 


13 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


1 


many  other  French  priests,  in  England,  whence  he  came  to 
Quebec,  and  the  bishop  of  that  place  had  given  him  the  charge 
of  the  parish  of  Murray  Bay. 

His  conversation  was  animated  and  interesting  for  the  first 
quarter  of  an  hour.  It  was  a  real  pleasure  to  hear  him.  But  of 
a  sudden  his  countenance  changed  as  if  a  dark  cloud  had  come 
over  his  mind,  and  he  stopped  talking.  My  parents  had  kept 
themselves  on  a  respectful  reserve  with  the  priest.  They  seemed 
to  have  no  other  mind  than  to  listen  to  him.  The  silence  which 
followed  was  exceedingly  unpleasant  for  all  the  parties.  It  looked 
like  the  heavy  hour  which  precedes  a  storm.  At  length  the 
priest,  addressing  my  father,  said,  "  Mr.  Chiniquy,  is  it  true 
that  you  and  your  child  read  the  Bible  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  was  the  quick  reply^  "  my  little  boy  and  I  read 
the  Bible,  and  what  is  still  better,  he  has  learned  by  heart  a  great 
number  of  its  most  interesting  chapters.  If  you  will  allow  it, 
Sir.  Curate,  he  will  give  you  some  of  them." 

«'  I  did  not  come  for  that  purpose,"  abruptly  replied  the 
priest ;  "  but  do  you  not  know  that  you  are  forbidden  by  the 
holy  Council  of  Trent  to  read  the  Bible  in  French  ?  " 

"  It  makes  very  little  difference  to  me  whether  I  read  the 
Bible  in  French,  Greek  or  Latin,"  answered  my  father,  "  for  I 
understand  these  languages  equally  well." 

"  But  are  you  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  you  cannot  allow  your 
child  to  read  the  Bible?"  replied  the  priest. 

"  My  wife  directs  her  own  child  in  the  reading  of  the  Bible^ 
and  I  cannot  see  that  we  commit  any  sin  by  continuing  to  do  ia 
future  what  we  have  done  till  now  in  that  matter." 

"  Mr.  Chiniquy,"  rejoined  the  priest,  "  you  have  gone  through 
a  whole  course  of  theology;  you  know  the  duties  of  a  curate; 
you  know  it  is  my  painful  duty  to  come  here,  get  the  Bible  from 
you  and  burn  it. 

"  My  grandfather  was  a  fearless  Spanish  sailor  (our  original 
name  was  Etchiniquia,  and  there  was  too  much  Spanish  blood 
and  pride  in  my  father  to  hear  such  a  sentence  with  patience  in 
his  own  house.  Quick  as  lightning  he  was  on  his  feet.  I  pressed 
myself,  trembling,  near  my  mother,  who  trembled  also. 


THE    BIBLE    AND   THE    PRIEST   OF   ROME. 


13 


At  first  I  feared  lest  some  very  unfortunate  and  violent  scene 
should  occur;  for  my  father*s  anger  in  that  moment  was  really 
terrible. 

But  there  was  another  thing  which  affected  me.  I  feared 
lest  the  priest  should  lay  his  hands  on  my  dear  Bible,  which  was 
just  before  him  on  the  table;  for  it  was  mine,  as  it  had  been 
given  me  the  last  year  as  a  Christmas  gift. 

Fortunately,  my  father  had  subdued  himself  after  the  first 
moment  of  his  anger.  He  was  pacing  the  room  with  a  double- 
quick  step;  his  lips  were  pale  and  trembling,  and  he  was  mutter* 
ing  between  his  teeth  words  which  were  unintelligible  to  any 
one  of  us. 

The  priest  was  closely  watching  all  my  father's  movements; 
his  hands  were  convulsively  pressing  his  heavy  cane,  and  his  face 
was  giving  the  sure  evidence  of  a  too  well-grounded  terror.  It 
was  clear  that  the  ambassador  of  Rome  did  not  find  himself  in- 
fallibly sure  of  his  position  on  the  ground  he  had  so  foolishly  chosen 
to  take;  since  his  last  words  he  had  remained  as  silent  as  a  tomb. 

At  last,  after  having  paced  the  room  for  a  considerable  time, 
my  father  suddenly  stopped  before  the  priest,  and  said,  '<  Sir,  is 
that  all  you  have  to  say  here  ? " 

«*  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  trembling  priest. 

"Well,  sir,"  added, my  father,  "you  know  the  door  by  which 
you  entered  my  house ;  please  take  the  same  door  and  go  away 
puickly." 

The  priest  went  out  immediately.  I  felt  an  inexpressible  joy 
when  I  saw  that  my  Bible  was  safe.  I  ran  to  my  father's  neck, 
kissed  and  thanked  him  for  his  victory.  And  to  pay  him,  in  my 
childish  way,  I  jumped  upon  the  large  table  and  recited,  in  my 
best  style,  the  fight  between  David  and  Goliath.  Of  course,  in 
my  mind,  my  father  was  David  and  the  priest  of  Rome  was  the 
giant  whom  the  little  stone  from  the  brook  had  stricken  down. 

Thou  knowest,  O  God,  that  it  is  to  that  Bible,  read  on  my 
mother's  knees,  I  owe,  by  thy  infinite  mercy,  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth  to-day ;  that  Bible  had  sent,  to  my  young  heart  and 
intelligence,  rays  of  light  which  all  the  sophisms  and  dark  errors 
of  Rome  could  never  completely  extinguish. 


^1 


i!I^W'i?nT^»-,Ti||^4iiU!>'iPiiliiPPI9>*'i<"  V!J'''M'IWiPPPWi 


i 


1^ 


Chapter  II, 


TBS  XOVK  Am 


SOHOOL-DATB  AT  8T.  THOKA0- 
OBLIBAOT. 


IN  the  month  of  June,  1818,  my  parents  sent  me  to  an  excellent 
school  at  St.  Thomas.  One  of  my  mother's  sisters  resided 
there,  who  was  the  wife  of  an  industrious  miller  called  Stephen 
Eschuiibnch.  They  had  no  children,  and  they  received  me  as 
their  own  son. 

The  beautiful  village  of  St.  Thomas  had  already,  at  that  time, 
a  considerable  population.  The  two  fine  rivers  which  unite  their 
rapid  waters  in  its  very  midst  before  they  fall  into  the  magnifi- 
cent basin  from  which  they  flow  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  supplied 
the  water-power  for  several  mills  and  factories. 

There  was  in  the  village  a  considerable  trade  in  grain,  flour 
and  lumber.  The  fisheries  were  very  profitable,  and  the  game 
was  abundant.     Life  was  really  pleasant  and  easy. 

The  families  Tachez,  Cazeault,  Fournier,  Dubord,  Frechette, 
Tetu,  Dupuis,  Couillard,  Duberges,  which  were  among  the  most 
ancient  and  notable  of  Canada,  were  at  the  head  of  the  intellec- 
tual and  material  movements  of  the  place,  and  they  were  a  real 
honor  to  the  French  Canadian  name. 

I  met  there  with  one  of  my  ancestors  on  my  mother's  side 
whose  name  was  F.  Amour  des  Plaines.  *He  was  an  old  and 
brave  soldier,  and  would  sometimes  show  us  the  numerous 
wounds  he  had  received  in  the  battles  in  which  he  had  fought  for 
his  country.  Though  nearly  eighty  years  old,  he  sang  to  us  the 
songs  of  the  good  old  times  with  all  the  vivacity  of  a  young 
man. 

The  school  of  Mr.  Allen  Jones,  to  which  I  had  been  sent, 
was  worthy  of  its  wide-spread  reputation.     I  have  never  known 

>4 


■\\ 


WIKflllllfW^^^^''^^^ 


MY    FIRST    SCHOOL-DAYS   AT   ST.   THOMAS,   ETC. 


«5 


Any  teacher  who  deserved  more,  or  who  enjoyed  in  a  higher 
degree  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  pupils. 

He  was  born  in  England,  and  belonged  to  one  of  the  most 
respectable  families  there.  He  had  received  the  best  education 
which  England  could  give  to  her  sons.  After  having  gone 
through  a  perfect  course  of  study  at  home,  he  had  gone  to  Paris, 
where  he  had  also  completed  an  academical  course.  He  was 
perfectly  master  of  the  French  and  English  languages.  And  it 
was  not  without  good  reasons  thr.t  he  was  surrounded  by  a  great 
number  of  scholars  from  every  corner  of  Canada.  The  children 
of  the  best  families  of  St.  Thomas  were,  with  me,  attending  the 
school  of  Mr.  Jones.  But  as  he  was  a  Protestant,  the  priest  was 
much  opposed  to  him,  and  every  effort  was  made  by  that  priest 
to  induce  my  relatives  to  take  me  away  from  that  school  and  send 
me  to  the  one  under  his  care. 

The  name  of  the  priest  was  Loranger.  He  had  a  swarthy 
countenance,  and  in  person  was  lean  and  tall.  His  preaching  had 
no  attraction,  and  he  was  far  from  being  popular  among  the 
intelligent  part  of  the  people  of  St.  Thomas. 

Dr.  Tachez,  whose  high  capacity  afterwards  brought  him  to 
the  head  of  the  Canadian  Government,  was  the  leading  man  of 
St.  Thomas.  Being  united  by  the  bonds  of  a  sincere  friendship 
with  his  nephew,  L.  Cazeault,  who  was  afterwards  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  University  of  Laval,  in  Quebec,  I  had  many  oppor- 
tunities of  going  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Tachez,  where  my  young 
friend  was  boarding. 

In  those  days  Dr.  Tachez  had  no  need  of  the  influence  of  the 
priests,  and  he  frequently  gave  vent  to  his  supreme  contempt  for 
them.  Once  a  week^  there  was  a  meeting  in  his  house  of  the 
principal  citizens  of  St.  Thomas,  where  the  highest  questions  of 
history  and  religion  were  freely  and  warmly  discussed;  but  the 
premises  as  well  as  the  conclusions  of  these  discussions  were 
invariably  adverse  to  the  priests  and  religion  of  Rome,  and  too 
often  to  every  form  of  Christianity. 

Though  these  meetings  had  not  entirely  the  character  or 
exclusiveness  of  secret  societies,  they  were  secret  to  a  great 
extent.     My  friend  Cazeault  was  punctual  in  telling  me  the  days 


ipppif 


i6 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OK   ROME. 


ST*-"  ' 


w 


and  hours  of  the  meetings,  and  I  used  to  go  with  him  to  an 
adjoining  room,  from  which  we  could  hear  everything  without 
T)eing  suspected.  From  what  I  heard  and  saw  in  these  meetings 
I  most  certainly  would  have  been  ruined,  had  not  the  Word  of 
God,  wi^  which  my  mother  had  filled  my  young  mind  and 
heart,  been  my  shield  and  strength.  I  was  often  struck  with 
terror  and  filled  with  disgust  at  what  I  heard  in  those  meetings. 
But  what  a  strange  and  deplorable  thing !  My  conscience  was 
condemning  me  every  time  I  listened  to  these  impious  discussions, 
while  there  was  a  strong  craving  in  me  to  hear  them  that  I  could 
not  resist. 

There  was  then  in  St.  Thomas  a  personage  who  was  unique 
in  his  character.  He  never  mixed  with  the  society  of  the  village, 
but  was,  nevertheless,  the  object  of  much  respectful  attention 
and  inquiry  from  every  one.  He  was  one  of  the  former  monks 
of  Canada,  known  under  the  name  of  Capucin  or  Recollets, 
whom  the  conquest  of  Canada  by  Great  Britain  had  forced  to 
leave  their  monastery. 

He  was  a  clockmaker,  and  lived  honorably  by  his  trade. 
His  little  white  house,  in  the  very  midst  of  the  yillage,  was  the 
perfection  of  neatness. 

Brother  Mark,  as  he  was  called,  was  a  remarkably  well-built 
man;  high  stature,  large  and  splendid  shoulders,  and  the  most 
beautiful  hands  I  ever  saw.  His  long  black  robe,  tied  around  his 
waist  by  a  white  sash,  was  remarkable  for  its  cleanliness.  His 
life  was  really  a  solitary  on*.,  always  alone  with  his  own.  sister, 
who  kept  his  house. 

Every  day  that  the  weather  was  propitious.  Brother  Mark 
spent  a  couple  of  hours  in  fishing,  and  ^  I  was  myself  exceed- 
ingly fond  of  that  exercise,  I  used  to  meet  him  often  along  the 
banks  of  the  beautiful  rivers  of  St.  Thomas. 

His  presence  was  always  a  good  omen  to  me ;  for  he  was 
more  expert  than  I  in  finding  the  best  places  for  fishing.  As 
soon  as  he  found  a  place  where  the  fish  was  abundant,  he  would 
make  signs  to  me,  or  call  me  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  that  I  might 
share  in  his  good  luck.  I  appreciated  his  delicate  attention  to  me, 
and  repaid  him  with  the  marks  of  a  sincere  gratitude.    The  good 


iff.-- 


mg^f^Wm'^^'ypf^^^fT^^ 


WiW-^^ 


MY    FIRST    SCHOOL-DAYS    AT    ST.    THOMAS,    ETC. 


17 


monk  had  entirely  conquered  my  young  heart,  and  I  cherished 
a  sincere  regard  for  him.  He  often  invited  me  to  his  solitary 
but  neat  little  home,  and  I  never  visited  him  without  receiving 
some  proofs  of  a  sincere  kindness.  His  good  sister  rivalled  him 
in  overwhelming  me  with  such  marks  of  attention  and  love  as 
I  could  only  expect  from  a  dear  mother. 

There  was  a  mixture  of  timidity  i:nd  dignity  in  the  manners 
of  brother  Mark  which  I  have  found  in  no  one  else.  He  was 
fond  of  children:  and  nothing  could  be  more  graceful  than  his 
smile  every  time  that  he  could  see  that  I  appreciated  his  kindness, 
and  that  I  gave  him  any  proof  of  my  gratitude.  But  that  smile, 
and  any  other  expression  of  joy,  were  very  transient.  On  a 
sudden  he  would  change,  and  it  was  obvious  that  a  mysterious 
cloud  was  passing  over  his  heart. 

The  Pope  had  released  the  monks  of  the  monastery  to  which 
he  belonged,  from  their  vows  of  poverty  and  obedience.  The 
consequence  was  that  they  could  become  independent,  and  even 
rich,  by  their  own  industry.  It  was  in  their  power  to  rise  to  a 
respectable  position  in  the  world  by  their  honorable  efforts.  The 
pope  had  given  them  the  permission  they  wanted,  that  they 
might  earn  an  honest  living.  But  what  a  strange  and  incredible 
folly  to  ask  the  permission  of  a  pope  to  be  allowed  to  live 
honorably  on  the  fruits  of  one's  own  industry! 

These  poor  monks,  having  been  released  from  their  vows  of 
obedience,  were  no  longer  the  slaves  of  a  man;  but  were  now 
permitted  to  go  to  heaven  on  the  sole  condition  that  they  would 
obey  the  laws  of  God  and  the  laws  of  their  country !  But  into 
what  a  frightful  abyss  of  degradation  men  must  have  fallen,  to 
believe  that  they  required  a  license  from  Rome  for  such  a  purpose. 
This  is,  nevertheless,  the  simple  and  naked  truth.  That  excess 
of  folly,  and  that  supreme  impiety  and  degradation  are  among 
the  fundamental  dogmas  of  Rome.  The  infallible  pope  assures 
the  world  that  there  is  no  possible  salvation  for  any  one  who 
does  not  sincerely  believe  what  he  teaches  in  this  matter. 

But  the  pope  who  had  so  graciously  relieved  the  Canadian 
monks  from  their  vows  of  obedience  and  poverty,  had  been 
inflexible  in  reference  to  their   vows  of  celibacy.     From   this 


■m 


jk^fM^ 


.MlK- 


^:i^ 


m- 


m^- 


i8 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


li 


w 

n'T 

0 

w 

]l 

1  HI- 

i 

ll^-ll 

'-S 

1 

il|M 

there  was  no  relief. 

The  honest  desires  of  the  good  monk  to  live  according  to  the 
laws  of  God,  with  a  wife  whom  heaven  might  have  given  him, 
had  become  an  impossibility — the  pope  vetoed  it. 

The  unfortunate  monk  was  bound  to  believe  that  he  would 
be  for  ever  damned  if  he  dared  to  accept  as  a  gospel  truth  the 
Word  of  God  which  says: — 

Propter  fornicationem  antem,  unusquisque  uxorem  suam 
habeat,  unaquaque  virum  suum  habeat.  (Vulgate  Bible  of 
Rome.)  Nevertheless  to  avoid  fornication  let  every  man  have 
his  own  wife,  and  let  every  woman  have  her  own  husband," 
(i.  Cor.,  vii.:2).  That  shining  light  which  the  Word  contains 
and  which  gives  life  to  man,  was  entirely  shut  out  from  brother 
Mark.  He  was  not  allowed  to  know  that  God  himself  had 
said,  "  It  is  not  good  that  man  should  be  alone,  I  will  make  him 
an  help-meet  for  him,"  (Gen.  2: 18.)  Brother  Mark  was  endowed 
with  such  a  loving  heart!  He  could  not  be  ;wn  without 
being  loved;  and  he  must  have  suffered  much  1..  ^hat  celibacy 
which  his  faith  in  the  pope  had  imposed  upon  him. 

Far  away  from  the  regions  of  light,  truth  and  life,  that  soul, 
tied  to  the  feet  of  the  implacable  modern  Divinity,  which  the 
Romanists  worship  under  the  name  of  Sovereign  Pontiff,  was 
trying  in  vain  to  annihilate  and  destroy  the  instincts  and  affections 
which  God  himself  had  implanted  in  him. 

One  day,  as  I  was  amusing  myself,  with  a  few  other  young 
friends,  near  the  house  of  brother  Mark,  suddenly  we  saw 
something  covered  with  blood  thrown  from  the  window,  and 
falling  at  a  short  distance  from  us.  At  the  same  instant  we 
heard  loud  cries,  evidently  coming  from  the  monk's  house :  "  O 
my  God!     Have  mercy  upon  me!     Save  me!     I  am  lost!" 

The  sister  of  brother  Mark  rushed  out  oi  doors  and  cried  to 
some  men  who  were  passing  by:  "Come  to  our  help!  My  poor 
brother  is  dying!  For  God's  sake  make  haste,  he  is  losing  all 
his  blood!" 

I  ran  to  the  door,  but  the  lady  shut  it  abruptly  and  turned  me 
out,  saying,  "  we  do  not  want  children  here." 

I  had  a  sincere   affection   for  the  good  brother.     He  had 


liuW^b. 


ppyil!g|i!iipi|!;il,iijpiy4|ij|P^Ljii)^^ 


MY    FIRST    SCHOOL-DAYS    AT   ST.    THOMAS,   ETC. 


»9 


,nd  turned  me 


invariably  been  so  kind  to  me!  I  insisted,  and  respectfully 
requested  to  be  allowed  to  enter.  Though  young  and  weak,  it 
seemed  that  my  friendly  feelings  towards  the  suffering  brother 
would  add  to  my  strength,  and  enable  me  to  be  of  some  service. 
But  my  request  was  sternly  rejected,  and  I  had  to  go  back  to 
the  street  among  the  crowd  which  was  fast  gathering.  The 
singular  mystery  in  which  they  were  trying  to  wrap  the  poor 
monk,  filled  me  with  trouble  and  anxiety. 

But  that  trouble  was  soon  changed  into  an  unspeakable 
confusion  when  I  heard  the  convulsive  laughing  of  the  low 
people,  and  the  shameful  jokes  of  the  crowd,  after  the  doctor  had 
told  the  nature  of  the  wound  which  was  causing  the  unfortunate 
man  to  bleed  almost  to  death.  I  was  struck  with  such  horror 
that  I  fled  away;  I  did  not  want  to  know  any  more  of  that 
tragedy.     I  had  already  known  too  much! 

Poor  brother  Mark  had  ceased  to  be  a  man — he  had  become 
an  eunuch! 

0  cruel  and  godless  church  of  Rome!  How  many  souls 
hast  thou  deceived  and  tortured !  How  many  hearts  hast  thou 
broken  with  that  celibacy  which  Satan  alone  could  invent! 
This  unfortunate  victim  of  a  most  degrading  religion,  did  not, 
however,  die  from  his  rash  action:  he  soon  lecovered  his  usual 
health. 

Having,  meanwhile,  ceased  to  visit  him ;  some  months  later 
I  was  fishing  along  the  river  in  a  very  solitary  place.  The  fish 
were  abundant  and  I  was  completely  absorbed  in  catching  them, 
when,  on  a  sudden,  I  felt  on  my  shoulder  the  gentle  pressure  of 
a  hand.     It  was  brother  Mark's. 

1  thought  I  would  faint  through  the  opposite  sentiments  of 
surprise,  of  pain  and  joy,  which  at  the  same  time  crossed  my 
mind. 

With  an  affectionate  and  trembling  voice  he  said  to  me,  "  My 
dear  child,  why  do  you  not  any  more  come  to  see  me!" 

I  did  not  dare  to  look  at  him  after  he  had  addressed  me  these 
words.  I  liked  him  on  account  of  his  acts  of  kindness  to  me. 
But  the  fatal  hour  when,  in  the  street .  before  the  door,  I  had 
suiTered  so  much  on  his  account — that  fatal  hour  was  on  my 


t« 


|f^«ip^f!!«lf||ffPWI(!iW|iMPP4ipP'M|W 


20 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


heart  as  a  mountain  which  I  could  not  put  away — I  could  not 
answer  him. 

He  then  asked  me  again  with  the  tone  of  a  criminal  who  sues 
for  mercy ;  "  Why  is  it  my  dear  child,  that  you  do  not  come  any 
longer  to  see  me?  you  know  that  I  love  you." 

"  Dear  brother  Mark,"  I  answered  "  I  will  never  forget  your 
kindness  to  me.  I  will  forever  be  grateful  to  you ;  I  wish  that 
It  would  be  in  my  power  to  continue,  as  formerly,  to  go  and  see 
you.  But  I  cannot,  and  you  ought  to  know  the  reason  why  I 
cannot." 

I  had  pronounced  these  words  with  down-cast  eyes.  I  was 
a  child,  with  the  timidity  and  happy  ignorance  of  a  child.  But 
the  action  of  that  unfortunate  man  had  struck  me  with  such  a 
horror  that  I  could  not  entertain  the  idea  of  visiting  him  any 
more. 

He  spent  two  or  three  minutes  without  saying  a  word,  and 
without  moving.  But  I  heard  his  sobs  and  his  cries,  and  his 
cries  were  those  of  despair  and  anguish,  the  like  of  which  I  have 
never  heard  since. 

I  could  not  contain  myself  any  longer,  I  was  suffocating  with 
suppressed  emotion,  and  I  would  have  fallen  insensible  to  the 
ground  if  two  streams  of  tears  had  not  burst  from  my  eyes. 
Those  tears  did  me  good — they  did  him  good  also — they  told 
him  that  I  was  still  his  friend. 

He  took  me  in  his  arms  and  pressed  me  to  his  bosom — his 
tears  were  mixed  with  mine.  But  I  could  not  speak — the 
emotions  of  my  heart  were  too  much  for  my  age.  I  sat  on  a 
damp  and  cold  stone,  in  order  not  to  faint.  He  fell  on  his  knees 
by  my  side. 

Ah!  if  I  were  a  painter  I  would  make  a  most  striking  tableau 
of  that  scene.  His  eyes,  swollen  and  red  with  weeping,  were 
raised  to  heaven,  his  hand  lifted  up  in  the  attitude  of  supplication : 
he  was  crying  out  with  an  accent  which  seemed  as  though  it 
would  break  my  heart. 

"  Mon  Dieu  I   Mon  Dieu  que  je  suis  malheureux !" 

My  God  I   My  God !  what  a  wretched  man  I  am ! 


MY    FIRST   SCHOOL-DAYS   AT   ST.   THOMAS,   ETC. 


21 


I  could  not 

al  who  sues 
»t  come  any 

forget  your 
I  wish  that 
I  go  and  see 
;ason  why  I 

yes.     I  was 

child.     But 

with  such  a 

ing  him  any 

a  word,  and 
ries,  and  his 
vhich  I  have 


The  twenty-five  years  that  I  have  been  a  priest  6f  Rome, 
have  revealed  to  me  the  fact  that  the  cries  of  desolation  I  heard 
that  day,  were  but  the  echo  of  the  cries  of  desolation  which  go 
out  from  almost  every  nunnery,  every  parsonage  and  every 
house  where  human  beings  are  bound  by  the  ties  of  the  Romish 
Celibacy. 

God  knows  that  I  am  a  faithful  witness  of  what  my  eyes 
have  seen  and  my  ears  have  heard,  when  I  say  to  the  multitudes 
which  the  Church  of  Rome  has  bewitched  with  her  enchantments: 
Wherever  there  are  nuns,  monks  and  priests  who  live  in  forced 
violation  of  the  ways  which  God  has  appointed  for  man  to  walk 
in,  there  are  torrents  of  tears,  there  are  desolated  hearts,  there  are 
cries  of  anguish  and  despair  which  say  in  the  words  of  brother 
Mark: 

"  Oh !  que  je  suis  malheureux  I" 

Oh!  how  miserable  and  wretched  I  ami 


beating  with 
nsible  to  the 
m  my  eyes. 
o — they  told 


bosom — his 

speak — the 

I  sat  on  a 

on  his  knees 


M 


iking  tableau 
eeping,  were 
supplication : 
as  though  it 


I" 

i! 


.^\ 


..  7teS»i».fc 


Chapter  III. 


THB  00N7ESSZ0N  OF  OHHiDBBN. 


<l» 


..:ii 


NO  words  can  express  to  those  who  have  never  had  any 
experience  in  the  matter,  the  consternation,  anxiety  and 
shame  of  a  poor  Romish  child,  wlien  he  hears,  for  the  first  time, 
his  priest  saying  from  the  pulpit,  in  a  grave  and  solemn  tone, 
"  This  week,  you  will  send  your  children  to  confession.  Mnke 
them  understand  that  this  action  is  one  of  the  most  important  of 
their  lives,  that  for  every  one  of  them,  it  will  decide  their  eternal 
happiness  or  misery.  Fathers  and  mothers,  if,  through  your 
fault,  or  his  own,  your  child  is  guilty  of  a  bad  confession — if  he 
conceals  his  sins  and  commences  lying  to  the  priest,  who  holds 
the  place  of  God  himself,  this  sin  is  often  irreparable.  The  devil 
will  take  possession  of  his  heart:  he  will  become  accustomed  to 
lie  to  his  father  confessor,  or  rather  to  Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  he 
is  a  representative.  His  life  will  be  a  series  of  sacrileges;  his 
death  and  eternity  those  of  the  reprobate.  Teach  him,  therefore, 
to  examine  thoroughly  his  actions,  words  and  thoughts,  in  order 
to  confess  without  disguise." 

I  was  in  the  church  of  St.  Thomas  when  these  words  fell 
upon  me  like  a  thunderbolt. 

I  had  often  heard  my  mother  say,  when  at  home,  and  my 
aunt,  since  I  had  come  to  St.  Thomas,  that  upon  the  first  confession 
depended  my  eternal  happiness  or  misery.  That  week  was, 
therefore,  to  decide  about  my  eternity. 

Pale  and  dismayed,  I  left  the  Church,  and  returned  to  the 
house  of  my  relatives.  I  took  my  place  at  the  table,  but  could 
not  eat,  so  much  was  I  troubled.  I  went  to  my  room  for  the 
purpose  of  commencing  my  examination  of  conscience  and  to 
try  to  recall  all  my  sinful  actions,  words,  and  thoughts.     Although 


PHff^^^Wff*^ 


z^l^^l^mm'''''^^^^ 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


had  any 
xiety  and 
first  time, 
cmn  tone, 
n.  Mike 
portant  of 
eir  eternal 
ugh  your 
ion — if  he 
who  holds 
The  devil 
jstomed  to 
whom  he 
rileges;  his 
,  therefore, 
ts,  in  order 

words  fell 

le,  and  my 
:  confession 
kveek   was, 

rned  to  the 
;,  but  could 
)om  for  the 
;nce  and  to 
Although 


scarcely  over  ten  years  of  age,  this  task  was  really  overwhelming 
for  me.  I  knelt  down  to  pray  to  the  Virgin  Mary  for  help;  but 
I  was  so  much  taken  up  with  the  fear  of  forgetting  something, 
and  of  making  a  bad  confession,  that  I  muttered  my  prayers 
without  the  least  attention  to  what  I  said.  It  became  still  worse 
when  I  commenced  counting  my  sins.  My  memory  became 
confused,  my  head  grew  dizzy ;  my  heart  beat  with  a  rapidity 
which  exhausted  me,  and  my  brow  was  covered  with  perspiration. 
After  a  considerable  length  of  time  spent  in  those  painful'  efforts, 
I  felt  bordering  on  despair,  from  the  fear  that  it  was  impossible 
for  me  to  remember  everything.  The  night  following  was 
almost  a  sleepless  one;  and  when  sleep  did  come,  it  could 
scarcely  be  called  a  sleep,  but  a  suffocating  delirium.  In  a 
frightful  dream,  I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  cast  into  hell,  for  not 
having  confessed  all  my  sins  to  the  priest.  In  the  morning,  I 
awoke,  fatigued  and  prostmted  by  the  phantoms  of  that  terrible 
nigRt.  In  similar  troubles  of  mind  were  passed  the  three  days 
which  preceded  my  first  confession.  I  had .  constantly  before 
me  the  countenance  or  that  stern  priest  who  had  never  smiled 
upon  me.  He  was  present  in  my  thoughts  during  the  day,  and 
in  my  dreams  during  the  night,  as  the  minister  of  an  angry  God, 
justly  irritated  against  me  on  account  of  my  sins.  Forgiveness 
had  indeed  been  promised  to  me,  on  condition  of  a  good 
confession;  but  my  place  had  also  been  shown  to  me  in  hell,  if 
my  confession  was  not  as  near  perfection  as  possible.  Now,  my 
troubled  conscience  told  me  that  there  were  ninty-nine  chances 
against  one,  that  my  confession  would  be  bad,  whether  by  my 
own  fault  I  forgot  some  sins,  or  I  was  without  that  contrition  of 
which  I  had  heard  so  much,  but  the  nature  and  effects  of  which 
were  a  perfect  chaos  in  my  mind. 

Thus  it  was  that  the  cruel  and  perfidious  Church  of  Rome  took 
away  from  my  young  heart  the  good  and  merciful  Je.as,  whose 
love  and  compassion  had  caused  me  to  shed  tears  of  joy  when  I 
was  beside  my  mother.  The  Saviour  whom  that  church  made 
me  to  worship,  through  fear,  was  not  the  Saviour  who  called  little 
children  unto  Him,  to  bless  them  and  take  them  in  His  arms. 
Her  impious  hands  were  soon  to  tortui^e  and  defile  my  childish 


U. 


>d^@S>MM^dUijiMi4 


24 


FIFTY    YE/iRS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


m 


K^- 


i^' 


i'f 


heart,  and  place  me  at  the  feet  of  .1  pale  and  severe  looking  man — 
worthy  representative  of  a  pitiless  God.  I  was  made  to  tremble 
with  terror  at  the  footstool  of  an  implacable  divinity,  while  the 
gospel  asked  from  me  only  tears  of  love  and  joy,  shed  at  the  feet 
of  the  incomparable  Friend  of  sinners! 

At  length  came  the  day  of  confession;  or  rather  of  judgment 
and  condemnation:     I  presented  myself  to  the  priest. 

Mr.  Loranger  was  no  longer  priest  of  St.  Thomas.  He  had 
been  succeeded  by  Mr.  Beaubien,  who  did  not  favor  our  school 
any  more  than  his  predecessor.  He  had  even  taken  upon  himself 
to  preach  a  sermon  against  the  heretical  school,  by  which  we  had 
been  excessively  wounded.  His  want  of  love  for  us,  however, 
I  must  say,  was  fully  reciprocated. 

Mr.  Beaubien  had,  then,  the  defect  of  lisping  and  stammering. 
This  we  often  turned  into  ridicule,  and  one  of  tn y  favorite  amuse- 
ments was  to  imitate  him,  which  brought  bursts  of  laughter  from 
us  all. 

It  had  been  necessary  for  me  to  examine  myself  upon  the 
number  of  times  I  had  mocked  him.  This  circumstance  was 
not  calculated  to  make  my  confession  easier,  or  more  agreeable. 

At  last  the  dreaded  moment  came.  I  knelt  at  the  side  of  my 
confessor.  My  whole  frame  trembled.  I  repeated  the  prayer 
preparatory  to  confession,  scarcely  knowing  what  I  said,  so 
much  was  I  troubled  by  fear. 

By  the  instructions  which  had  been  given  us  before  confession, 
we  had  been  made  to  believe  that  the  priest  was  the  true  repre- 
sentative— yea,  almost  the  personification  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
consequence  was,  that  I  believed  my  greatest  sin  had  been  that 
of  mocking  the  priest.  Having  always  been  told  that  it  was 
best  to  confess  the  greatest  sins  first,  I  commenced  thus:  "  Father, 
I  accuse  myself  of  having  mocked  a  priest." 

Scarcely  had  I  uttered  these  words,  "  mocked  a  priest,"  when 
this  pretended  representative  of  the  humble  Savior,  turning 
towards  me,  and  looking  in  my  face  in  oi\l;,'r  to  know  me  better, 
asked  abruptly,  "  What  priest  did  you  mock,  my  boy?"  I  would 
rather  have  chosen  to  cut  out  my  tongue  than  to  tell  him  to  his 
face  who  it  was.     I  therefore  kept  silent  for  a  while.     But  my 


^" 


-^nsttlUliuliiuL. 


wmrMt'\mv»*?'jfPmf*j^r- 


'i-''f^,'m^^r;ff!!^jiv^.'^.i^'^^ 


THE    CONFESSION    OF    CHILDREN. 


as 


silence  made  him  very  nervous  and  almost  angry.  With  a 
haughty  tone  of  voice  he  said, "  What  priest  did  you  take  the 
liberty  of  thus  mocking  ? " 

I  saw  that  I  had  to  answer.  Happily  his  haughtiness  had 
made  me  firmer  and  bolder.  I  said,  "  Sir,  you  are  the  priest 
whom  I  mocked." 

"  But  how  many  times  did  you  take  upon  you  to  mock  me, 
my  boy?" 

"  I  tried  to  find  out,"  I  answered,  "  but  I  never  could." 

"  You  must  tell  me  how  many  times;  for  to  mock  one's  own 
priest  is  a  great  sin." 

"  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  give  you  the  number  of  times," 
answered  I. 

"Well,  my  child,  I  will  help  your  memory  by  asking  you 
questions.  Tell  me  the  truth.  .  Do  you  think  you  have  mocked 
me  ten  times?" 

"  A  great  many  times  more,  sir." 

"Fifty  times?" 

«  Many  more  still." 

«  A  hundred  times?" 

«  Say  five  hundred  times,  and  perhaps  more,"  answered  I. 

«*  Why,  my  boy, do  you  spend  all  your  time  in  mocking  me?" 

"  Not  all ;  but  unfortunately  I  do  it  very  often." 

"Well  may  you  say  unfortunately;  for  so  to  mock  your 
priest,  who  holds  the  place  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  a  great 
misfortune,  and  a  great  sin  for  you.  But  tell  me,  my  little  boy, 
what  reason  have  you  for  mocking  me  thus?" 

In  my  examinations  of  conscience  I  had  not  foreseen  that  I 
should  be  obliged  to  give  the  reasons  for  mocking  the  priest; 
and  I  was  really  thunderstruck  by  his  questions.  I  dared  not 
answer,  and  I  remained  for  a  long  time  dumb,  from  the  shame 
that  overpowered  me.  But  with  a  harrassing  perseverance  the 
priest  insisted  upon  my  telling  why  I  had  mocked  him;  telling 
me  that  I  should  be  damned  if  I  did  not  tell  the  whole  truth. 
So  I  decided  to  speak,  and  said,  "  I  mocked  you  for  several 
things." 

"  What  made  you  first  mock  me?"  continued  the  priest. 


:'^: 


tuiiiiiiiiiibyi 


■  fn-    -^».^^ 


26 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


"  I  laughed  at  you  because  you  lisped.  Among  the  pupils  of 
our  school,  it  often  happens  that  we  imitate-  )()ur  preaching  to 
excite  laughter." 

"Have  you  often  done  that?'' 

"  Almost  every  day,  especially  in  our  holidays,  and  since  you 
preached  against  us." 

"  For  what  other  reasons  did  you  laugh  at  me,  my  little  boy?" 

For  a  long  time  I  was  silent.  Every  time  I  opened  my  mouth 
to  speak  courage  failed  me.  However,  the  priest  continuing  to 
urge  me,  I  said  at  last,  "  It  is  rumored  in  town  tliat  you  love 
girls;  that  you  visit  the  Misses  Richards  every  evening,  and  this 
often  makes  us  laugh." 

The  poor  priest  was  evidently  overwhelmed  by  my  answer, 
and  ceased  questioning  me  on  this  subject.  Changing  the  con- 
versation, he  said: 

"  What  are  your  other  sins?" 

I  began  to  confess  them  in  the  order  in  which  they  came  to 
my  memory.  But  the  feeling  of  shame  which  overpowered  me 
in  repeating  all  my  sins  to  this  man  was  a  thousand  times  greater 
than  that  of  having  offended  God.  In  reality  this  feeling  of 
human  shame  which  absorbed  my  thought — nay,  my  whole 
being — left  no  room  for  any  religious  feeling  at  all. 

When  I  had  confessed  all  the  sins  I  could  remember,  the 
priest  began  to  ask  me  the  strangest  questions  on  matters  about 
which  my  pen  must  be  silent.  I  replied,  "  Father,  I  do  not 
understand  what  you  ask  me." 

'•  I  question  you  on  the  sixth  commandment  (seventh  in  the 
Bible).  Confess  all.  You  will  go  to  hell,  if  through  your 
fault  you  omit  anything." 

Thereupon  he  dragged  my  thoughts  to  regions  which,  thank 
God,  had  hitherto  been  unknown  to  me. 

I  answered  him :  "  I  do  not  understand  you,"  or  "  I  have 
never  done  these  things." 

Then,  skilfully  shifting  to  some  secondary  matter,  he  would 
soon  slyly  and  cunningly  come  back  to  his  favorite  subject, 
namely,  sins  of  licentiousness. 

His  questions  were  so  unclean  that  I  blushed,  and  felt  sick 


W^wmuiy.r^mWmlm^ 


fvmrww^ 


WIWWW^ 


THE   CONFESSION    OF    CHILDREN. 


37 


pupils  of 
aching  to 


since  you 

ttleboy?" 
my  mouth 
tinuing  to 
you  love 
r,  and  this 

ly  answer, 
g  the  con- 


ey came  to 
ovvcrcd  me 
nes  greater 
feeling  of 
my  whole 

ember,  the 
itters  about 
',  I  do  not 

enth  in  the 
ough   your 

hich,  thank 

)r   "  I  have 

r,  he  would 
rite  subject, 

nd  felt  sick 


with  disgust  and  shame.  More  than  once  I  had  been,  to  my 
regret,  in  the  company  of  bad  boys;  but  not  one  of  them  had 
offended  my  moral  nature  so  much  as  this  priest  had  done.  Not 
one  of  them  had  ever  approached  the  shadow  of  the  things  from 
which  that  man  tore  the  veil,  and  which  he  placed  before  the 
eye  of  my  soul.  In  vain  did  I  tell  him  that  I  was  not  guilty  of 
such  things;  that  I  did  not  even  understand  what  he  asked  me: 
he  would  not  let  me  off.  Like  the  vulture  bent  upon  tearing 
the  poor  bird  that  falls  into  his  claws,  that  cruel  priest  seenicd 
determined  to  defile  and  ruin  my  heart. 

At  last  he  asked  me  a  question  in  a  form  of  expression  so  bad 
that  I  was  really  pained.  I  felt  as  if  I  had  received  a  shock 
from  an  electric  battery ;  a  feeling  of  horror  made  me  shudder. 
I  was  so  filled  with  indignation  that,  speaking  loud  enough  to  be 
heard  by  many,  I  told  him:  "Sir,  I  am  very  wicked;  I  have 
seen,  heard  and  done  many  things  which  I  regret;  but  I  never 
was  guilty  of  what  you  mention  to  me.  My  ears  have  never 
heard  anything  so  wicked  as  what  they  have  heard  from  your 
lips.  Please  do  not  ask  me  any  more  of  those  questions;  do  not 
teach  me  any  more  evil  than  I  already  know." 

The  remainder  of  my  confession  was  short.  The  firmness 
of  my  voice  had  evidently  frightened  the  priest,  and  made  him 
blush.  He  stopped  short  and  began  to  give  me  some  good 
advice,  which  might  have  been  useful  to  me  if  the  deep  wounds 
which  his  questions  had  inflicted  upon  my  soul  had  not  so 
absorbed  my  thoughts  as  to  orevent  me  from  giving  attention  to 
what  he  said. 

He  gave  me  a  short  penance  and  dismissed  me. 

I  left  the  confessional  irritated  and  confused.  From  the 
shame  of  what  I  had  just  heard  from  the  mouth  of  that  priest  I 
dared  not  lift  my  eyes  from  the  ground.  I  went  into  a  retired 
corner  of  the  church  to  do  my  penance;  that  is,  to  recite  the 
prayers  he  had  indicated  to  me.  I  remained  for  a  long  time  in 
church.  I  had  need  of  a  calm  after  the  terrible  trial  through 
which  I  had  just  passed.  But  vainly  sought  I  for  rest.  The 
shameful  questions  which  had  been  asked  me,  the  new  world  of 
iniquity  into  which  I  had  been  introduced,  the  impure  phantoms 


^iittJjteiMi^idHi^ 


mmM 


pipiliPiPi^^iJiiu  piflillli  lilji . ,  ^IliiWppipppilipipii 


aS 


FIPTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OP   ROMB. 


by  which  my  childisli  heart   had   been  defiled,  confused  and 
troubled  my  mind  so  strangely  that  I  began  to  weep  bitterly. 

Why  those  tears?  Why  that  desolation?  Wept  I  over  my 
sins?  Alas!  I  confess  it  with  shame,  my  sins  did  not  call  forth 
these  tears.  And  yet  how  many  sins  had  I  already  committed, 
for  which  Jesus  shed  his  precious  blood.  But  I  confess  my  sins 
were  not  the  cause  of  my  desolation.  I  was  rather  thinking  of 
my  mother,  who  had  taken  such  good  care  of  me,  and  who  had 
so  well  succeeded  in  keeping  away  from  my  thoughts  those 
impure  forms  of  sin,  the  thoughts  of  which  had  just  now  defiled 
my  heart.  I  said  to  myself,  Ah  I  if  my  mother  had  heard  those 
questions;  if  she  could  see  the  evil  thoughts  which  overwhelm 
me  at  this  moment — if  she  knew  to  what  school  she  sent  me 
when  she  advised  me  in  her  last  letter  to  go  to  confession,  how 
her  tears  would  mingle  with  mine!  It  seemed  to  me  that  my 
mother  would  love  me  no  more — that  she  would  see  written 
upon  my  brow  the  pollution  with  which  that  priest  had  profaned 
my  soul. 

Perhaps  the  feeling  of  pride  was  what  made  me  weep.  Or 
perhaps  I  wept  because  of  a  remnant  of  that  feeling  of  original 
dignity  whose  traces  had  still  been  left  in  me.  I  felt  so  down- 
cast by  the  disappointment  of  being  removed  farther  from  the 
Savior  by  that  confessional  which  had  promised  to  bring  me 
nearer  to  him.  God  only  knows  what  was  the  depth  of  my 
sorrow  at  feeling  myself  more  defiled  and  more  guilty  after  than 
before  my  confession. 

I  left  the  church  only  when  forced  to  do  so  by  the  shades  of 
night,  and  came  to  my  uncle's  house  with  that  fcel'ng  of  uneasi- 
ness caused  by  the  ronsciousness  of  having  done  a  bad  action, 
and  by  the  fear  of  being  discovered. 

Though  this  ui  clc,  as  well  as  most  of  the  principal  citizens  of 
the  village  of  St.  Thomas,  had  the  name  of  being  a  Roman 
Catholic,  he  yet  did  not  believe  a  word  of  the  doctrines  of  the 
Roman  Church.  He  laughed  at  the  priests,  their  masses,  their 
purgatory,  and  especially  their  confession.  He  did  not  conceal 
that,  when  young,  he  had  been  scandalized  by  the  words  and 
actions  of  a  priest  in  the  confessional.    He  spoke  to  me  jestingly. 


^mmmwmm 


iim^mffi>M'*^^vmmmm^v!>'w^wm^ 


l!P«HH!J)Jf!»)*»H!  .>mi!HU.Wfl( 


AS. 

confused  and 
p  bitterly, 
pt  I  over  my 

not  call  forth 
ly  committed, 
)nfes8  my  sins 
!r  thinking  of 

and  who  had 
loujjhts  those 
st  now  defiled 
id  heard  those 
ch  overwhelm 
I  she  sent  me 
jnfession,  how 
u  me  that  my 
Id  see  written 
t  had  profaned 

me  weep.  Or 
ing  of  original 
[  felt  so  down- 
ther  from  the 
1  to  bring  me 
depth  of  my 
uilty  after  than 

y  the  shades  of 
Tng  of  uneasi- 
a  bad  action, 

;ipal  citizens  of 
eing  a  Roman 
octrines  of  the 
ir  masses,  their 
did  not  conceal 
the  words  and 
to  me  jestingly. 


THE    CONFESSION    OF    CHILDREN. 


29 


This  increased  my  trouble  and  my  grief.  "Now,"  said  he 
"  you  will  be  a  good  boy.  But  if  you  have  heard  as  many  new 
things  as  I  did  the  first  time  I  went  to  confess,  you  are  a  very 
learned  boy;"  and  he  burst  into  laughter. 

I  blushed  :ind  remained  silent.  My  aunt,  who  was  a  devoted 
Roman  Catholic,  said  to  me, «'  Your  heart  is  relieved,  is  it  not, 
since  you  confessed  all  your  sins?"  I  gave  her  an  evasive 
answer,  but  I  could  not  conceal  the  sadness  that  overcame  me. 
I  thought  I  was  the  only  one  from  whom  the  priest  had  asked 
those  polluting  questions.  But  great  was  my  surprise,  on  the 
following  day,  when  going  to  school  I  learned  that  my  fellow 
pupils  had  not  been  happier  than  I  had  been.  The  only  differ- 
ence was,  that  instead  of  being  grieved,  they  laughed  at  it.  "  Did 
the  priest  ask  you  such  and  such  questions  ? "  they  would  demand, 
laughing  boisterously.  I  refused  to  reply,  and  said,  "  Are  you 
not  ashamed  to  speak  of  these  things  ? " 

"Ah I  ah!  how  very  scrupulous  you  are,"  continued  they. 
*'  If  it  is  not  a  sin  for  the  priest  to  speak  to  us  on  tliese  matters, 
how  can  it  be  a  sin  for  us?"  I  stopped,  confounded,  not  know- 
ing what  to  say. 

I  soon  perceived  that  even  the  young  school  girls  had  not 
been  less  polluted  and  scandalized  by  the  questions  of  the  priest 
than  the  boys.  Although  keeping  at  a  distance,  such  as  to 
prevent  us  from  hearing  all  they  said,  I  could  understand  enough 
to  convince  mc  that  they  had  been  asked  about  the  same  questions. 
Some  of  tiicm  appeared  indignant,  while  others  laughed  heartily. 

I  should  be  misunderstood  were  it  supposed  that  I  mean  to 
convey  the  idea  that  this  priest  was  more  to  blame  than  others, 
or  that  he  did  more  than  fulfil  the  duties  of  his  ministry  in  asking 
these  questions.  Such,  however,  was  my  opinion  at  the  time, 
and  I  detested  that  man  with  all  my  heaft  until  I  knew  better. 
X  had  been  unjust  towards  him,  for  this  priest  had  only  done  his 
duty.  He  was  only  obeying  the  Pope  and  his  theologians.  His 
being  a  priest  of  Rome  was,  therefore,  less  his  crime  than  his 
misfortune.  He  was,  as  I  have  been  myself,  bound  hand  and 
foot  at  the  feet  of  the  greatest  enemy  that  the  holiness  and  truth 
of  God  have  ever  iiad  on  earth — the  Pope. 


CANADA,, 


;  .-ffl^WPW^?^ 


30 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


The  misfortune  of  Mr.  Beaubien,  like  that  of  all  the  priests 
of  Rome,  was  that  of  having  bound  himself  by  terrible  oaths 
not  to  think  for  himself,  or  to  use  the  light  of  his  own  reason. 

Many  Roman  Catholics,  even  many  Protestants,  refuse  to 
believe  this.  It  is,  notwithstanding,  a  sad  truth.  The  priest  of 
Rome  is  an  automaton — a  machine  which  acts,  thinks  and  speaks 
in  mattets  of  morals  and  of  faith,  only  according  to  the  order  and 
the  will  of  the  Pope  and  of  his  theologians. 

Had  Mr.  Beaubien  been  left  to  himself,  he  was  naturally  too 
much  of  a  gentlemen  to  ask  such  questions.  But  no  doubt  he 
had  read  Liguori,  Dens,  Debreyne,  authors  approved  by  the 
Pope,  and  he  was  obliged  to  take  darkness  for  light,  and  vice 
for  virtue. 


ifll^iX^llfmU'^^m 


Chapter  IV. 


THE  SHEFHEBD  WHIPPED  BT  HIS  SHEEP. 


'M 


SHORTLY  after  the  trial  of  auricular  confession,  my  young 
friend,  Louis  Cazeault,  accosted  me  on  a  beautiful  morning 
and  said,  "  Do  you  know  what  happened  last  night?" 

"No,"  I  answered.     "  What  was  the  wonder?" 

"You  know  that  our  priest  spends  almost  all  his  evenings 
at  Ml".  Richards'  house.  Everybody  thinks  that  he  goes  there 
for  the  sake  of  the  two  daughters.  Well,  in  order  to  cure  him 
of  that  disease  my  uncle.  Dr.  Tache,  and  six  others,  masked, 
whipped  him  without  mercy  as  he  was  coming  back  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night.  It  is  already  known  by  every  one  in  the 
village,  and  they  split  their  sides  with  laughing." 

My  first  feeling  on  hearing  that  news  was  one  of  joy.  Ever 
since  my  first  confession  I  felt  angry  every  time  I  thought  of 
that  priest.  His  questions  had  so  wounded  me  that  I  could  not 
forgive  him.  I  had  enough  of  self-control,  however,  to  conceal 
my  pleasure,  and  I  answered  my  friend: 

«  You  are  telling  me  a  wicked  story;  I  can't  believe  a  word 
of  it." 

"  Well,"  said  young  Cazeault,  "  come  at  eight  o'clock  this 
evening  to  my  uncle's.  A  secret  meeting  is  to  take  place 
then.  No  doubt  they  will  speak  of  the  pill  given  to  the  priest 
last  night.  We  shall  place  ourselves  in  «ur  little  room  as  usual 
and  shall  hear  everything,  our  presence  not  being  suspected. 
You  may  be  sure  that  it  will  be  interesting." 

«*  I  will  go,"  I  answered,  "  but  I  do  not  believe  a  word  of  that 
story." 

I  went  to  school  at  the  usual  hour.  Most  of  the  pupils  had 
preceded  me.     Divided  into  groups  of  eight  or  ten,  they  were 


33 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


engaged  in  a  most  lively  conversation.  Bursts  of  convulsive 
laughter  were  heard  from  every  corner.  I  could  very  well  see 
that  something  uncommon  had  taken  place  in  the  village. 

I  approached  several  of  these  groups,  and  all  received  me 
with  the  question : 

"  Do  you  know  that  the  priest  was  whipped  last  night  as  he 
was  coming  from  the  Misses  Richards'?" 
"  That  is  a  story  invented  for  fun,"  said  I. 
You  were  not  there  to  see  him,  were  you  ?     You  therefore 
know  nothing  about  it ;  for  if  anybody  had  whipped  the  priest 
he  would  not  surely  boast  of  it." 

"But  we  heard  his  screams,"  answered  many  voices. 
"What!  was  he  then  screaming  out?"  I  asked. 
"  He  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  ♦  Help,  help !    Murder !' " 
"  But  you  were  surely  mistaken  about  the  voice,"  said  I. 
"  It  was  not  the  priest  who  shouted,  it  was  somebody  else.     I 
could  never  believe  that  anybody  would  whip  a  priest  in  such  a 
crowded  village." 

"  But,"  said  several,  "  we  ran  to  his  help  and  we  recognized 
the  priest's  voice.  He  is  the  only  one  who  lisps  in  the  village." 
"  And  we  saw  him  with  our  own  eyes,"  said  several. 
The  school  bell  put  an  end  to  this  conversation.  As  soon  as 
school  was  out  I  returned  to  the  house  of  my  relatives,  not 
wishing  to  learn  any  more  about  this  matter.  Although  I  did 
not  like  this  priest,  yet  I  was  much  mortified  by  some  remarks 
which  the  older  pupils  made  about  him. 

But  it  was  difficult  not  to  hear  any  more.  On  my  arrival 
home  I  found-  my  uncle  and  aunt  engaged  in  a  very  warm 
debate  on  the  subject.  My  uncle  wished  to  conceal  the  fact 
that  he  was  among  those  who  had  whipped  him.  But  he  gave 
the  details  so  precisely,  he  was  so  merry  over  the  adventure, 
that  it  was  easy  to  see  that  he  had  a  hand  in  the  plot.  My  aunt 
was  indignant,  and  used  the  most  energetic  expressions  to  show 
her  disapprobation. 

That  bitter  debate  annoyed  me  so  that  I  did  not  stay  long  to 
hear  it  all.     I  withdrew  to  my  study. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  day  I  changed  my  resolution 


mipp 


THE    SHEPHERD   WHIPPED   BY   HIS    SHEEP. 


33 


many  times  about  my  going  to  the  secret  meeting  in  the  evening. 
At  one  moment  I  would  decide  firmly  not  to  go.  My  conscience 
told  me  that,  as  usual,  things  would  be  uttered  which  it  was  not 
good  for  me  to  hear.  I  had  refused  to  go  to  the  two  last  meet- 
ings, and  a  silent  voice,  as  it  were,  told  me  I  had  done  well. 
Then  a  moment  after  I  was  tormented  by  the  desire  to  know 
precisely  what  had  taken  place  the  evening  before.  The  flagel- 
lation of  a  priest  in  the  midst  of  a  large  village  was  a  fact  too 
worthy  of  note  to  fail  to  excite  the  curiosity  of  a  child.  Besides, 
my  aversion  to  the  priest,  though  I  concealed  it  as  well  as  I 
could,  made  me  wish  to  know  whether  everything  was  true  on 
the  subject  of  the  chastisement.  But  in  the  struggle  between 
good  and  evil  which  took  place  in  my  mind  during  that  day,  the 
evil  was  finally  to  triumph.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the 
meeting  my  friend  came  to  me  and  said: 

"  Make  haste,  the  members  of  the  association  are  coming." 

At  this  call  all  my  good  resolutions  vanished.  I  hushed  the 
voice  of  my  conscience,  and  a  few  minutes  later  I  was  placed  in 
an  angle  of  that  little  room,  where  for  more  than  two  hours  I 
learned  so  many  strange  and  scandalous  things  about  the  lives  of 
the  priests  of  Canada. 

Dr.  Tache  presided.  He  opened  the  meeting  in  a  low  tone 
of  voice.  At  the  beginning  of  his  discourse  I  had  some  difficulty 
to  understand  what  he  said.  He  spoke  as  one  who  feared 
to  be  overheard  when  disclosing  a  secret  to  a  friend.  But  after 
a  few  preliminary  sentences  he  forgot  the  rule  of  prudence 
which  he  had  imposed  upon  himself,  and  spoke  with  energy  and 
power. 

Mr.  Etienne  Tache  was  naturally  eloquent.  He  seemed  to 
speak  on  no  question  except  under  the  influence  of  the  deepest 
conviction  of  its  truth.  His  speech  was  passionate,  and  the  tone 
of  his  voice  clear  and  agreeable.  His  short  and  cutting  sentences 
did  not  reach  the  ear  only ;  they  penetrated  even  the  secret  folds 
of  the  soul.     He  spoke  in  substance  as  follows: 

"  Gentlemen : — I  am  happy  to  see  you  here  more  numerously 
than  ev^r.  The  grave  events  of  last  night  have,  no  doubt, 
decided  many  of  you  to  attend  debates  which  some  began  to 


34 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


forsake,  but  the  importance  of  which,  it  seems  to  me,  increases 
day  by  day. 

"  The  question  debated  in  our  last  meeting — '  The  Priests' — 
is  one  of  life  and  death,  not  only  for  our  young  and  bcautitul 
Canada,  but  in  a  moral  point  of  view  it  is  a  question  of  life  and 
death  for  our  families,  and  for  every  one  of  us  in  particular. 

"  There  is,  I  know,  only  one  opinion  among  us  on  the  subject 
of  priests;  and  I  am  glad  that  this  opinion  is  not  only  that  of  all 
educated  men  in  Canada,  but  also  of  learned  France,  nay,  of  the 
whole  world.  The  reign  of  the  priest  is  the  reign  of  ignorance, 
of  corruption,  and  of  the  most  barefaced  immorality,  under  the 
mask  of  the  most  refined  hypocrisy.  The  reign  of  the  priest  is 
the  death  of  our  schools;  it  is  the  degradation  of  our  wives,  the 
prostitution  of  our  daughters;  it  is  the  reign  of  tyranny — the  loss 
of  liberty. 

"We  have  only  one  good  school,  I  will  not  say  in  St.  Thomas, 
but  in  all  our  county.  This  school  in  our  midst  is  a  great  honor 
to  our  village.  Now  see  the  energy  with  which  all  the  priests 
who  come  here  work  for  the  closing  of  that  school.  They  use 
every  means  to  destroy  that  focus  of  light  which  we  have  started 
with  so  much  difficulty,  and  which  we  support  by  so  many 
sacrifices. 

"With  the  priest  of  Rome  our  children  do  not  belong  to  us: 
he  is  their  master.  Let  me  explain.  The  priest  honors  us  with 
the  belief  that  the  bodies,  the  flesh  and  bones  of  our  children,  are 
ours,  and  that  our  duty  in  consequence  is  to  cloihe  and  feed  them. 
But  the  nobler  and  more  sacred  part,  namely,  the  intellect,  the 
heart,  the  soul,  the  priest  claims  as  his  own  patrimony,  his  own 
property.  The  priest  has  the  audacity  to  tell  us  that  to  him 
alone  it  belongs  to  enlighten  those  intelligences,  to  form  those 
hearts,  to  fjishion  those  souls  as  it  ma}'  best  suit  him.  He  has  the 
impudence  to  tell  us  that  we  are  too  silly  oi  perverse  to  know 
our  duties  in  this  respect.  We  have  not  the  right  of  choosing 
our  school-  teachers.  We  have  not  the  right  to  send  a  single  ray 
of  light  into  those  intellects,  or  to  give  to  those  souls  who  hunger 
and  thirst  after  truth  a  single  crumb  of  that  food  prepared  with 
so  much  wisdom  and  success  by  enlightened  men  of  all  ages. 


THE    SHEPHERD    WHIPPED   BY    HIS    SHEEP. 


35 


with 


"  By  the  confessional  the  priests  poison  the  springs  of  Hfe  in 
our  children.  They  initiate  them  into  such  mysteries  o{  iniquity 
as  would  terrify  old  galley  slaves.  By  their  questions  they 
reveal  to  them  secrets  of  a  corruption  such  as  carries  its  germs  of 
death  into  the  very  marrow  of  their  hones,  and  that  from  the 
earliest  years  of  their  infancy.  Before  I  was  fifteen  years  old  I 
had  learned  more  real  blackguarilism  from  the  mouth  of  my 
confessor  than  I  have  learned  ever  since,  in  my  studies  and  in  my 
life  as  a  physician  for  twenty  years. 

"A  few  days  ago  I  questioned  my  little  nephew,  Louis 
Cazeault,  upon  what  he  had  learned  in  his  confession.  He 
answered  me  ingenuously,  and  repeated  things  to  nje  which  I 
would  be  ashamed  to  utter  in  your  presence,  and  which  you, 
fathers  of  families,  could  not  listen  to  without  blushing.  And 
just  think,  that  not  only  of  little  boys  are  those  questions  asked, 
but  also  of  our  dear  little  girls.  Are  we  not  tiie  most  degraded 
of  men  if  we  do  not  set  ourselves  to  work  in  order  to  break  the 
iron  yoke  under  which  the  priest  keeps  our  dear  country,  and  by 
means  of  which  he  keeps  us,  with  our  wives  and  children,  at  his 
feet  like  vile  slaves! 

"  While  speaking  to  you  of  the  deleterious  effect  of  the 
confessional  uj^on  our  children,  shall  I  forget  its  effects  upon  our 
wives  and  upon  ourselves?  Need  I  tell  you  that,  for  most 
women,  the  confessional  is  a  rendezvous  of  ..oquctry  and  of  love  ? 
Do  you  not  feel  as  I  do  myself,  that  by  means  of  the  confessional 
the  priest  is  more  the  master  of  the  hearts  of  our  wives  than 
ourselves?  Is  not  the  priest  the  private  and  public  confidant  of 
our  wives?  Do  not  oiu'  wives  go  invariably  to  the  feet  of  the 
priest,  opening  to  him  what  is  most  sacred  and  intimate  in  the 
secrets  of  our  lives  as  husbands  and  as  fathers?  The  husband 
belongs  no  more  to  his  wife  as  her  guide  through  the  dark  and 
difficult  paths  of  life:  it  is  the  pfiest!  We  are  no  more  their 
friends  and  natural  advisers.  Their  anxieties  and  their  cares  they 
do  not  confide  to  us.  They  do  not  expect  from  us  the  remedies 
for  the  miseries  of  this  life.  Towards  the  j^riest  they  turn  their 
thoughts  and  desires.  He  has  their  entire  and  exclusive  confi- 
dence.    In  a  word,  it  is  the  priest  who  is  the  real  husband  of  our 


36 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CIIUKCH   OF    ROMB. 


wives!     It  is  he  who  has  the  possession  of  their  respect  and  of 
their  hearts  to  a  degree  to  which  no  one  of  us  need  ever  aspire ! 

"  Were  the  priest  an  angel,  were  he  not  made  of  flesh  and 
bones  just  as  we  are,  were  not  his  organization  absolutely  the 
same  as  our  own,  then  might  we  be  indifferent  to  what  might 
take  place  between  him  and  our  wives,  whom  he  hjis  at  his  feet, 
in  his  hands — even  more,  in  his  heart.  But  what  does  my 
experience  tell  me,  not  only  as  a  physician,  but  also  as  a  citizen 
of  St.  Thomas?  What  does  yours  tell  you?  Our  experience 
tells  us  that  the  priest,  instead  of  being  stronger,  is  weaker  than 
we  generally  are  with  respect  to  women.  His  sham  vows  of 
perfect  chastity,  far  from  rendering  him  more  invulnerable  to 
the  arrows  of  Cupid,  expose  him  to  be  made  more  easily  the 
victim  of  that  god,  so  small  in  form,  but  so  dreadful  a  giant  by 
the  irresistible  power  of  his  weapons  and  the  extent  of  his 
conquests. 

"As  a  maiccr  of  fact,  of  the  last  four  priests  who  came  to 
St.  Thomns,  have  not  three  seduced  many  of  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  oi  mos  ;  pectablc  families  ?  And  what  security 
have  we  that  the  priesl  who  is  now  with  us  does  not  walk  in  the 
same  path?  Is  not  the  whole  parish  filled  with  indignation  at 
the  long  nightly  visits  made  by  him  to  two  girls  whose  dissolute 
morals  are  a  secret  to  nobody  ?  And  when  the  priest  does  not 
respect  himself,  would  we  not  be  silly  in  continuing  to  give  him 
that  respect  of  which  he  himself  knows  he  is  unworthy? 

<  "At  our  last  meeting  the  opinions  were  divided  at  the 
beginning  of  the  discussion.  Many  thought  it  would  be  well  to 
speak  to  the  bishop  about  the  scandal  caused  by  those  nightly 
visits.  But  the  majority  judged  that  such  steps  would  be  useless, 
since  the  bishop  would  do  one  of  two  things,  namely,  he  would 
either  pay  no  attention  to  our  just  complaints,  as  has  often  been 
the  case,  or  he  vv^ould  remove  this  priest,  filling  his  place  with 
one  who  would  do  no  better.  That  majority,  which  became  a 
unanimity,  acceded  to  my  thought  of  taking  justice  into  our  own 
hands.  The  priest  is  our  servant.  We  pay  him  a  large  tithe. 
We  have  therefore  claims  upon  him.  He  has  abused  us,  and 
does  so  every  day  by  his  public  neglect  of  the  most  elementary 


THB    SHEPHERD    WHIPPED    BY    HIS    SHEEP. 


37 


laws  of  morality.  In  visiting  every  night  that  house  whose 
degradation  is  known  to  everybody,  he  gives  to  youth  an 
example  of  perversity  the  effects  of  which  no  one  can  estimate. 

"  It  had  been  unanimously  decided  that  he  should  be  whipped. 
Without  my  telling  you  by  whom  it  was  done,  you  may  be 
assured  that  Mr.  Beaubien's  flagellation  of  last  night  will  never 
be  forgotten  by  him! 

"  Heaven  grant  that  this  brotherly  correction  be  a  lesson  to 
teach  all  the  priests  of  Canada  that  their  golden  reign  is  over, 
that  the  eyes  of  the  people  are  opened,  and  that  their  domination 
is  drawing  to  an  end ! " 

This  discourse  was  listened  to  with  deep  silence,  and  Dr. 
Tache  saw  by  the  applause  that  followed  that  his  speech  had 
been  the  expression  of  everyone. 

Next  followed  a  gentleman  named  Dubord,  who  in  substance 
spoke  as  follows: 

"  Mr.  President : — I  was  not  among  those  who  gave  the 
priest  the  expression  of  public  feeling  with  the  energetic  tongue 
of  the  whip.  I  wish  I  had  been,  however;  I  would  heartily 
have  co-operated  in  giving  that  lesson  to  the  priests  of  Canada. 
Let  me  give  my  reason. 

"  My  daughter,  who  is  twelve  years  old,  went  to  confession 
as  did  the  others  a  few  weeks  ago.  It  was  against  my  will.  I 
know  by  my  own  experience  that  of  all  actions  confession  is  the 
most  degrading  in  a  person's  life.  I  can  imagine  nothing  so 
well  calculated  to  destroy  for  ever  one's  self-respect  as  tlie 
modern  invention  of  the  confessional.  Now,  what  is  a  person 
without  self-respect — especially  a  woman?  Without  this  all  is 
lost  to  her  for  ever. 

"  In  the  confessional  everything  is  corruption  of  the  lowest 
grade. 

"  In  the  confessiona,!  a  girl's  thoughts  are  polluted,  her 
tongue  is  polluted,  her  heart  is  polluted — yes,  and  forever  pol- 
luted! Do  I  need  to  tell  you  this?  You  know  it  as  well  as  I 
do.  Though  you  are  now  all  too  intelligent  to  degrade  your- 
selves at  the  feet  of  a  priest,  though  it  is  long  since  you  have 
been  guilty  of  that  meanness,  not  one  of  you  have  forgotten  the 


■Pi 


38 


FIKTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    HOME. 


lessons  of  corruption  received,  when  young,  in  the  confessional. 
Those  lessons  were  engraved  on  your  memory,  your  thoughts, 
your  heart,  and  your  souls  like  the  scar  left  by  the  red-hot  iron 
upon  the  brow  of  the  slave,  to  remain  a  perpetual  witness  of  his 
shame  and  servitutle.  The  confessional  is  a  place  where  one 
gets  accustomed  to  hear,  and  repeat  without  a  scruple,  things 
which  would  cause  even  a  prostitute  to  blush! 

"  Why  are  Roman  Catholic  nations  inferior  to  nations 
belonging  to  Protestantism?  Only  in  the  confessional  can  the 
solution  of  that  problem  be  found.  And  why  are  Roman 
Catholic  nations  degraded  in  proportion  to  their  submission  to 
the  priest?  It  is  because  the  oftener  the  individuals  composing 
those  nations  go  to  confession  the  more  rapidly  they  sink  in  the 
scale  of  intelligence  and  morality.  A  terrible  example  of  this 
I  had  in  my  own  house. 

"  As  I  said  a  moment  ago,  I  was  against  my  daughter  going 
to  confession ;  but  her  poor  mother,  who  is  under  the  control  of 
the  priest,  earnestly  wanted  her  to  go.  Not  to  have  a  disagree- 
able scene  i?i  my  house,  I  had  to  yield  to  the  tears  of  my  wife. 

"  On  the  day  following  that  of  her  confession  they  believed 
I  was  absent;  but  I  was  in  my  office,  with  the  door  sufficiently 
open  to  allow  me  to  hear  what  was  said.  My  wife  and  daughter 
had  the  following  conversation: 

"'What  makes  you  so  thoughtful  and  sad,  my  dear  Lucy, 
since  you  went  to  confession?  It  seems  to  me  you  should  feel 
happier  since  you  had  the  privilege  of  confessing  your  sins.' 

"  Lucy  made  no  answer. 

"  After  a  silence  of  two  or  three  minutes  her  mother  said : 

" '  Why  do  you  weep,  dear  child  ?     Are  you  ill  ? ' 

"  Still  no  answer  from  the  child. 

"  You  may  well  suppose  that  I  was  all  attention.  I  had  my 
suspicions  about  the  dreadful  ordeal  which  had  taken  place.  My 
heart  throbbed  with  uneasiness  and  anger. 

«'  After  a  short  time  my  wife  spoke  to  her  child  with  suffi- 
cient firmness  to  force  her  to  answer.  In  a  trembling  voice  and 
half  suppressed  with  sobs  my  dear  little  daughter  answered : 

"  Ah !  mamma,  if   you  knew  what  the  priest  asked  me,  and 


THE    SHEPHERD    WHIPPED    BY    HIS    SHEEP. 


39 


o, 


what  he  said  to  me  in  the  confessional,  you  would  be  as  sad  as 
I  am.' 

" '  But  what  did  he  say  to  you  ?  He  is  a  holy  man.  You 
surely  did  not  understand  him  if  you  think  he  said  anything  to 
pain  you.' 

" '  Dear  mother,'  as  she  threw  herself  into  her  mother's  arms, 
*  do  not  ask  me  to  confess  what  that  priest  said !  He  told  to  me 
things  so  shameful  that  I  cannot  repeat  them.  But  that  which 
pains  me  most  is  the  impossibility  of  banishing  from  my 
thoughts  the  hateful  things  which  he  has  taught  me.  His 
impure  words  are  like  the  leeches  put  upon  the  chest  of  my 
friend  Louise — they  could  not  be  removed  without  tearing  the 
flesh.  What  must  have  been  his  opinion  of  me  to  ask  such 
questions!'" 

"  My  child  said  no  more,  and  began  to  sob  again. 

"  After  a  short  silence  my  wife  rejoined : 

" '  I'll  go  to  the  priest.  I'll  tell  him  to  beware  how  he 
speaks  in  the  confessional.  I  have  noticed  myself  that  he  goes 
too  far  with  his  questions.  I,  however,  thought  that  he  was 
more  prudent  with  children.  After  the  lesson  that  I'll  give  him 
be  sure  that  you  will  have  only  to  tell  your  sins,  and  that  you 
will  be  no  more  troubled  by  his  endless  questions.  I  ask  of 
you,  however,  never  to  speak  of  this  to  anybody,  especially 
never  let  your  poor  father  know  anything  about  it;  for  he  has 
little  enough  religion  already,  and  this  would  leave  him  without 
any  at  all.' " 

"  I  could  contain  myself  no  longer.  I  rose  and  abruptly 
entered  the  parlor.  My  daughter  threw  herself,  weeping,  into 
my  arms.  My  wife  screamed  with  terror,  and  almost  fell  into  a 
swoon.     I  said  to  my  child: 

"  If  you  love  me,  put  your  hand  on  my  heart  and  promise 
me  that  you'll  never  go  to  confession  again.  Fear  God,  my 
child ;  walk  in  His  presence,  for  His  eye  seeth  you  everywhere. 
Remember  that  day  and  night  He  is  ready  to  forgive  us.  Never 
place  yourself  again  at  the  feet  of  a  priest  to  be  defiled  and 
degraded  by  him! 

"  This  my  daughter  promised  me. 


Ill 

i 


^  FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 

"  When  my  wife  had  recovered  from  her  surprise  I  said  to 
her: 

"  Madam,  for  a  long  time  the  priest  has  heen  everything  and 
your  husband  nothing  to  you.  There  is  a  hidden  and  terrible 
power  that  governs  your  thoughts  and  affections  as  it  governs 
your  deeds — it  is  the  power  of  the  priest.  This  you  have  often 
denied ;  but  providence  has  decided  to-day  that  this  power  should 
be  forever  broken  for  you  and  for  me.  I  want  to  be  the  ruler 
in  my  own  house ;  and  from  this  moment  the  power  of  the  priest 
over  you  must  cease,  unless  you  prefer  to  leave  my  house 
forever.  The  priest  has  reigned  here  too  long  I  But  now  that 
I  know  he  has  stained  and  defiled  the  soul  of  my  daughter,  his 
empire  must  fall!  Whenever  you  go  and  take  your  heart  and 
secrets  to  the  feet  of  the  priest,  be  so  kind  as  not  to  come  back 
to  the  same  house  with  mc." 

Three  other  discourses  followed  that  of  Mr.  Dubord,  all  of 
which  were  pregnant  with  details  and  facts  going  to  prove  that 
the  confessional  was  the  principal  cause  of  the  deplorable 
demoralization  of  St.  Thomas. 

If,  in  addition  to  all  that,  I  could  have  mentioned  before  thai 
association  what  I  already  knew  of  the  corrupting  influences  oi 
that  institution  given  to  the  world  by  centuries  of  darkness, 
certainly  the  determination  of  its  members  to  make  use  of  every 
means  to  abolish  the  usage  would  have  been  strengthened. 


•  w 


Chapter  V. 

TEB  FRXB8T,  PUBOATOBT,  AND  THB  POOS  WIDOW'S  COW. 

THE  day  following  that  of  the  meeting  at  which  Mr.  Tache 
had  given  his  reasons  for  boasting  that  he  had  whipped  the 
priest,  I  wrote  to  my  mother :  "  For  God's  sake,  come  for  me ;  I 
can  stay  here  no  longer.  If  you  knew  what  my  eyes  have  seen 
and  my  ears  have  heard  for  some  time  past,  you  would  not  delay 
your  coming  a  single  day." 

Indeed,  such  was  the  impression  left  upon  me  by  that  flagel- 
lation, and  by  the  speeches  which  I  had  heard,  that  had  it  not 
been  for  the  crossing  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  I  would  have  started 
for  Murray  Bay  on  the  day  after  the  secret  meeting  at  which  I 
had  heard  things  that  so  terribly  frightened  me.  How  I 
regretted  the  happy  and  peaceful  days  spent  with  my  mother  in 
reading  the  beautiful  chapters  of  the  Bible,  so  well  chosen  by 
her  to  instruct  and  interest  me!  What  a  difference  there  was 
between  our  conversations  after  these  readings,  and  the  conver- 
sations I  heard  at  St.  Thomas  1 

Happily  my  parents'  desire  to  see  me  again  was  as  great  as 
mine  to  go  back  to  them.  So  that  a  few  weeks  later  my  mother 
came  for  me.  She  pressed  me  to  her  heart,  and  brought  me 
back  to  the  arms  of  my  father. 

I  arrived  at  home  on  the  17th  of  July,  1821,  and  spent  the 
afternoon  and  evening  till  late  by  my  father's  side.  With  what 
pleasure  did  he  see  me  working  diflicult  problems  in  algebra, 
and  even  in  geometry!  for  under  my  teacher,  Mr.  Jonr«,  I.  had 
really  made  rapid  progress  in  those  branches.  More  than  once 
I  noticed  tears  of  joy  in  my  father's  eyes  when,  taking  my  slate, 
he  saw  that  my  calculations  were  correct.  He  also  examined  me 
in    grammar.     "  What  an   admirable  teacher  this  Mr.  Jones 

4« 


m 


1 


42 


FIFTY    YKAUS    IN    TIIK    CHURCH    OF    HOME. 


must  be,"  he  would  say,  "  lo  hiivo  advanced  a  child  so  much  in 
the  short  space  of  fourteen  months!" 

How  sweet  to  me,  but  how  short,  were  those  hours  of  happi- 
ness passed  between  my  jjood  mother  and  my  father!  We  had 
family  worship.  I  read  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Luke,  the 
return  of  the  prodijjal  son.  My  mother  then  sanjj  a  hymn  of 
joy  and  jjratitude,  and  I  went  to  bed  with  my  heart  full  of 
happiness  to  take  the  sweetest  sleep  of  my  life.  Hut,  O  God  I 
what  an  awful  awakeninfj  thf)u  hadst  prepared  for  me! 

At  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morninjj  heart-rending  screams 
fell  upon  my  ear.     I  recognized  my  mother's  voice. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  dear  motlicr?" 

"Oh,  my  dear  child,  you  have  no  more  a  father!  He  is 
dead!" 

In  saying  these  words  she  lost  consciousness  and  fell  on  the 
floor! 

While  a  friend  who  had  passed  the  night  with  us  gave  her 
proper  carfc,  I  hastened  to  my  father's  bed.  I  pressed  him  to 
my  heart,  I  kissed  him,  I  covered  him  with  my  tears,  I  moved 
his  head,  I  pressed  his  hands,  I  tried  to  lift  him  up  on  his 
pillow:  I  could  not  believe  that  he  was  dead!  It  seemed  to  me 
that  even  if  dead  he  would  come  back  to  life — that  God  could 
not  thus  take  my  father  away  from  me  at  the  very  moment 
when  I  had  come  back  to  him  after  so  long  an  absence!  I 
knelt  to  pray  to  Goc^  for  the  life  of  my  father.  But  my  tears 
and  cries  were  useless.  He  was  dead!  He  was  already  cold 
as  ice! 

Two  days  after  he  was  buried.  My  mother  was  so  over- 
whelmed with  grief  that  she  could  not  follow  the  funeral 
procession.  I  remained  with  her  as  her  only  earthly  support. 
Poor  mother!  How  many  tears  thou  hast  shed!  What  sobs 
came  from  thnie  afflicted  heart  in  those  days  of  supreme  grief  ! 

Though  I  was  then  very  young,  I  could  understand  the 
greatness  of  our  loss,  and  I  mingled  my  tears  with  those  of  my 
mother. 

What  pen  can  portray  what  takes  place  in  the  heart  of  a 
woman  when   God   takes  suddenly  her  husband  away  in  the 


TMK    r'RIKST,    I'lMlGATOnV,    ETC. 


43 


prime  of  his  life,  and  leaves  her  alone,  plunfjcd  in  misery,  with 
three  small  children,  two  of  whom  are  even  too  yomifj  to  know 
their  loss!  How  lonjf  are  t!ie  hours  of  the  day  for  the  poor 
widow  who  is  left  alone,  and  without  means,  amonj^  strangers! 
How  painful  the  sleepless  nijjht  to  the  heart  which  has  lost 
cverythiii;^!  How  empty  a  house  is  left  by  the  eternal  absence 
of  him  who  was  its  master,  support,  and  father!  Every  object 
in  the  house  and  every  step  she  takes  remind  her  of  her  loss 
and  sinks  the  sword  deeper  which  pierces  her  heart.  Oh,  how 
bitter  are  the  tears  which  flow  from  her  jyes  when  her  younfjest 
child,  who  as  yet  does  not  understand  the  mvstery  of  death, 
throws  himself  into  her  arms  and  says:  "Mamma,  where  is 
pnpa?     Why  does  he  not  come  bark?     I  am  lonely!" 

My  poor  mother  passed  throujjh  those  heart-rending  trials. 
I  heard  her  sobs  during  the  long  hours  of  the  day,  and  also 
during  the  longer  hours  of  the  night.  Many  times  I  have  seen 
her  fall  upon  her  knees  to  implore  God  to  be  merciful  to  her  and 
to  her  three  unhappy  orphans.  I  could  do  nothing  then  to 
comfort  her,  but  love  her,  pray  and  weep  with  her! 

Only  a  few  days  had  elapsed  after  the  burial  of  my  father 
when  I  saw  Mr.  Courtois,  the  parish  priest,  coming  to  our  house 
(he  who  had  tried  to  take  away  our  Bible  from  us).  He  had 
the  reputation  of  being  rich,  and  as  we  were  poor  and  unhappy 
since  my  father's  death,  my  first  thought  was  that  he  had  come 
to  comfort  and  to  help  us.  I  could  see  that  my  mother  had  the 
same  hopes.  She  welcomed  him  as  an  angel  from  heaven. 
The  least  gleam  of  hope  is  so  sweet  to  one  who  is  unhappy ! 

From  his  very  first  words,  however,  I  could  see  that  our 
hopes  were  not  to  be  realized.  He  tried  to  be  sympathetic,  and 
even  said  something  about  the  confidence  that  we  should  have 
in  God,  especially  in  times  of  trial;  but  his  words  were  cold 
and  dry. 

Turning  to  me,  he  said : 

"  Do  you  continue  to  read  the  Bible,  my  little  boy?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  I,  with  a  voice  trembling  with  anxiety, 
for  I  feared  that  he  would  make  another  effort  to  take  away 
that  treasure,  and  I  had  no  longer  a  father  to  defend  it. 


44 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Then  addressing  my  mother,  he  said: 

"  Madam,  I  told  you  that  it  was  not  right  for  you  or  your 
child  to  read  that  book." 

My  mother  cast  down  her  eyes,  and  answered  only  by  the 
tears  which  ran  down  her  cheeks. 

That  question  was  followed  by  a  long  silence,  and  the  priest 
then  continued: 

"  Madam,  there  is  something  due  for  the  prayers  which  have 
been  sung,  and  the  services  which  you  requested  to  be  offered 
for  the  repose  of  your  husband's  soul.  I  will  be  very  much 
obliged  to  you  if  you  pay  me  that  little  debt." 

"  Mr.  Courtois,"  answered  my  mother,  "  my  husband  left  me 
nothing  but  debts.  I  have  only  the  work  of  my  own  hands  to 
procure  a  living  for  my  three  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is 
before  you.  For  these  little  orphans'  sake,  if  not  for  mine,  do 
not  take  from  us  the  little  that  is  left." 

"But,  madam,  you  do  not  reflect.  Your  husband  died 
suddenly  and  without  any  preparation;  he  is  therefore  in  the 
flames  of  purgatory.  If  you  want  him  to  be  delivered,  you 
must  necessarily  unite  your  personal  sacrifices  to  the  prayers  of 
the  Church  and  the  masses  which  we  offer." 

"As  I  said,  my  husband  has  left  me  absolutely  without 
means,  and  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  give  you  any  money," 
replied  my  mother. 

"  But,  madam,  your  husband  was  for  a  long  time  the  only 
notary  of  Mai  Bay.  He  surely  must  have  made  much  money. 
I  can  scarcely  think  that  he  has  left  you  without  any  means  to 
help  him  now  that  his  desolation  and  sufTerings  are  far  greater 
than  yours." 

"  My  husband  did  indeed  coin  much  money,  but  he  spent 
still  more.  Thanks  to  God,  we  have  not  been  in  want  while  he 
lived.  But  lately  he  got  this  house  built,  and  what  is  still  due 
on  it  makes  me  fear  that  I  will  lose  it.  He  also  bought  a  piece 
of  land  not  long  ago,  only  half  of  which  is  paid,  and  I  will, 
theretore,  probably  not  be  able  to  keep  it.  Hence  I  may  soon, 
with  my  poor  orphans,  be  deprived  of  everything  that  is  left  us. 
In  the  meantime  I  hope,  sir,  that  you  are  not  a  man  to  take  away 
from  us  our  last  piece  of  bread." 


•ut 


THE    PRIEST,   PURGATORY,   ETC. 


45 


♦*  But,  madam,  the  masses  offered  for  the  rest  of  your  hus- 
band's soul  must  be  paid,"  answered  the  priest. 

My  mother  covered  her  face  with  her  handkerchief  and 
wept. 

As  for  me,  I  did  not  mingle  my  tears  with  hers  this  time. 
My  feelings  were  not  those  of  grief,  but  of  anger  and  unspeak- 
able horror.  My  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  face  of  that  man  who 
tortured  my  mother's  heart.  I  looked  with  tearless  eyes  upon 
the  man  who  added  to  my  poor  mother's  anguish,  and  made  her 
weep  more  bitterly  than  ever.  My  hands  wc  e  clenched,  as  if 
ready  to  strike.  All  my  muscles  trembled;  my  teeth  chattered 
as  if  fron>  intense  cold.  My  greatest  sorrow  was  my  weakness 
in  the  presence  of  that  big  man,  and  my  not  being  able  to  send 
him  away  from  our  house,  and  driving  him  far  away  from  my 
mother. 

I  felt  inclined  to  say  to  him :  "  Are  you  not  ashamed,  you 
who  are  so  rich,  to  come  and  take  away  the  last  piece  of  bread 
from  our  mouths  ? "  But  my  physical  and  moral  strength  were 
not  sufficient  to  accomplish  the  task  before  me,  and  I  was  filled 
with  regret  and  disappointment. 

After  a  long  silence,  my  mother  raised  her  eyes,  reddened 
with  tears,  on  the  priest,  and  said: 

"  Sir,  you  see  that  cow  in  the  meadow,  not  far  from  our 
house?  Her  milk  and  the  butter  made  from  it  form  the  princi- 
pal part  of  my  children's  food.  I  hope  you  will  not  take  her 
away  from  us.  If,  however,  such  a  sacrifice  must  be  made  to 
deliver  my  poor  husband's  soul  from  purgatory,  take  her  as 
payment  of  the  masses  to  be  offered  to  extinguish  those  devour- 
ing flames." 

Tlie  priest  instantly  arose,  saying,  "  Very  well,  madam,"  and 
went  out." 

Our  eyes  anxiously  followed  him;  but  instead  of  walking 
towards  the  little  gate  which  was  in  front  of  the  house,  he 
directed  his  steps  towards  the  meadow,  and  drove  the  cow  before 
him  in  the  direction  of  his  home. 

At  that  sight  I  screamed  with  despair:  "O  my  mother!  he 
is  taking  our  cow  away!     What  will  become  of  us?" 


46 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHUKCH   OF    ROME. 


IP 


Lord  Nairn  had  given  us  that  splendid  cow  when  it  was  three 
months  old.  Her  mother  had  been  brought  from  Scotland,  and 
belonged  to  one  of  the  best  breeds  of  that  country.  I  fed  her 
with  my  own  hands,  and  had  often  shared  my  bread  with  her. 
I  loved  her  as  a  child  always  loves  an  animal  which  he  has 
brought  up  himself.  She  seemed  to  understand  and  love  me 
also.  From  whatever  distance  she  could  sec  me,  she  would  run 
to  me  to  receive  my  caresses,  and  whatever  else  I  might  have  to 
give  her.  My  mother  herself  milked  her;  and  her  rich  milk 
was  such  delicious  and  substantial  food  for  us.  We  all  felt  so 
happy,  at  breakfast  and  supper,  with  each  a  cupful  of  that  pure 
and  refreshing  milk! 

My  mother  also  cried  out  with  grief  as  she  saw  the  pi.  st 
taking  away  the  only  means  which  heaven  had  left  her  to  feed 
her  children. 

Throwing  myself  into  her  arms,  I  asked  her:  "Why  have 
you  given  away  our  cow?  What  will  become  of  us?  We 
shall  surely  die  of  hunger?" 

"  Dear  child,"  she  answered,  "  I  did  not  think  the  priest 
would  be  so  cruel  as  to  take  away  the  last  resource  which  God 
had  left  us.  Ah!  if  I  had  believed  him  to  be  so  unmerciful  1 
would  never  have  spoken  to  him  as  I  did.  As  you  say,  my 
dear  child,  what  will  become  of  us?  But  have  you  not  often 
read  to  mc  in  your  Bible  that  God  is  the  Father  of  the  widow 
and  the  orphan?  We  shall  pray  to  that  God  who  is  willing  to 
be  your  father  and  mine:  He  will  listen  to  us,  and  see  our 
tears.  Let  us  kneel  down  and  ask  of  Him  to  be  merciful  to 
us,  and  to  give  us  back  the  support  of  which  the  priest  has 
deprived  us." 

We  both  knelt  down.  She  took  my  right  hand  with  her 
left,  and,  lifting  the  ot'ncr  hand  towards  heaven,  she  offered  a 
prayer  to  the  God  of  mercies  for  her  poor  children  such  as  I 
have  never  since  heard.  Her  words  were  often  choked  by  her 
sobs.  But  when  she  could  not  speak  with  her  voice,  she  spoke 
with  her  burning  looks  raised  to  heaven,  and  with  her  uplifted 
hand.  I  also  prayed  to  God  with  her,  and  repeated  her  words, 
wliich  were  broken  by  my  sobs. 


A-  ■■ 

■s* 


THE    PRIEST,   PURGATORY,    ETC. 


47 


When  her  prayer  was  ended  she  remained  for  a  long  time 
pale  and  trembling.  Cold  sweat  was  flowing  on  her  face,  and 
she  fell  on  the  floor.  I  thought  she  was  going  to  die.  I  ran 
for  cold  water,  which  I  gave  her,  saying:  "  Dear  mother!  O  do 
not  leave  me  alone  upon  earth!"  After  drinking  a  few  drops 
she  felt  better,  and  taking  my  hand,  she  put  it  to  her  trembling 
lips;  then  drawing  me  near  her,  and  pressing  me  to  her  bosom, 
she  said:  "  Dear  child,  if  ever  you  become  a  priest,  I  ask  of  you 
never  to  be  so  hard-hearted  towards  poor  widows  as  are  the 
priests  of  to-day."  While  she  said  these  words,  I  felt  her 
burning  tears  falling  upon  my  cheek. 

The  memory  of  these  tears  has  never  left  me.  I  felt  them 
constantly  during  the  twenty-five  years  I  spent  in  preaching  the 
inconceivable  superstitions  of  Rome.  • 

I  was  not  better,  naturally,  than  many  of  the  other  priests. 
I  believed,  as  they  did,  the  impiv^us  fables  of  purgatory;  and 
as  well  as  they  (I  confess  it  to  my  shame),  if  I  refused  to  take, 
or  if  I  gave  back  the  money  of  the  poor,  I  accepted  the  money 
which  the  rich  gave  me  for  the  masses  I  said  to  extinguish  the 
flames  of  that  fabulous  place.  But  the  remembrance  of  my 
mother's  words  and  tears  has  kept  me  from  being  so  cruel  and 
unmerciful  towards  the  poor  widows  as  Romish  priests  are,  for 
the  most  part,  obliged  to  be. 

When  my  heart,  depraved  by  the  false  and  impious  doctrines 
of  Rome,  was  tempted  to  take  money  from  widows  and  orphans, 
under  pretence  of  my  long  prayers^  I  then  heard  the  voice  of 
my  mother,  from  the  depth  of  her  sepulchre,  saying :  "  My  dear 
child,  do  not  be  cruel  towards  poor  widows  and  orphans,  as  are 
the  priests  of  to-day."  If,  during  the  days  of  my  priesthood  at 
Quebec,  at  Beauport  and  Kamarouska,  I  have  given  almost  all 
that  I  had  to  feed  and  clothe  the  poor,  especially  the  widows 
and  orphans,  it  was  not  owing  to  my  being  better  than  others, 
but  it  was  because  my  mother  had  spoken  to  me  with  words 
never  to  be  forgotten.  The  Lord,  I  believe,  had  put  into  my 
mother's  mouth  those  words,  so  simple  but  so  fyill  of  eloquence 
and  beauty,  as  one  of  His  great  mercies  towards  me.  Those 
tears   the   hand   of   Rome   has   never  been   able  to  wipe  off; 


V 


48 


FIFTY    VEAKS    IN    THE    CHUKCH    OF    ROME. 


|i 


those  words  of  my  mother  the  sophisms  of  Popery  could  not 
make  me  forget. 

How  long,  O  Lord,  shall  that  insolent  enemy  of  the  gospel, 
the  Church  of  Rome,  be  permitted  to  fatten  herself  upon  the 
tears  of  the  widow  and  of  the  orphan  by  means  of  that  cruel 
and  impious  invention  of  paganism — purgatory  ?  Wilt  thou  not 
be  merciful  unto  so  many  nations  which  are  still  the  victims  of 
that  great  imposture  ?  Oh,  do  remove  the  veil  which  covers  the 
eyes  of  the  priests  and  people  of  Rome,  as  thou  hast  removed  it 
from  minel  Make  them  to  understand  that  their  hopes  of 
purification  must  not  rest  on  these  fabulous  fires,  but  only  on  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb  shed  on  Calvary  to  save  the  world. 


Chapter  VI. 


FBBTIVZTnCS  IN  A  PABSOKAGB. 


GOD  had  heard  the  poor  widow's  prayer.  A  few  days  after 
the  priest  had  taken  our  cow  she  received  a  letter  from 
each  of  her  two  sisters,  Genevieve  and  Catheri.ic. 

The  former,  who  was  married  to  Etienne  Esqhenbach,  of 
St.  Thomas,  told  her  to  sell  all  she  had  and  come,  with  her 
children,  to  live  with  her. 

"  We  have  no  family,"  she  said,  "  and  God  has  given  us  the 
good  things  of  this  life  in  abundance.  We  shall  be  happy  to 
share  them  with  you  and  your  children." 

The  latter,  married  in  Kamouraska  to  the  Hon.  Amable 
Dionne,  wrote :  "  We  have  learned  the  sad  news  of  your  hus- 
band's death.  We  have  lately  lost  our  only  son.  We  wish  to 
fill  the  vacant  place  with  Charles,  your  eldest.  Send  him  to  us. 
We  shall  bring  him  up  as  our  own  child,  and  before  long  he 
will  be  your  support.  In  the  meantime,  sell  by  auction  all  you 
have,  and  go  to  St.  Thomas  with  your  two  younger  children. 
There  Genevieve  and  myself  will  supply  your  wants." 

In  a  few  days  all  our  furniture  was  sold.  Unfortunately, 
though  I  had  carefully  co-.cealed  my  cherished  Bible,  it  dis- 
appeared. I  could  never  discover  what  became  of  it.  Had 
mother  herself,  frightened  by  the  threats  of  the  priest,  relin- 
quished that  treasure?  or  had  some  of  our  relatives,  believing  it 
to  be  their  duty,  destroyed  it?  I  do  not  know.  I  deeply  felt 
that  loss,  which  was  then  irreparable  to  me. 

On  the  following  day,  in  the  midst  of  bitter  tears  and  sobs,  I 
bade  farewell  to  my  poor  mother  and  young  brothers.  They 
went  to  St.  Thomas  on  board  a  schooner,  and  I  crossed  in  a 
sloop  to  Kamouraska. 

49 


mm 


n 


50 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


■1 


My  uncle  and  aunt  Dionne  welcomed  me  with  every  mark 
of  the  most  sincere  affection.  Having  soon  made  known  to 
them  that  I  wished  to  become  a  priest,  I  began  to  study  Latin 
under  the  direction  of  Rev.  Mr.  Morin,  vicar  of  Kamouraska. 
That  priest  was  esteemed  to  be  a  learned  man.  He  was  about 
forty  or  fifty  years  old,  and  had  been  priest  of  a  parish  in  the 
district  of  Montreal.  But,  as  is  the  case  with  the  majority  of 
priests,  his  vows  of  celibacy  had  not  proved  a  sufficient  guarantee 
against  the  charms  of  one  of  his  beautiful  parishioners.  This 
had  caused  a  great  scandal.  He  consequently  lost  his  position, 
and  the  bishop  had  sent  him  to  Kamouraska,  where  his  past 
conduct  was  not  so  generally  known.  He  was  very  good  to  me, 
and  I  soon  loved  him  with  sincere  affection. 

One  day,  about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1822,  he  called  me 
aside  and  said: 

"  Mr.  Varin  (the  parish  priest)  is  in  the  habit  of  giving  a 
great  festival  on  his  birthday.  Now,  the  principal  citizens  of 
the  village  wish  on  that  occasion  to  present  him  with  a  bouquet. 
I  am  appointed  to  write  an  address,  and  to  choose  some  one  to 
deliver  it  before  the  priest.  You  are  the  one  whom  I  have 
chosen.     What  do  you  think  of  it  ? " 

"  But  I  am  very  young,"  I  replied. 

«'  Your  youth  will  only  give  more  interest  to  what  we  wish 
to  say  and  do,"  said  the  priest. 

"  Well,  I  have  no  objection  to  do  so,  provided  the  piece  be 
not  too  long,  and  that  I  have  it  sufficiently  soon  to  learn  it  well." 

It  was  already  prepared.  The  time  of  delivering  it  soon 
came.  The  best  society  of  Kamouraska,  composed  of  about 
fifteen  gentlemen  and  as  many  ladies,  were  assembled  in  the 
beautiful  parlors  of  the  parsonage.  Mr.  Varin  was  in  their 
midst.  Suddenly  Squire  Paschal  Tache,  the  seigneur  of  tlie 
parish,  and  his  lady  entered  the  room,  holding  me  by  each  hand, 
and  placed  me  in  the  midst  of  the  guests.  My  head  was 
crowned  with  flowers,  for  I  was  to  represent  the  angel  of  the 
parish,  whom  the  people  had  chosen  to  give  to  their  pastor  the 
expression  of  public  admiration  and  gratitude.  When  the 
address  wis  finished,  I    presented  to  the   priest  the   beautiful 


FESTIVITIES    IN    A    PARSONAGE. 


5> 


bouquel:  of  symbolical  flowers  prepared  by  the  ladies  for  the 
occasion. 

Mr.  Varin  was  a  small  but  well-built  man.  His  thin  lips 
were  ever  ready  to  smile  graciously.  The  remarkable  whiteness 
of  his  skin  was  still  heightened  by  tht;  red  color  of  his  cheeks. 
Intelligence  and  goodness  beamed  from  his  expressive  black 
eyes.  Nothing  could  be  more  amiable  and  gracious  than  his 
coversation  during  the  first  quarter  of  an  houi  passed  in  his 
company.  He  was  passionately  fond  of  these  little  fetes,  and 
the  charm  of  his  manners  could  not  be  surpassed  as  the  host  of 
the  evening. 

He  was  moved  to  tears  before  hearing  half  of  the  address, 
and  the  eyes  of  many  were  moistened  when  the  pastor,  with  a 
voice  trembling  and  full  of  emotion,  expressed  his  joy  and  grati- 
tude at  being  so  highly  appreciated  by  his  parishioners. 

As  soon  as  the  happy  pastor  had  expressed  his  thanks,  the 
ladies  sang  two  or  three  beautiful  songs.  The  (loor  of  the 
dining-room  was  then  opened,  and  we  could  see  a  long  table 
laden  with  the  most  delicious  meats  and  wines  that  Canada  could 
offer. 

I  had  never  before  been  present  at  a  priest's  dinner.  The 
honorable  position  given  me  at  that  little  fete  permitted  me  to 
see  it  in  all  its  details,  and  nothing  could  equal  the  curiosity  with 
which  I  sought  to  hear  and  see  all  that  was  said  and  done  by  the 
joyous  guests. 

Besides  Mr.  Varin  and  his  vicar  there  were  three  other 
priests,  who  were  artistically  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
beautiful  ladies  of  the  company.  The  ladies,  after  honoring  us 
with  their  presence  for  an  hour  or  so,  left  the  table  and  retired 
to  the  drawing-room.  Scarcely  had  the  last  lady  disappeared 
when  Mr.  Varin  rose  and  said : 

"  Gentlemen,  let  us  drink  to  the  health  of  these  amiable 
ladies,  whose  presence  has  thrown  so  many  charms  over  the  first 
part  of  our  little  fete." 

Following  the  example  of  Mr.  Varin,  each  guest  filled  and 
emptied  his  long  wine-glass  in  honor  of  the  ladies. 

■  Squire  Tache  then  proposed  "  The  health  of  the  most  vener- 


-*y 


* 


mmmmf^F'immmmmfm* 


5» 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


« 


St'    ' 

it' 


I  '•' 


:;  I'- 


r 


able  and  beloved  priest  of  Canada,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Varin."  Again 
the  glasses  were  filled  and  emptied,  except  mine;  for  I  had  been 
placed  at  the  side  of  my  uncle  Dionnc,  who,  sternly  looking  at 
me  as  soon  as  I  had  emptied  my  first  glass,  said :  "  If  you  drink 
another  I  will  send  you  from  the  table.  A  little  boy  like  you 
should  not  drink,  but  only  touch  the  glass  with  his  lips." 

It  would  have  been  diflicult  to  count  the  healths  which  were 
drank. after  the  ladies  had  left  us.  After  each  health  a  song  or 
a  story  was  called  for,  several  of  which  were  followed  by 
applause,  shouts  of  joy,  and  convulsive  laughter. 

When  my  turn  to  propose  a  health  came  I  wished  to  be 
excused,  but  they  would  not  exempt  me.  So  I  had  to  say  about 
whose  health  I  was  most  interested.  I  rose  upon  my  two  short 
legs,  and  turning  to  Mr.  Varin,  I  said,  "  Let  us  drink  to  the 
health  of  our  Holy  Father,  the  Pope." 

Nobody  had  yet  thought  of  our  Holy  Father  the  Pope,  and  the 
name,  mentioned  under  such  circumstances  by  a  child,  appeared 
so  droll  to  the  priests  and  their  merry  guests  that  they  burst  into 
laughter,  stamped  their  feet  and  shouted  "  Bravo!  bravo!  To 
the  health  of  the  Pope!"  Everyone  stood  up,  and  at  the  invi- 
tation of  Mr.  Varin,  the  glasses  were  filled. and  emptied  as  usual. 

So  many  healths  could  not  be  drunk  without  their  natural 
effect — intoxication.  The  first  that  was  overcome  was  a  priest, 
Noel  by  name.  He  was  a  tall  man,  and  a  great  drinker.  I  had 
noticed  more  than  once,  that  instead  of  taking  his  wine-glass  he 
drank  from  a  large  tumbler.  The  first  symptoms  of  his  intoxi- 
cation, instead  of  drawing  sympathy  from  his  friends,  only 
increased  their  noisy.bursts  of  laughter.  He  endeavored  to  take 
a  bottle  to  fill  his  glass,  but  his  hand  shook,  and  the  bottle, 
falling  on  the  floor,  was  broken  to  pieces.  Wishing  to  keep  up 
his  merriment  he  began  to  sing  a  Bacchic  song,  but  could  not 
finish.  He  dropped  his  head  on  the  table,  quite  overcome,  and 
trying  to  rise,  he  fell  heavily  upon  his  chair.  While  all  this 
took  place  the  other  priests  and  all  the  guests  looked  at  him, 
laughing  loudly.  At  last,  making  a  desperate  effort,  he  rose, 
but  after  taking  two  or  three  steps,  fell  headlong  on  the  floor. 
His  two  neighbors  went  to  help  him,  but  they  were  not  in  a 


'',•■  f- 


FESTIVITIES    IN    A    PARSONAGE. 


53 


condition  to  help  him.  Twice  they  rolled  with  him  under  the 
tahle.  At  length  another,  less  affected  by  the  fumes  of  wine, 
took  him  by  the  feet  and  dragged  him  into  an  adjoining  room, 
where  they  left  him. 

This  first  scene  seemed  strange  enough  to  me,  for  I  had 
never  before  seen  a  priest  intoxicated.  But  what  astonished  me 
most  was  the  laughter  of  the  other  priests  over  that  spectacle. 
Another  scene,  however,  soon  followed  which  made  me  sadder. 
My  young  companion  and  friend,  Achilles  Tache,  had  not  been 
warned,  as  I  had,  only  to  touch  the  wine  with  his  lips.  More 
than  once  he  had  emptied  his  glass.  He  also  rolled  upon  the 
floor  before  the  eyes  of  his  father,  who  was  too  full  of  wine  to  help 
him.  He  cried  aloud,  "  I  am  choking ! "  I  tried  to  lift  him  up, 
but  I  was  not  strong  enough.  I  ran  for  his  mother.  She  came, 
accompanied  by  another  lady,  but  the  vicar  had  carried  him  into 
another  room,  where  he  fell  asleep  after  having  thrown  off  the 
wine  he  had  taken. 

Poor  Achilles!  he  was  learning,  in  the  house  of  his  own 
priest,  to  take  the  first  step  of  that  life  of  debauchery  and 
drunkenness  which  twelve  or  fifteen  years  later  was  to  rob  him 
of  his  manor,  take  from  him  his  wife  and  children,  and  to 
make  him  fall  a  victim  to  the  bloody  hand  of  a  murderer  upon 
the  solitary  shores  of  Kamouraskal 

This  first  and  sad  experience  which  I  made  of  the  real  and 
i.4timate  life  of  the  Roman  Catholic  priest  was  so  deeply 
engraved  on  my  memory  that  I  still  remember  with  shame  the 
bacchic  song  which  that  priest  Morin  had  taught  me,  and  which 
I  sang  on  that  occasion.    It  commenced  with  these  Latin  words : 

Ego  in  arte  Bacchi, 
,  Multum  profeei 

Decies  pintum  vini 
Hodie  bibi. 

I  also  remember  one  sung  by  Mr.  Varin.    Here  it  is: 

Savez-vous  pourquoi,  mes  amis,  (d/5) 
Nous  somtnes  tous  si  rejouis?  (pis) 

Amis  n'endoutez  pas, 

C'est  qu'un  repas 
N'est  bon. 


% 


, 


54 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Qu'  appret^  sans  faion, 
MangconH  h.  In  gninelle. 
Vive  le  son,  vive  le  son, 
Mangeons  h  la  gamelle, 
Vive  Ic  »on  du  tlacon  I 


When  the  priests  and  their  friends  had  sung,  laughed  and 
drank  for  more  than  an  hour,  Mr.  Varin  rose  and  said :  "  The 
ladies  must  not  be  left  alone  all  the  evening.  Will  not  our  joy 
and  happiness  be  doubled  if  they  are  pleased  to  share  them 
with  us." 

This  proposition  was  received  with  applause,  and  we  passed 
into  the  drawing-room,  where  the  ladies  awaited  us. 

Several  pieces  of  music,  well  executed,  gave  new  life  to  this 
part  of  the  entertainment.  This  resource,  however,  was  soon 
exhausted.  Besides,  some  of  the  ladies  could  well  see  that  their 
husbands  were  half  drunk,  and  they  felt  ashamed.  Madam 
Tache  could  not  conceal  the  grief  she  felt,  caused  by  what  had 
happened  to  her  dear  Achilles.  Hj\d  she  some  presentiment,  as 
many  pei^sons  have,  of  the  tears  which  she  was  to  shed  one  day 
on  his  account?  Was  the  vision  of  a  mutilated  and  bloody 
corpse — the  corpse  of  her  own  drunken  son  fallen,  dead,  under 
the  blow  of  an  assassin's  dagger,  before  her  eyes? 

Mr.  Varin  feared  nothing  more  than  an  interruption  in  those 
hours  o£  lively  pleasure,  of  which  his  life  was  full,  and  which 
took  place  in  his  pai*sonage. 

"  Well,  well,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  let  us  entertain  no  dark 
thoughts  on  this  evening,  the  happiest  of  my  life!  Let  us  play 
blind  man's  buff." 

*'  Let  us  play  blind  man's  buff!"  was  repeated  by  everybody. 

On  hearing  this  noise,  the  gentlemen  who  were  half  asleep 
by  the  fumes  of  wine  seemed  to  awaken  as  if  from  a  long 
dream.  Young  gentlemen  clapped  their  hands;  ladies,  young 
and  old,  congratulated  one  another  on  the  happy  idea. 

«'  But  whose  eyes  shall  be  covered  first?"  asked  the  priest. 

"  Yours,  Mr.  Varin,"  cried  all  the  ladies.  "  We  look  to  you 
for  the  good  example,  and  we  shall  follow  it." 

« The   power  and  unanimity  of   the  jury  by  which  T  am 


FESTIVITIES    IN    A    PARSONAGE. 


55 


condemned  cannot  be  resisted.  I  feel  that  there  is  no  appeal.  I 
must  submit." 

Immediately  one  of  the  ladies  placed  her  nicely  perfumed 
handkerchief  over  the  eyes  of  her  priest,  took  him  by  the  hand, 
led  him  to  an  angle  of  the  room,  and  ha\  iiijr  pushed  him  {  "y 
with  her  delicate  hand,  said:  "Mr.  Blindmanl  Let  everyone 
flee!     Woe  to  him  who  is  caught!" 

There  is  nothing  more  curious  and  comical  than  to  see  a  man 
walk  when  he  is  under  the  influence  of  wine,  especially  if  he 
wishes  nobody  to  notice  it.  How  stiff  and  straight  he  keeps  his 
legs!  How  learned  and  complicated,  in  order  to  keep  his 
equilibrium,  are  his  motions  to  right  and  left!  Such  was  the 
position  of  priest  Varin.  He  was  not  very  drunk.  Though  he 
had  taken  a  large  quantity  of  wine,  he  did  not  fall.  He  carried 
with  wonderful  courage  the  weight  with  which  he  was  laden. 
The  wine  which  he  had  drank  would  have  intoxicated  three 
ordinary  men;  but  such  was  his  capacity  for  drinking,  that  he 
could  still  walk  without  falling.  However,  his  condition  was 
sadly  betrayed  by  each  step  he  took  and  by  each  word  he  spoke. 
Nothing,  therefore,  was  more  comical  than  the  first  steps  of  the 
poor  priest  in  his  efforts  to  lay  hold  of  somebody  in  order  to  pass 
his  band  to  him.  He  would  take  one  forward  and  two  backward 
steps,  and  would  then  stagger  to  the  right  and  to  the  left. 
Everybody  laughed  to  tears.  One  after  another  they  would  all 
either  pinch  him  or  touch  him  gently  on  his  hand,  arm  or 
shoulder,  and  passing  rapidly  off  would  exclaim,  "  Run  away ! " 
The  priest  went  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left,  threw  his  arms 
suddenly  now  here  and  then  there.  His  legs  evidently  bent 
under  their  burden ;  he  panted,  perspired,  coughed,  and  everyone 
began  to  fear  that  the  trial  might  be  carried  too  far,  and  beyond 
propriety.  But  suddenly,  by  a  happy  turn  he  caught  the  arm  of 
a  lady  who  in  teasing  him  had  come  too  near.  In  vain  the  lady 
tries  to  escape.  She  struggles,  turns  round,  but  the  priest's  hand 
holds  her  firmly. 

While  holding  his  victim  with  his  right  hand  he  wishes  to 
touch  her  head  with  his  left,  in  order  to  know  and  name  the 
pretty  bird  he  had  caught.     But  at  that  moment  his  legs  gave 


m 


56 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


way.  He  falh,  and  drags  with  htm  his  beautiful  parishioner. 
She  turns  upon  him  in  order  to  escape,  but  he  soon  turns  on 
her  in  order  to  hold  her  better! 

All  this,  though  the  affair  of  a  moment,  was  long  enough  to 
cause  the  ladies  to  blush  and  cover  their  faces.  Never  in  all  my 
life  did  I  see  anything  so  shameful  as  that  scene.  This  ended 
the  game.  Everyone  felt  ashamed.  I  make  a  mistake  when  I 
say  everyone,  because  the  men  were  almost  all  too  intoxicated  to 
blush.  The  priests  also  were  either  too  drunk  or  too  much 
accustomed  to  such  scenes  to  be  ashamed. 

On  the  following  day  every  one  of  those  priests  celebrated 
mass,  and  ate  what  they  called  the  body  and  blood,  the  soul  and 
divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  just  as  if  they  had  spent  the  previous 
evening  in  prayer  and  meditation  on  the  laws  of  God!  He, 
Mr.  Varin,  was  the  arch-priest  of  the  important  part  of  the 
diocese  of  Quebec  from  La  Riviere  Quelle  to  Gaspe. 

Thus,  O  perfidious  Church  of  Rome,  thou  deceivest  the 
nations  who  follow  thee,  and  ruinest  even  the  priests  whom  thou 
makest  thy  slaves. 


Chapter  VII. 


nUBPABATXON  VOB  THB   FZBST  OOKMUlTXON-ZVXTZATZOir 

TO  ZDOLATBT. 


NOTHING  can  exceed  the  care  with  which  Roman  Catholic 
priests  prepare  children  for  their  first  communion.  Two 
and  three  months  are  set  apart  every  year  for  that  purpose.  All 
that  time  the  children  between  ten  and  twelve  years  of  age  are 
obliged  to  go  to  church  almost  every  day,  not  only  to  learn  by 
heart  their  catechism,  but  to  hear  the  explanations  of  all  its 
teachings. 

The  priest  who  instructed  us  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Morirj,  whom 
I  have  already  mentioned.  He  was  exceedingly  kind  to  children, 
and  we  respected  and  loved  him  sincerely.  His  instructions  to 
us  were  somewhat  long;  but  we  liked  to  hear  him,  for  he  always 
bad  some  new  and  interesting  stories  to  give  us. 

The  catechism  taught  as  a  preparation  for  our  first  com- 
munion was  the  foundation  of  the  idolatries  and  superstitions 
which  the  Church  of  Rome  gives  as  the  religion  of  Christ.  It 
is  by  means  of  that  catechetical  instruction  that  she  obtains  for 
the  Pope  and  his  representatives  that  profound  respect,  I  might 
say  adoration,  which  is  the  secret  of  her  power  and  influence. 
With  this  catechism  Rome  corrupts  the  most  sacred  truths  of 
the  gospel.  It  is  there  that  Jesus  is  removed  from  the  hearts 
for  which  he  paid  so  great  a  price,  and  that  Mary  is  put  in  his 
place.  But  the  great  iniquity  of  substituting  Mary  for  Jesus  is 
so  skilfully  concealed,  it  is  given  with  colors  so  poetic  and 
beautiful,  and  so  well  adapted  to  captivate  human  nature, 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  for  a  poor  child  to  escape  the 
snare. 

One  day  the  priest  said  to  me,  "  Stand  up,  my  child,  in  order 

S7 


[if 


58 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


to  answer  the  many  important  questions  which  I  have  to  ask 
you." 

I  stood  up. 

"  My  child."  he  said,  "  when  you  had  been  guilty  of  some 
fault  at  home,  who  was  the  first  to  punish  you — your  father,  or 
your  mother?" 

After  a  few  moments  of  hesitation  I  answered,  "  My  father," 

"  You  have  answered  correctly,  my  child,"  said  the  priest. 
"As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  father  is  almost  always  more  impatient 
with  his  children,  and  more  ready  to  punish  them,  than  the 
mother," 

"  Now,  my  child,  tell  us  who  punished  you  most  severely — 
your  father  or  your  mother?" 

"  My  father,"  I  said,  without  hesitation. 

"  Still  true,  my  child.  The  superior  goodness  of  a  kind 
mother  is  perceived  even  in  the  act  of  correction.  Her  blows 
are  lighter  than  those  of  the  father.  Further,  when  you  had 
deserved  to  be  chastised,  did  not  one  sometimes  come  between 
you  and  your  father's  rod,  taking  it  away  from  him  and  pacifv- 
ing  him?" 

"  Yes,"  I  said ;  "  mother  did  that  very  often,  and  saved   me 
from  severe  punishment  more  than  once." 

"  That  is  so,  my  child,  not  only  for  you,  but  for  all  your 
companions  here.  Have  not  your  good  mothers,  my  children, 
often  saved  you  from  your  fathers'  corrections  even  when  you 
deserved  it?     Answer  me." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  they  all  answered. 

"  One  question  more;  When  your  father  was  coming  to 
whip  you,  did  you  not  throw  yourself  into  the  arms  of  some  one 
to  escape?" 

"Yes,  sir;  when  ^'rlty  of  something,  more  than  once,  I 
threw  myself  into  r  ,  mother's  arms  as  soon  as  I  saw  my  father 
coming  to  whip  me.  She  begged  pardon  for  me,  and  pleaded 
so  well  that  I  often  escaped  punishment." 

«  You  have  answered  well,"  said  the  priest.  Then  turning 
to  the  childi-en,  he  continued: 

"You  have  a  Father  and  a  Mother  in  heaven,  dear  children. 


PREPARATION    FOR    THE    FIRC-T    COMMUNION. 


59 


Your  father  is  Jesus,  and  your  mother  is  Mary.  Do  not  forget 
that  a  mother's  heart  is  always  more  tender  and  more  prone  to 
mercy  than  that  of  a  father. 

"  Often  you  offend  your  Father  by  your  sins ;  you  make  Him 
angry  against  you.  What  takes  place  in  heaven  then?  Your 
Father  in  heaven  takes  His  rod  to  punish  you.  He  threatens  to 
crush  you  down  with  His  roaring  thunder;  He  opens  the  gates 
of  hell  to  cast  you  into  it,  and  you  would  have  been  damned 
long  ago  had  it  not  been  for  the  loving  Mother  whom  you  have 
in  heaven,  who  has  disarmed  your  angry  and  irritated  Father. 
When  Jesus  would  punish  you  as  you  deserve,  the  good  Virgin 
Mary  hastens  to  Him  and  pacifies  Him.  She  places  herself 
between  Him  and  you,  and  prevents  Him  from  smiting  you. 
She  speaks  in  your  favor,  she  asks  for  }our  pardon  and  she 
obtains  it. 

"  Also,  as  young  Chiniquy  has  told  you,  he  often  threw  him- 
self into  the  arms  of  his  mother  to  escape  punishment.  She 
took  his  part,  and  pleaded  so  well  that  his  father  yielded  and 
put  away  the  rod.  Thus,  my  children,  when  your  conscience 
tells  you  that  you  are  guilty,  that  Jesus  is  angry  against  you  and 
that  you  have  good  reason  to  fear  hell,  hasten  to  Mary!  Throw 
yourselves  into  the  arms  of  that  good  mother;  have  recourse  to 
her  sovereign  power  over  Jesus,  and  be  assured  that  you  will  be 
saved  through  her!" 

It  is  thus  that  the  Pope  and  the  priests  of  Rome  have 
entirely  disfigured  and  changed  the  holy  religion  of  the  gospel! 
In  the  Church  of  Rome  it  is  n  t  Jesus,  but  Mary,  who  repre- 
sents the  infinite  love  and  mercy  of  God  for  the  sinner.  The 
sinner  is  not  advised  or  directed  to  place  his  hope  in  Jesus,  but 
in  Mary,  for  his  escape  from  deserved  chastisement!  It  is  not 
Jesus,  but  Mary,  who  saves  the  sinner!  Jesus  is  always  bent  on 
punishing  sinners;  Mary  is  always  merciful  to  them! 

Tjje  Church  of  Rome  has  thus  fallen  into  idolatry:  she 
rather  trusts  in  Mary  than  in  Jesus.  She  constantly  invites 
sinners  to  turn  their  though  - ,  their  hopes,  their  affections,  not  to 
Jesus,  but  to  Mary ! 

By  means  of  that  Impious  doctrine  Rome  deceives  the  intel- 


uf  i 


€o 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


lects,  seduces  the  hearts,  and  destroys  the  souls  of  the  young 
forever.  Under  the  pretext  of  honoring  the  Virgin  Mary,  she 
insuhs  her  by  outraging  and  misrepresenting  her  adorable  Son. 
Rome  has  brought  back  the  idolatry  of  old  paganism  unde 
a  new  name.  She  has  replaced  upon  her  altars  the  Jupiter 
Tonans  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  only  she  places  upon  his 
shoulders  the  mantle  and  she  writes  on  the  forehead  of  her  idol 
the  name  of  Jesus,  in  order  the  better  to  deceive  the  world  I 


Chapter   VIII. 

THB  FIBST  oojttxjnaas. 

FOR  the  Roman  Catholic  child,  how  beautiful  and  yet  how 
sad  is  the  day  of  his  first  communion!  How  many  joys 
and  anxieties  by  turn  rise  in  his  soul  when  for  the  first  time  he 
is  about  to  eat  what  he  has  been  taught  to  believe  to  be  his  God! 
How  many  efforts  has  he  to  make,  m  order  to  destroy  the  mani- 
fest teachings  of  his  own  rational  faculties!  I  confess  with  deep 
regret  that  I  had  almost  destroyed  my  reason,  in  order  to  prepare 
myself  for  my  fii'st  communion.  Yes,  I  was  almost  exhausted 
?  when  the  day  came  that  I  had  to  eat  what  the  priest  had  assured 

us  was  the  true  body,  the  true  blood,  soul  and  divmity  of  Jesus 
Christ.  I  was  about  to  eat  him,  not  in  a  symbolical  or  coi|i- 
memorative,  but  in  a  literal  way.  I  was  to  eat  his  flesh,  his 
bones,  his  hands,  his  feet,  his  head,  his  whole  body!  I  had  to 
believe  this  or  be  cast  forever  into  hell,  while,  all  the  time,  my 
eyes,  my  hands,  my  mouth,  my  tongue,  my  reason  told  me  that 
what  I  was  eating  was  only  bread! 

Has  there  ever  been,  or  will  there  ever  be,  a  priest  or  a 
layman  to  believe  what  the  Church  of  Rome  teaches  on  this 
,  dreadful  mystery  of  the  Real  Presence?  Shall  I  say  that  I 
believed  in  the  real  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  communion  ? 
I  believed  in  it  as  all  those  who  are  good  Roman  Catholics 
believe.  I  believed  as  a  perfect  idiot  or  a  corpse  believes. 
Whatever  is  essential  to  a  reasonable  act  of  faith  had  been 
•  destroyed  in  me  on  thi."  r>int,  as  it  is  destroyed  in  every  priest 
and  layman  in  the  Church  of  Rome.  My  reason  as  well  as  my 
external  senses  had  been,  as  much  as  possible,  sacrificed  at  the 
feet  of  that  terrible  modern  god,  the  Pope!  I  had  been  guilty 
of  the  incredibly  foolish  act,  of  which  all  good  Roman  Catholics 

6i 


6a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


n 


are  guilty — I  had  said  to  my  intellectual  faculties,  and  to  all  my 
senses,  "  Hush,  you  are  liars !  I  had  believed  to  this  day  that 
you  had  been  given  to  me  by  God  in  order  to  enable  me  to  walk 
in  the  dark  paths  of  life,  but,  behold !  the  hoi}'  Pope  teaches  me 
that  you  are  only  instruments  of  the  devil  to  deceive  me!" 

What  is  a  man  who  resigns  his  intellectual  liberty,  and  who 
cares  >ot  to  believe  in  the  testimony  of  his  senses?  Is  he  not 
acting  the  part  of  one  who  has  no  gift  or  power  of  intelligence? 
A  good  Roman  Catholic  must  reach  that  point!  That  was  my 
own  condition  on  the  day  of  my  first  communion. 

When  Jesus  said,  "  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them 
they  had  not  had  sin;  but  now  they  have  no  cloak  for  their  sins: 
if  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works  that  none  other  man 
did,  they  had  not  had  sin;  but  now  have  they  both  seen  and 
hated  both  me  and  my  Father"  Qohn  xv.  22-24),  ^^  showed 
that  the  sin  of  the  Jews  consisted  in  not  having  believed  in  what 
their  eyes  had  seen  and  their  ears  had  heard.  But  behold,  the 
Pope  says  to  Roman  Catholics  that  they  must  not  believe  in 
what  their  hands  undoubtedly  handle  and  their  eyes  most  clearly 
see!  The  Pope  sets  aside  the  testimony  mos>t  approved  by 
Jesus.  The  very  witnesses  invoked  by  the  son  of  God  are 
ignominiously  turned  out  of  court  by  the  Pope  as  false 
witnesses ! 

As  the  moment  of  taking  the  communion  drew  near,  two 
feelings  were  at  war  in  my  mind,  each  struggling  for  victory. 
I  rejoiced  in  the  thought  that  I  would  soon  have  full  possession 
of  Jesus  Christ,  but  at  the  same  time  I  was  troubled  and 
humbled  by  the  absurdity  which  I  had  to  believe  before  receiv- 
ing that  sacrament.  Though  scarcely  twelve  years  old,  I  had 
sufficiently  accustomed  myself  to  reflect  on  the  profound  dark- 
ness which  covered  that  dogma.  I  had  been  also  greatly  in  the 
habit  of  trusting  my  eyes,  and  I  thought  that  I  could  easily 
distinguish  between  a  small  piece  of  bread  and  a  full-grown 
man ! 

Besides,  I  extremely  abhorred  the  idea  of  eating  human  flesh 
and  drinking  human  blood,  even  when  they  assured  me  that 
they  were  the  flesh  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  himself.     But 


THE    FIRST    COMMUNION. 


63 


what  troubled  me  most  was  the  idea  of  that  God,  who  was 
represented  to  me  as  being  so  great,  so  glorious,  so  holy,  being 
eaten  by  me  like  a  piece  of  common  bread !  Terrible  then  was 
the  struggle  in  my  young  he^rt,  where  joy  and  dread,  trust  and 
fear,  faith  and  unbelief  by  turns  had  the  upper  hand. 

While  that  secret  struggle,  known  only  to  God  and  to 
myself,  was  going  on  I  had  often  to  wipe  off  the  cold  perspira- 
tion which  came  on  my  brow.  With  all  the  strength  of  my 
soul  I  prayed  to  God  and  the  Holy  Virgin  to  be  merciful  unto 
me,  to  help,  and  give  me  sufficient  strength  and  light  to  pass 
over  these  hours  of  anguish. 

The  Church  of  Rome  is  evidently  the  most  skillful  human 
machine  the  world  has  ever  seen.  Those  who  guide  her  in  the 
dark  paths  which  she  follows  are  often  men  of  deep  thought. 
They  understand  how  difficult  it  would  be  to  get  calm,  honest 
and  thinking  minds  to  receive  that  monstrous  dogma  of  the  real 
corporal  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  communion.  They  well 
foresaw  the  struggle  which  would  take  place  even  in  the  minds 
of  children  at  the  supreme  moment  when  they  would  have  to 
sacrifice  their  reason  on  the  altar  of  Rome.  In  order  to  prevent 
those  struggles,  always  so  dangerous  to  the  Church,  nothing  has 
been  neglected  to  distract  the  mind  and  draw  the  attention  to 
other  subjects  than  that  of  the  communion  itself. 

First,  at  the  request  of  the  parish  priest,  helped  by  the  vanity 
of  the  parents  themselves,  the  children  are  dressed  as  elegantly 
as  possible.  The  young  communicant  is  clothed  in  every  way 
best  calculated  to  flatter  his  own  vanity  also.  The  church 
building  is  pompously  decorated.  The  charms  of  choice  vocal 
and  instrumental  music  form  a  part  of  the  fete.  The  most 
odorous  incense  burns  around  the  altar,  and  ascends  in  a  sweet- 
smelling  cloud  towards  heaven.  The  whole  parish  is  invited, 
and  people  come  from  every  direction  to  enjoy  a  most  beautiful 
spectacle.  Priests  from  the  neighboring  churches  are  called,  in 
order  to  add  to  the  solemnity  of  the  day.  The  officiating  priest 
is  dressed  in  the  most  costly  attire.  This  is  the  day  on  which 
silver  and  gold  altar-cloths  are  displayed  before  the  eyes  of  the 
wondering  spectators.     Often  a  lighted  wax  taper  is  placed  in 


64 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


.  n 


the  hand  of  each  young  communicant,  which  itself  would  be 
sufficient  to  draw  his  whole  attention ;  for  a  single  false  motion 
would  be  sufficient  to  set  fire  to  the  clothes  of  his  neighbor,  or 
'  his  own,  a  misfortune  which  has  happened  more  than  once  m 
my  presence. 

Now,  in  the  midst  of  that  new  and  wonderful  spectacle ;  of 
singing  Latin  psalms,  not  a  word  of  which  he  understands;  m 
view  of  gold  and  silver  ornaments,  which  glitter  everywhere 
before  his  dazzled  eyes;  busy  with  the  holding  of  the  lighted 
taper,  which  keeps  him  constantly  in  fear  of  being  burned  alive, 
can  the  young  communicant  think  for  a  moment  of  what  he  is 
about  to  do? 

Poor  child!  his  mind,  ears,  eyes,  nostrils  are  so  much  taken 
up  with  those  new,  striking  and  wonderful  things  that,  while 
his  imagination  is  wandering  from  one  object  to  another,  the 
moment  of  communion  arrives,  without  leaving  him  time  to 
think  of  what  he  is  about  to  do!  He  opens  his  mouth,  and  the 
priest  puts  upon  his  tongue  a  flat  thin  cake  of  unleavened  bread, 
which  either  firmly  sticks  to  his  palate  or  otherwise  melts  in  his 
mouth,  soon  to  go  down  into  his  stomach  just  like  the  food  he 
takes  three  times  a  day ! 

The  first  feeUnpf  uf  ti^e  child,  then,  is  that  of  surprise  at  the 
thought  that  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  upholder  of 
the  universe,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  could  so  easily  pass  down 
his  throat! 

Now,  follow  those  children  to  their  homes  after  that  great 
and  monstrous  comedy.  See  their  gait!  Listen  to  their  conver- 
sation and  their  bursts  of  laughter!  Study  their  manners,  their 
coming  in,  their  going  out,  their  glances  of  satisfaction  on  their 
fine  clothes,  and  the  vanity  which  they  manifest  in  return  for 
the  congratulations  they  receive  on  their  fine  dresses.  Notice 
the  lightness  of  their  actions  and  conversation  immediately  after 
their  communion,  and  tell  me  if  you  find  anything  indicating 
that  they  believed  in  the  terrible  dogma  they  have  been  taught! 

No,  they  have  not  believed  in  it,  neither  will  they  ever  do  so, 
with  the  firmness  of  faith  which  is  accompanied  by  intelligence. 
The  poor  child  thinks  he  believes,  and  he  sincerely  tries  to  do 


THE    FIRST    COMMUNION. 


65 


/ 


SO.  He  believes  in  it  as  much  as  it  is  possible  to  believe  in  a 
most  monstrous  and  ridiculous  story,  opposed  to  the  simplest 
notions  of  truth  and  common  sense.  He  believes  as  Roman 
Catholics  believe.     He  believes  as  an  idiot  believes  11 

That  first  communion  has  made  of  him,  for  the  rest  of  his 
life,  a  real  machine  in  the  hands  of  the  Pope.  It  is  the  first  but 
most  powerful  link  of  that  long  chain  of  slavery  which  the 
priest  and  the  Church  pass  around  his  neck.  The  Pope  holds 
the  end  of  that  chain,  and  with  it  he  will  make  his  victim'  go 
light  or  left  at  his  pleas  /e,  in  the  same  way  that  we  govern  the 
lower  animals.  If  those  children  have  made  a  gootl  first  com- 
mimion  they  will  be  submissive  to  the  Pope,  according  to  the 
energetic  word  of  Loyola.  They  will  be  in  the  hands  of  the 
Supreme  Pontiff  of  Rome  just  what  the  stick  is  in  the  hand  of 
the  traveller — they  will  have  no  will,  no  thought  of  their  own  I 

And  if  God  does  not  work  a  miracle  to  bring  them  out  from 
that  bondage  which  is  a  thousand  times  worse  than  the  Egyptian, 
they  will  remain  in  that  state  during  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

My  soul  has  known  the  weight  of  those  chains.     It  has  felt 
the  ignominy  of  that  slavery !     But  the  great  Conqueror  of  souls.  ■ 
has  cast  down  a  merciful  eye  upon  me.     He  has  broken  my 
chains,  and  with  His  holy  Word  He  has  made  me  free. 

May  His  name  be  forever  blessed! 


'#^^P^Pl¥&^= 


..■;;;■..■■■«  .iri 


""!t3i££?fes;,r' 


>-^f^''f'i^-Wv-' 


Chapter  IX. 


IKTBLLEOTUAIi  BDUOATION   IN   THE    BOKIAN   OATHOLIO 

OOLIiEGE. 

y  FINISHED,  at  the  College  of  Nicolet,  in  the  month  of 
X  August,  1829,  my  classical  course  of  study  which  I  had 
begun  in  1822.  I  could  easily  have  learned  in  three  or  four 
years  what  was  taught  in  these  seven  years. 

It  took  us  three  years  to  study  the  Latin  grammar,  when 
twelve  months  would  have  sufficed  for  all  we  learned  of  it.  It 
is  true  that  during  that  time  we  were  taught  some  of  the  rudi- 
ments of  the  French  grammar,  with  the  elements  of  arithmetic 
and  geography.  But  all  this  was  so  superficial,  that  our  teachers 
often  seemed  more  desirous  to  pass  away  our  time  than  to 
enlarge  our  understandings. 

I  can  say  the  same  thing  of  the  Belles  Lettres  and  of 
rhetoric,  which  we  studied  two  years.  A  year  of  earnest  study 
would  have  sufficed  to  learn  what  was  taught  us  during  these 
twenty-four  months.  As  for  the  two  years  devoted  to  the  study 
of  logic,  and  of  the  subjects  classed  under  the  name  of  philo- 
sophy, it  would  not  have  been  too  long  a  time  if  those  questions 
of  philosophy  had  been  honestly  given  us.  But  the  student  in 
the  college  of  the  Church  of  Rome  is  condemned  to  the 
torments  of  Tantalus.  He  has  indeed  the  refreshing  waters  of 
Science  put  to  his  lips,  but  he  is  constantly  prevented  from 
tasting  them.  To  enlarge  and  seriously  cultivate  the  intelli- 
gence in  a  Roman  Catholic  college  is  a  thing  absolutely  out  of 
the  question.  More  than  that,  all  the  efforts  of  the  principals 
in  their  colleges  and  convents  tend  to  prove  to  the  pupil  that  his 
intelligence  is  his  greatest  and  most  dangerous  enemy — that  it  is 
like  an  untamable  animal,  which   must  constantly  be  kept  in 

66 


I    \  I,' 


INTELLECTUAL    EDUCATION,   ETC. 


67 


chains.  Every  day  the  scholar  is  told  that  his  reason  wm  not 
given  him  that  he  might  be  guided  by  it,  but  only  that  he  ma\' 
know  the  hand  of  the  man  by  whom  he  must  be  guided.  And 
that  hand  is  none  other  than  the  Pope's.  All  the  resources  of 
language,  all  the  most  ingenious  sophisms,  all  the  passages  of 
both  the  Fathers  and  the  Holy  Scriptures  bearing  on  this 
question  arc  arranged  and  perverted  with  inconceivable  art  to 
demonstrate  to  the  pupil  that  his  reason  has  no  power  to  teach 
him  anything  else  than  that  it  must  be  subjected  to  the  Supreme 
Pontiff  of  Rome,  who  is  the  only  foundation  of  truth  and  light 
given  by  God  to  guide  the  intelligence  and  to  enlighten  and 
save  the  world. 

Rome,  in  her  colleges  and  convents,  brings  up,  or  raises  up, 
the  youth  from  their  earliest  years;  but  to  what  height  does  she 
permit  the  young  man  or  woman  to  be  raised?  Never  higher 
than  the  feet  of  the  Pope!!  As  soon  as  his  intelligence,  guided 
by  the  Jesuit,  has  ascended  to  the  feet  of  the  Pope,  it  must 
remain  there,  prostrate  itself  and  fall  asleep. 

The  Pope!  That  is  the  great  object  towards  which  all  the 
intelligence  of  the  Roman  Catholics  must  be  converged.  It  is 
the  sun  of  the  world,  the  foundation  and  the  only  support  of 
Christian  knowledge  and  civilization. 

What  a  privilege  it  is  to  be  lazy,  stupid  and  sluggish  in  a 
college  of  Rome  I  How  soon  such  an  one  gets  to  the  summit  of 
science,  and  becomes  master  of  all  knowledge!  One  needs  only 
to  kiss  the  feet  of  the  Pope,  and  fall  into  a  perfect  slumber 
there.  The  Pope  thinks  for  him!  It  is  he  (the  Pope)  who 
will  tell  him  what  he  can  and  should  think,  and  what  he  can 
and  should  believe! 

I  had  arrived  at  that  degree  of  perfection  at  the  end  of  my 
studies,  and  J.  B.  Barthe,  Esq.,  M.P.P.,  being  editor  of  one  of  the 
principal  papers  of  Montreal  in  1844, could  write  in  his  paper  when 
my  "  Manual  of  Temperance"  was  published :  "  Mr.  Chiniquy 
has  -rowned  his  apostleship  of  temperance  by  that  work,  with 
that  ardent  and  holy  ambition  of  character  of  which  he  gave  us 
so  many  tokens  in  his  collegiate  life,  where  we  have  been  so 
many  years  the  witness  of  his  piety  when  he  was  the  model  of 


-  'M 


68 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


•:f 


.1     I 


his  fellow  students,  who  had  called  him  the  Louis  de  Gonzague 
of  Nicolet." 

These  words  of  the  Montreal  member  of  Parliament 
mean  only  that,  wishing  to  be  saved  as  St.  Louis  de  Gonzague, 
I  had  blindly  tied  myself  to  the  feet  of  my  superiors.  I  had,  as 
much  as  possible,  extinguished  all  the  enlightenments  of  my 
own  mind  to  follow  the  reason  anrd  the  will  of  my  superiors. 
These  compliments  mean  that  I  was  \/^alking  like  a  blind  man 
whom  his  guide  holds  by  the  hand. 

Though  my  intelligence  often  revolted  against  the  fables 
with  which  I  was  nurtured,  I  yet  forced  myself  to  accept  them 
as  gospel  truths;  and  though  I  often  rebelled  against  the  ridicu- 
lous sophisms  which  were  babbled  to  me  as  the  only  principles 
of  truth  and  Christian  philosophy,  yet  as  often  did  I  impose 
silence  on  my  reason,  and  force  it  to  submit  to  the  falsehoods 
which  I  was  obliged  to  take  for  God's  truth!  But,  as  I  have 
just  confessed  it,  notwithstanding  my  goodwill  to  submit  to  my 
superiors,  there  were  times  of  terrible  struggle  in  my  soul,  when 
all  the  powers  of  my  mind  seemed  to  revolt  against  the  degrad- 
ing fetters  which  I  was  forced  to  forge  for  myself. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  day  when,  in  the  following  terms,  I 
expressed  to  my  Professor  of  Philosophy,  the  Rev.  Charles 
Harper,  doubts  which  I  had  conceived  concerning  the  absolute 
necessity  of  the  inferior  to  submit  his  reason  to  his  superior. 
"When  I  shall  have  completely  bound  myself  to  obey  my 
superior,  if  he  abuses  his  authority  over  me  to  deceive  me  by 
false  doctrines,  or  if  he  commands  me  to  do  things  which  I 
consider  wrong  and  dishonest,  shall  I  not  be  lost  if  I  obey  him  ?" 

He  answered :  "  You  will  never  have  to  give  an  account  to 
God  for  the  actions  that  you  do  by  the  order  of  your  legitimate 
superiors.  If  they  were  to  deceive  you,  being  themselves 
deceived,  they  alone  would  be  responsible  for  the  error  which 
you  would  have  committed.  Your  sin  would  not  be  imputed  to 
you  as  long  as  you  follow  the  golden  rule  which  is  the  base  of 
all  Christian  philosophy  and  perfection — humility  and  obedience !" 

Little  satisfied  with  that  .answer,  when  the  lesson  was  over  I 
expressed  my  reluctance  to  accept  such  principles  to  several  of 


3l 


INTELLECTUAL    EDUCATION,    ETC. 


«9 


my  fellow  students!  Among  them  was  Joseph  Turcot,  who 
died  some  years  ago  when,  I  think,  he  was  Minister  of  Public 
Works  in  Canada.  He  answered  me:  "The  more  I  study  what 
they  call  their  principles  of  Christian  philosophy  and  logic,  the 
more  I  think  that  they  intend  to  make  asses  of  every  one  of  us  I ''^ 

On  the  followi'ig  day  I  opened  my  heart  to  the  venerable 
man  who  was  our  principal — the  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon.  I  used  to 
venerate  him  as  a  saint  and  to  love  him  as  a  father.  I  frankly 
told  him  that  I  felt  very  reluctant  in  submitting  myself  to  the 
crude  principles  which  seemed  to  lead  us  into  the  most  abject 
shntiy,  the  slavery  of  our  reason  and  intelligence.  I  wrote 
down  his  answer,  which  I  give  here: 

*'  My  dear  Chiniquy,  how  did  Adam  and  Eve  lose  themselves 
in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  how  did  they  bring  upon  us  all  the 
deluge  of  evils  by  which  we  arc  overwhelmed?  Is  it  not 
because  they  raised  their  miserable  reason  above  that  of  God  ? 
They  had  the  promise  of  eternal  life  if  they  had  submitted  their 
reason  to  that  of  their  Supreme  Master.  They  were  lost  on 
account  of  their  rebelling  against  the  authority,  the  reason  of 
God.  Thus  it  is  to-day.  All  the  evils,  the  errors,  the  crimes 
by  which  the  world  is  overflooded  come  from  the  same  revolt  of  , 
the  human  will  and  reason  against  the  will  and  reason  of  God. 
God  reigns  yet  over  a  part  of  the  world,  the  world  of  the  elect, 
through  the  Pope,  who  controls  the  teachings  of  our  infallible 
and  holy  Church.  In  submitting  ourselves  to  God,  who  speaks 
to  us  through  the  Pope,  we  are  saved.  We  walk  in  the  paths 
of  truth  and  holiness.  But  we  would  err,  and  infallibly  perish, 
as  soon  as  we  put  our  reason  above  that  of  our  superior,  the  ^ 
Pope,  speaking  to  us  in  person,  or  thj'ough  some  of  our  superiors  * 
who  have  received  from  him  the  authority  to  guide  us." 

«  But,"  said  I,  "  if  my  reason  tells  me  that  the  Pope,  or  some 
of  those  other  superiors  who  are  put  by  him  over  me,  are  mis- 
taken, and  that  they  command  mc  something  wrong,  would  I 
not  be  guilty  before  God  if  I  obey  them?" 

"  You  suppose  a  thing  utterly  impossible,"  answered  Mr. 
Leprohon,  "for  the  Pope  and  the  bishops  who  are  united  to  him 
have  the, promise  of  never  failing  in  the  faith.     They  cannot 


__ 


^^^^___^g|||g|i 


70 


FIFTY    YEAKS    IN    THE    CHUKCll    OF    ROMK. 


lend  you  into  any  errors,  nor  command  you  anything  against  the 
law  of  God.  But  supposing  for  a  moment  that  they  would 
commit  any  error,  and  that  they  would  compel  you  to  believe  or 
do  something  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  the  gospel,  God 
would  not  ask  of  you  any  account  of  an  error  committed  when 
you  are  obeying  your  legitimate  superior." 

I  had  to  content  myself  with  that  answer,  which  I  put  down 
word  for  word  in  my  note  book.  But  in  spite  of  my  respectful 
silence,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon  saw  that  I  was  yet  uneasy  and 
sad.  In  order  to  convince  me  of  the  orthodoxy  of  his  doctrines, 
he  instantly  put  into  my  hands  the  two  works  of  De  Maistre, 
"  Le  Pape"  and  "  Les  Soirees  de  St.  Petersburgh,"  where  I 
found  the  same  doctrines  supported.  My  superior  was  honest 
in  his  convictions.  He  sincerch'  believed  in  the  sound  philo- 
sophy  and  Christianity  of  his  principles,  for  he  had  found  them 
in  these  books  approved  by  the  "  infallible  Popes." 

I  will  mention  another  occurrence  to  show  the  inconceivable 
intellectual  degradation  to  which  we  hrd  been  dragged  at  the 
end  of  seven  years  of  collegiate  studies.  About  the  year  1829 
the  curate  of  St.  Anne  de  la  Parade  wrote  to  our  principal. 
Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon,  to  ask  the  assistance  of  the  prayers  of  all 
the  students  of  the  College  of  Nicolet  in  order  to  obtain  the 
discontinuance  of  the  following  calamity :  "  For  more  than  three 
weeks  one  of  the  most  respectable  farmers  was  in  danger  of  losing 
all  his  horses  from  the  effects  of  a  sorcery !  From  morning  to 
Tiight,  and  during  most  of  the  night,  repeated  blows  of  whips 
and  sticks  were  heard  falling  upon  these  poor  horses,  which 
were  trembling,  foaming  and  struggling!  We  can  see  nothing! 
The  hand  of  the  wizard  remains  invisible.  Pray  for  us,  that 
we  may  discover  the  monster,  and  that  he  may  be  punished  as 
he  deserves." 

Such  were  the  contents  of  the  priest's  .letter;  and  as  my 
superior  sincerely  believed  in  that  fable  I  also  believed  it,  as 
well  as  all  the  students  of  the  college  who  had  a  true  piety.  On 
that  shore  of  abject  and  degrading  superstitions  I  had  to  land 
after  sailing  seven  years  in  the  bark  called  a  college  of  the 
Church  of  Rome! 


'V^^' 


INTELLECTUAL   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


71 


The  intellectual  part  of  the  studies  in  a  college  of  Rome, 
and  it  is  the  same  in  a  convent,  is  therefore  entirely  worthless. 
Worse  than  that,  the  intelligence  is  dwarfed  under  the  chains  by 
which  it  is  bound.  If  the  intelligence  does  sometimes  advance, 
it  is  in  spite  of  the  fetters  placed  upon  it;  it  is  only  like  some 
few  noble  ships  which,  through  the  extraordinary  skill  of  their 
pilots,  go  ahead  against  wind  and  tide. 

I  know  that  the  priests  of  Rome  can  shqw  a  certain  number 
of  intelligent  men  in  every  branch  of  science  who  have  studied 
in  their  colleges.  But  these  remarkable  men  had  from  the 
beginning  secretly  broken  for  themselves  the  chains  with  which 
their  superiors  had  tried  to  bind  them.  For  peace  sake  they 
had  outwardly  followed  the  rules  of  the  house,  but  they  had 
secredy  trampled  under  the  feet  of  their  noble  souls  the  ignoble 
fetters  which  had  been  prepared  for  their  understanding.  True 
children  of  God  and  light,  they  had  found  the  secret  of  remain* 
ing  free  even  when  in  the  dark  cells  of  a  dungeon ! 

Give  me  the  names  of  the  remarkable  and  intelligent  men 
who  have  studied  in  a  college  of  Rome,  and  have  become  real 
lights  m  the  firmament  of  science,  and  I  will  prove  that  nine- 
tenths  of  them  have  been  persecuted,  excommunicated,  tortured, 
some  even  put  to  death  for  having  dared  to  think  for  them- 
selves. 

Galileo  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  he  is  surely  one  of  the 
greatest  men  whom  science  claims  as  her  most  gifted  sons.  But 
was  he  not  sent  to  a  dungeon  ?  Was  he  not  publicly  flogged  by 
the  hands  of  the  executioner?  Had  he  not  to  ask  pardon  from 
God  and  man  for  having  dared  to  think  differehtly  from  the 
Pope  about  the  motion  of  the  earth  around  the  sun! 

Copernicus  was  surely  one  of  the  greatest  lights  of  his  time, 
but  was  he  not  censured  and  excommunicated  for  his  admirable 
scientific  discoveries? 

France  does  not  know  any  greater  genius  among  her  most 
gifted  sons  than  Pascal.  He  was  a  Catholic.  But  he  lived  and 
died  excommunicated. 

The  Church  of  ''..ome  boasts  of  Bossuet,  the  Bishop  of 
Meaux,  as  one  of  the  greatest  men  she  ever  had.     Yes;  but  has 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


not  Veuillot,  the  editor  of  the  Univers^  who  knows  his  man 
well,  confessed  and  declared  before  the  whole  world  that 
Bossuet  was  a  disguised  Protestant? 

Where  can  we  find  a  more  amiable  or  learned  »vriter  than 
Montalembcrt,  who  has  so  faithfully  and  bravely  fought  the 
battle  of  the  Church  of  Rome  in  France  during  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ?  But  has  he  not  publicly  declared  on  his 
death-bed  that  that  Church  was  an  apostate  and  idolatrous 
Church  from  the  day  that  she  proclaimed  the  dogma  of  the 
Infallibility  of  the  Pope?  Has  he  not  virtually  died  an  excom- 
municated man  for  having  said  with  his  last  breath  that  the 
Pope  was  nothing  else  than  a  false  god? 

Those  pupils  of  Roman  Catholic  colleges  of  whom  some- 
times the  priests  so  imprudently  boast,  have  gone  out  from  the 
hands  of  their  Jesuit  teachers  to  proclaim  their  supreme  con- 
tempt for  the  Roman  Catholic  priesthood  and  Papacy.  They 
have  been  near  enough  to  the  priest  to  know  him.  They  have 
seen  with  their  own  eyes  that  the  priesc  of  Rome  is  the  most 
dangerous,  the  most  implacable  enemy  of  intelligence,  progress 
and  liberty;  and  if  their  arm  be  not  paralyzed  by  cowardice, 
selfishness  or  hypocrisy,  those  pupils  of  the  colleges  of  Rome 
will  be  the  first  to  denounce  the  priesthood  of  Rome  and 
demolish  her  citadels. 

Voltaire  studied  in  a  Ron.an  Catholic  college,  and  it  was 
probably  when  at  their  schoo  that  he  nerved  himself  for  the 
terrible  battle  he  has  fought  against  Rome.  That  Church  will 
never  recover  from  the  blow  which  Voltaire  has  struck  al  her 
in  Fr.ince. 

Cavour,  in  Italy,  had  studied  in  a  Roman  Catholic  college' 
also,  and  under  that  very  roof  it  is  more  than  jirobable  that  liis 
noble  intelligence  had  sworn  to  break  the  ignominious  fetters 
with  which  Rome  had  enslaved  his  fair  country.  The  most 
eloquent  of  the  orators  of  Spain,  Castclar,  studied  in  a  Roman 
Cainolic  college;  but  hear  with  what  burning  eloquence  he 
denounces  the  tyranny,  hypocrisy,  selfishness  and  ignorance  of 
the  priests. 

Papmcau  studied  under  the  priests  of  Rome  in  their  college 


INTELLECTUAL    EDUCATION,   ETC. 


73 


at  Montreal.  From  his  earliest  years  that  Eagle  of  Canada 
could  see  and  know  the  priests  of  Rome  as  they  are;  he  has 
weighed  them  in  the  balance;  he  has  measured  them;  he  has 
fathomed  the  dark  recesses  of  their  anti-social  principles;  he 
has  felt  his  shoulders  wounded  and  bleeding  under  the  igno 
minious  chains  with  which  they  dragged  our  dear  Canada  in  the 
mire  for  nearly  two  centuries.  Papineau  was  a  pupil  of  the 
priests;  and  I  have  heard  several  priests  boasting  of  that  as  a 
glorious  thing.  But  the  echoes  of  Canada  are  etill  repeating  the 
thundering  words  with  which  Papineau  denounced  the  priests  as 
the  most  deadly  enemies  of  the  education  and  liberty  of  Canada! 
He  was  one  of  the  first  men  of  Canada  to  understand  that  there 
was  no  pi-ogress,  no  liberty  j^ossible  for  our  beloved  country  so 
long  as  the  priests  would  have  the  education  of  our  people  in 
their  hands.  The  whole  life  of  Papineau  was  a  struggle  to  wrest 
Canada  from  their  grasp.  Everyone  knows  how  he  constantly 
branded  them,  without  pity,  during  his  life,  and  the  whole  world 
has  been  the  witness  of  the  supreme  contempt  with  which  he 
has  refused  their  services,  and  turned  them  out  at  the  solemn 
hour  of  his  death ! 

When,  in  1792,  France  wanted  to  be  free,  she  understood 
that  the  priests  of  Rome  were  the  greatest  enemies  of  her 
liberties.  She  turned  them  out  from  her  soil  or  hung  them  to 
her  gibbets.  If  to-day  that  noble  country  of  our  ancestors  is 
stumbling  and  struggling  in  her  tears  and  her  blood — if  she  has 
fallen  at  the  feet  of  her  enemies — if  her  valiant  arm  has  been 
paralyzed,  her  sword  broken  and  her  strong  heart  saddened 
above  measure,  is  it  not  because  she  had  most  imprudently  put 
herself  again  under  the  yoke  of  Rome? 

Canada's  children  will  continue  to  flee  from  the  country  of 
their  birth  so  long  as  the  priest  of  Rome  holds  the  influence 
which  is  blasting  everything  that  falls  within  his  grasp,  on  this 
continent  as  well  as  in  Europe;  and  the  United  States  will  soon 
see  their  most  sacred  institutions  fall,  one  after  the  other,  if 
the  Americans  continue  to  send  their  sons  and  daughters  to  the 
Jesuit  colleges  and  nunneries. 

When,  in    the  warmest  days  of    summer,  you  see  a   large 


IPMiiiii 


74 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


»1 


swamp  of  stagnant  and  putrid  water,  you  are  sure  that  deadly 
miasma  will  spread  around,  that  diseases  of  the  most  malignant 
character,  poverty,  sufferings  of  every  kind,  and  death  will  soon 
devastate  the  unfortunate  country;  so,  when  you  see  Roman 
'  Catholic  colleges  and  nunneries  raising  their  haughty  steeples 
over  some  commanding  hills  or  in  the  midst  of  some  beautiful 
valleys,  you  may  confidently  expect  that  the  self-respect  and  the 
manly  virtues  of  the  people  well  soon  disappear — intelligence, 
progress,  prosperity  will  soon  wane  away,  to  be  replaced  by 
superstition,  idleness,  drunkenness,  Sabbath-breaking,  ignorance, 
poverty  and  degradation  of  every  kind.  The  colleges  and 
nunneries  are  the  high  citadels  from  which  the  Pope  darts  his 
surest  missiles  against  the  rights  and  liberties  of  nations.  The 
colleges  and  nunneries  are  the  arsenals  where  the  most  deadly 
weapons  are  night  and  day  prepared  to  fight  and  destroy  the 
soldiers  of  liberty  all  over  the  world. 

The  colleges  and  nunneries  of  the  priests  are  the  secret 
places  where  the  enemies  of  progress,  equality  and  liberty  are 
holding  their  councils  and  fomenting  that  great  conspiracy  the 
object  of  which  is  to  enslave  the  world  at  the  feet  of  the  Pope. 

The  colleges  and  nunneries  of  Rome  are  the  schools  where 
the  rising  generations  are  taught  that  it  is  an  impiety  to  follow 
the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience,  hear  tin  voice  of  their 
intelligence,  read  the  Word  of  God,  and  woi'ship  their  Creator 
according  to  the  rules  laid  down  in  the  gospel. 

It  is  in  «^he  colleges  and  nunneries  of  Rome  that  men  learn 
that  they  are  created  to  obey  the  Pope  in  everything — that  the 
Bible  must  be  burnt,  and  that  liberty  must  be  destroyed  at  any 
cost  all  over  the  world. 


jo..ri  r,;i^'ii!JAiii!/ 


.■^vt« 


i  i'/'sifiatK^ji 


Chapter  X. 

UOBAI.  AND    BELiaiOUS    INSTBT7CTI0N  IN   THB    BOKAN 
CATHOLIC  COIiLEGES. 

IN  order  to  understand  what  kind  of  moral  education  students 
in  Roman  Catholic  colleges  receive,  one  must  only  be  told 
that  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  they  are  surrounded  by  an 
atmosphere  in  which  nothing  but  Paganism  is  breathed.  The 
models  of  eloquence  which  we  learned  by  heart  were  almost 
exclusively  taken  from  Pagan  literature.  In  the  same  manner 
Pagan  models  of  wisdom,  of  honor,  of  chastity  were  offered  to 
our  admiration.  Our  minds  were  constantly  fixed  on  the  master- 
pieces which  Paganism  has  left.  The  doors  of  our  understand- 
ing were  left  open  only  to  receive  the  rays  of  light  which 
Paganism  has  shed  on  the  world.  Homer,  Socrates,  Lycurgus, 
Virgil,  Horace,  Cicero,  Tacitus,  Caesar,  Xenophon,  Demosthenes, 
Alexander,  Lucretia,  Regulus,  Brutus,  Jupiter,  Venus,  Minerva, 
Mars,  Diana,  etc.,  etc.,  crowded  each  other  in  our  thoughts,  to 
occupy  them  and  be  their  models,  examples  and  masters  for 
ever. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  same  Pagan  writers,  orators  and 
heroes  are  studied,  read  and  admired  in  Protestant  colleges.  But 
there  the  infallible  antidote,  the  Bible,  is  given  to  the  students. 
Just  as  nothing  remains  of  the  darkness  of  night  after  the 
splendid  morning  sun  has  arisen  on  the  horizon,  so  nothing  of 
the  fallacies,  superstitions  and  sophisms  of  Paganism  can  trouble 
or  obscure  the  mind  on  which  that  light  from  heaven,  the  Word 
of  God,  crimes  every  day  with  its  millions  of  shining  rays.  How 
insignificant  is  the  poetry  of  Homer  when  compared  with  the 
sublime  songs  of  Moses!  How  pale  is  the  eloquence  of  Demos- 
thenes,   Cicero,  Virgil,   etc.,  when    read    after  Job,    David    or 

75 


*iA4.a...,..i;  :  .I'stJJ 


76 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


I 


M 


j 


I 


El 


Solomon !  How  quickly  crumble  down  the  theories  which  those 
haughty  heathens  of  old  wanted  to  raise  over  the  intelligence  of 
men  when  the  thundering  voice  f  i"om  Sinai  is  heard ;  when  the 
incomparable  songs  of  David,  Solomon,  Isaiah  or  Jeremiah  are 
ravishing  the  soul  which  is  listening  to  their  celestial  strains! 
It  is  a  fact  that  Pagan  eloquence  and  philosophy  can  be  but 
very  tasteless  to  men  accustomed  to  be  fed  with  the  bread  which 
comes  down  from  heaven,  whose  souls  are  filled  with  the 
eloquence  of  God,  and  whose  intelligence  is  fed  with  the  philo- 
sophy of  heaven. 

But,  alas!  for  me  and  my  fellow-students  in  the  college  of 
Rome!  No  sun  ever  appeared  on  the  horizon  to  dispel  the 
night  in  which  our  intelligence  was  wrapped.  The  dark  clouds 
with  which  Paganism  had  surrounded  us  were  suffocating  us, 
and  no  breath  from  heaven  was  allowed  to  come  and  dispel 
them.  Moses  with  his  incomparable  legislation,  David  and 
Solomon  with  their  divine  poems.  Job  with  his  celestial  philo- 
sophy, Jeremiah,  Isaiah  and  Daniel  with  their  sublime  songs, 
Jesus  Christ  himself  with  his  soul-saving  gospel,  as  well  as  his 
apostles  Peter,  John,  Jude,  James  and  Paul — these  were  all  put 
on  the  Index!!  They  had  not  the  liberty  to  speak  lo  us,  and 
we  were  forbidden,  absolutely  forbitlden,  to  read  and  hem  them ! 

It  is  true  that  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  an  offset  to  that,  gave 
us  her  principles,  precepts,  fables  and  legends  lliat  we  might  be 
attached  to  her,  and  that  she  might  remain  the  mistress  of  our 
hearts.  But  these  doctrines,  practices,  principles  and  tables 
seemed  to  us  so  evidently  borrowed  from  Pagani>m — they  were 
so  cold,  so  naked,  so  stripped  of  all  true  poetry,  thai  if  thr 
Paganism  ni  the  ancients  was  not  left  absolute  master  of  our 
affections,  it  still  claimed  :i  large  part  of  our  souls.  To  create  in 
us  a  love  for  the  Church  of  Rome  our  superior';  <l<pc'iuled 
greatly  on  the  works  of  Chateaubriand.  The  •'  Genie  di 
Christianisme'*  was  the  book  of  books  to  dispei  all  our  doubts, 
and  attach  us  to  tl  ..  Pope's  religion.  But  this  author,  whose 
style  is  sometimes  ,  -Jly  beautiful,  destroyed,  by  the  weakness 
of  his  logic,  the  Ch  .^ianity  which  iie  wanted  to  build  up.  We 
could  easily  see  that  Chatcaub    uid   was    not   sincere,  and   his 


i^d.i%vuiil^i)i.Mt^.„  ^.iulif  iuMfc-- ', 


MORAL    AND    RELIGIOUS    INSTRUCTION,   ETC. 


77 


exaggerations  were  to  many  of  us  a  sure  indication  that  he  did 
not  believe  in  what  he  said.  The  works  of  Dc  Maistre,  the 
most  impudent  history-falsificator  of  France,  were  also  put  into 
our  iiands  as  a  sure  guide  in  our  philosophical  and  historical 
studies.  The  "  Memoirs  du  Conte  Valmont,"  with  some  authors 
of  the  same  stamp,  were  much  relied  upon  by  our  superiors  to 
prove  to  us  that  the  dogmas,  precepts  and  practices  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion  were  brought  from  heaven. 

It  was  certainly  our  desire  as  well  as  our  interest  to  believe 
them.  But  how  our  faith  was  shaken,  and  how  vvc  felt  troubled 
when  Livy,  Tacitus,  Cicero,  Virgil,  Homer,  etc.,  gave  us  the 
evidence  that  the  greater  part  of  these  things  had  their  root  and 
their  origin  in  Paganism. 

For  instance,  our  superiors  had  convinced  us  that  scapulars, 
medals,  holy  water,  etc.  would  be  of  great  service  to  us  in 
battling  with  the  most  dangerous  temptations,  as  well  as  in 
avoiding  the  most  common  dangers  of  life.  Consequently  we 
all  had  scapulars  and  medals,  which  we  kept  with  the  greatest 
respect,  and  even  kissed  morning  and  evening  with  affection,  as 
if  they  were  powerful  instruments  of  the  mercy  of  God  to  us. 
How  great,  then,  was  our  confusion  and  disappointnicnt  when 
we  discovered  in  the  Greek  a:»d  Latin  historians  that  those 
scapulars  and  medals  and  statuettes  were  nothing  but  a  remnant 
of  Paganism,  and  that  the  worshippers  of  Jupiter,  Minerva, 
Diana  and  Venus  believed  themselves  also  free,  as  wc  did,  from 
all  calamity  when  they  carried  them  in  honor  of  these  divinities! 
The  further  we  advanced  in  the  study  of  Pagan  antiquity,  the 
more  we  were  forced  to  believe  that  our  religion,  instead  of 
being  born  at  the  foot  of  Calvary,  was  only  a  pale  and  awkward 
imitation  of  Paganism.  The  modern  Maximus  Pontifcx  (the 
Pope  of  Rome),  who,  as  we  were  assured,  was  the  successor  of 
St.  Peter,  the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  resembled  the  "  Pontifex  ' 
Maximus"  of  the  great  republic  and  empire  of  Rome  as  much 
as  two  drops  of  water  resemble  each  other.  Had  not  our  Pope 
preserved  not  only  the  name,  but  also  the  attributes,  the  pageantry, 
the  pride,  and  even  the  garb  of  that  high  pagan  priest? 
Was  not  the  worship  of  the  saints  absolutely  the  same  as  the 


78 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


hii 


I 


worship  of  the  demigods  of  olden  time?  Was  not  our  purga- 
tory minutely  described  by  Virgil?  Were  not  our  prayers  to 
the  Virgin  and  to  the  saints  repeated,  almost  in  the  same  words, 
by  the  worshippers  who  prostrated  themselves  before  the  images 
of  their  gods,  just  as  we  repeated  them  every  day  before  the 
images  which  adorned  our  churches  ?  Was  not  our  holy  water 
in  use  among  the  idolaters,  and  for  the  same  purpose  for  which 
it  was  used  among  us? 

We  knew  by  history  the  year  in  which  the  magnificent 
temple  consecrated  io  all  the  gods^  bearing  the  name  of  Pan- 
theon, had  been  built  at  Rome.  We  were  acquainted  with  the 
names  of  several  of  the  sculptors  who  had  carved  the  statues  of 
the  gods  in  that  heathen  temple,  at  whose  feet  the  idolaters 
bowed  respectfully,  and  words  cannot  express  the  shame  we 
felt  on  learning  that  the  Roman  Catholics  of  our  day,  under  the 
very  eyes  and  with  the  sanction  of  the  Pope,  still  prostrated 
themselves  before  the  same  idols,  in  the  same  temple,  and 
to  obtain  the  same  favors! 

When  we  asked  each  other  the  question,  "  What  is  the 
difference  between  the  rtUgion  of  heathen  Rome  and  that  of  the 
Rome  of  to-day?"  more  than  one  student  would  answer;  "  The 
only  difference  is  in  the  name.  The  idolatrous  temples  are  the 
same :  the  idols  have  not  left  their  jjlaccs.  To-day,  as  formerly, 
the  same  incense  burns  in  their  honor?  Nations  arc  still  pros- 
trated at  their  feet  to  give  them  the  same  homage  and  to  ask  of 
them  the  same  favors;  but  instead  of  calling  this  statue  Jupiter, 
we  call  it  Peter;  and  instead  of  calling  that  one  Minerva  or 
Venus,  it  is  called  St.  Mary.  It  is  the  old  idolatry  coming  to  us 
under  Christian  names." 

I  earnestly  desired  to  be  an  honest  and  sincere  Roman 
Catholic.  These  impressions  and  thoughts  distracted  me  greatly, 
inasmuch  as  I  could  find  nothing  in  reason  to  diminish  their 
force.  Unfortunately,  many  of  the  books  placed  in  our  hands 
by  our  superiors  to  confirm  our  faith,  form  our  moral  character, 
and  sustain  our  piety  and  our  confidence  in  the  dogmas  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  had  a  frightful  resemblance  to  the  histories  I 
had  read  of  the  gods  and  goddesses.     The  miracles  attributed  to 


MORAL    AND    RELIGIOUS    INSTRUCTION,    ETC. 


79 


the  Virgin  Mary  often  appeared  to  be  only  a  reproduction  of 
the  tricks  and  deceits  by  which  the  priests  of  Jupiter,  Venus, 
Minerva,  etc.  used  to  obtain  their  ends  and  grant  the  requests  of 
their  worshippers.  Some  of  those  miracles  of  the  Virgin  Mary 
equalled,  if  they  did  not  surpass,  in  absurdity  and  immorality 
what  mythology  taught  us  among  the  most  hideous  accounts  of 
the  heathen  gods  and  goddesses. 

I  could  cite  hundreds  of  such  miracles  which  shocked  my 
faith  and  caused  me  to  blush  in  s  .cret  at  the  conclusion  to  which 
I  was  forced  to  come,  in  comparing  the  worship  of  ancient  and 
modern  Rome.  I  will  only  quote  three  of  these  modern  miracles, 
which  are  found  in  one  of  the  books  the  best  approved  by  the 
Pope,  entitled  "  The  Glories  of  Mary." 

First  miracle.  "The  great  favors  bestowed  by  the  Holy 
Virgin  upon  a  nun  named  Beatrix,  of  the  Convent  of  Fronte- 
braldo,  shew  how  merciful  she  is  to  sinners.  This  fact  is  related 
by  Cesanus,  and  by  Father  Rho.  This  unfortunate  nun,  having 
been  possessed  by  a  criminal  passion  for  a  young  man,  deter- 
mined to  leave  her  convent  and  elope  with  him.  She  was  the 
doorkeeper  of  the  convent,  and  having  placed  the  keys  of  the 
monastery  at  the  feet  of  a  statue  of  the  Holy  Virgin  she  boldly 
went  out,  then  led  a  life  of  prostitution  during  fifteen  years  in  a 
far  off  place. 

"  One  day,  accidentally  meeting  the  purveyor  of  her  convent, 
and  thinking  she  would  not  be  recognized  by  him,  she  asked 
him  news  of  Sister  Beatrix. 

" '  I  know  her  well,'  answered  this  man ;  '  she  is  a  holy  nun, 
and  is  mistress  of  the  novices.' 

"At  these  words  Beatrix  was  confused;  but  to  understand 
what  it  meant,  she  changed  her  clothing,  and  going  to  the 
convent  inquired  after  Sister  Beatrix. 

"  The  Holy  Virgin  instantly  appeared  to  her  in  the  form  of 
the  statue  at  whose  feet  she  had  placed  the  keys  at  her  departure. 
The  Divine  Mother  spoke  to  her  in  this  wise:  <  Know,  Beatrix, 
that  in  order  to  preserve  your  honor  I  have  taken  your  place 
and  done  your  duty  since  you  have  left  your  convent.  My 
daughter,   return   to  God   and   be  penitent,  for   my  son  is  still 


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FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OK    ROME. 


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waiting  for  you.  Try,  by  the  holiness  of  your  life,  to  preserve 
the  good  reputation  which  I  have  earned  you.'  Having  thus 
spoken,  the  Holy  Virgin  disappeared.  Beatrix  re-entered  the 
monastery,  donned  her  religious  dress,  and,  grateful  for  the 
mercies  of  Mary,  she  led  the  life  of  a  saint."  ("Glories  of 
Mary,"  chap,  vi.,  sec.  2.) 

Second  miracle.  Rev.  Father  Rierenberg  relates  that  there 
existed  in  a  city  called  Aragona  a  beautiful  and  noble  girl  by 
the  name  of  Alexandra,  whom  two  young  men  loved  passion- 
ately. One  day,  maddened  by  the  jealousy  each  one  had  of  the 
other,  they  fought  together,  and  loth  were  killed.  Their 
parents  were  so  infuriated  at  the  young  girl,  the  author  of  these 
calamities,  that  they  killed  her,  cut  her  head  off,  and  threw  her 
into  a  well.  A  few  days  after  St.  Dominic,  passing  by  the 
place,  was  inspired  to  approach  the  well  and  to  cry  out, 
"Alexandra,  come  here!"  The  head  of  the  deceased  imme- 
diately placed  itself  upon  the  edge  of  the  well,  and  entreated 
St.  Dominic  to  hear  its  confession.  Having  heard  it,  the  Saint 
gave  her  the  communion  in  the  presence  of  a  great  multitude  of 
people,  and  then  he  commanded  her  to  tell  them  why  she  had 
received  so  great  a  favor. 

She  answered  that  though  she  was  in  a  state  of  mortal  sin 
when  she  was  decapitated,  yet  as  she  had  a  habit  of  reciting  the 
holy  I'osary,  the  Virgin  had  preserved  her  life. 

The  head,  full  of  life,  remained  on  the  edge  of  the  well  two 
days  before  the  eyes  of  a  great  many  people,  and  then  the  soul 
went  to  purgatory.  But  fifteen  days  after  this  the  soul  of 
Alexandra  appeared  to  St.  Dominic,  bright  and  beautiful  as  a 
star,  and  told  him  that  one  of  the  surest  means  of  removing  souls 
from  purgatory  was  the  recitation  of  the  rosary  in  their  favor. 
("Glories  of  Mary,"  chap,  viii.,  sec.  2.) 

Third  miracle.  "  A  servant  of  Mary  one  day  went  into  one 
of  her  churches  to  pray,  without  telling  her  husband  of  it. 
Owing  to  a  terrible  storm  she  was  prevented  from  returning 
home  that  night.  Harrassed  by  the  fear  that  her  husband  would 
be  angry,  she  implored  Mary's  help.  But  on  returning  home 
she   found   her   husband   full   of   kindness.     After  asking   her 


Vi'il 


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It  , 


MORAL   AND   RELIGIOUS   INSTRUCTION,  ETC. 


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sm 
the 


husband  a  fev  '^uestions  on  the  subject  she  discovered  that 
during  that  vf  aght  the  Divine  Mother  had  taken  her  form 
and  features  ^ud  had  taken  her  place  in  all  the  affairs  of  the 
household!  She  informed  her  husband  of  the  great  miracle,  and 
they  both  became  very  much  devoted  to  the  Holy  Virgin." 
("  Glories  of  M.  y :"  Examples  of  Protection,  40.) 

Persons  who  have  never  studied  in  a  Roman  Catholic  college 
will  hardly  believe  that  such  fables  wrere  told  us  as  an  appeal  for 
us  to  become  Christians.  But,  God  knows,  I  tell  the  truth.  Is 
it  not  a  profanation  of  a  holy  word  to  say  that  Christianity  is 
the  religion  taught  the  students  in  Rome's  colleges? 

After  reading  the  monstrous  metamorphoses  of  the  gods  of 
Olympus,  the  student  feels  a  profound  pity  for  the  nations  who 
have  lived  so  long  in  the  darkness  of  Paganism.  He  cannot 
understand  how  so  many  millions  of  men  were,  for  such  a  Icing 
time,  deceived  by  such  crude  fables.  With  joy  his  thoughts  are 
turned  to  the  God  of  Calvary,  there  to  receive  light  and  life. 
He  feels,  as  it  were,  a  burning  desire  to  nourish  himself  with  the 
words  of  life,  fallen  from  the  lips  of  the  "  great  victim."  But 
here  comes  the  priest  of  the  college,  who  places  himself  between 
the  student  and  Christ,  and  instead  of  allowing  him  to  be 
nourished  with  the  Bread  of  Life  he  offers  him  fables,  husks 
with  which  to  appease  his  hunger.  Instead  of  allowing  him  to 
slake  his  thirst  from  the  waters  which  flow  from  the  fountains 
of  eternal  life,  he  offers  him  a  corrupt  beverage ! 

God  alone  knows  what  I  have  suffered  during  my  studies  to 
find  myself  absolutely  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  eating  this 
bread  of  life — His  Holy  Word! 

During  the  last  years  of  my  studies  my  superiors  often 
confided  to  me  the  charge  of  the  library.  Once  it  happened 
that,  as  the  students  were  taking  a  holiday,  I  remained  alone  in 
the  college,  and  shutting  myself  up  in  the  library  I  began  to 
examine  all  the  books.  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  discover 
that  the  books  which  were  the  most  proper  to  instruct  us  stood 
on  the  catalogue  of  the  library  marked  among  the  forbidden 
books.  I  felt  an  inexpressible  shame  on  seeing  with  my  own 
eyes  that  none  but  the  most  indifferent  books  were  placed  in  our 


i 


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PIPTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OP   ROME. 


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Fw  'mm 


hands — that  we  were  permitted  to  read  authors  of  the  third  rank 
only  (if  this  expression  is  suitable  to  such  whose  only  merit 
consisted  in  flattering  the  Popes,  and  ui  concealing  or  excusing 
their  crimes).  Several  students  more  advanced  than  myself  had 
already  made  the  observation  to  me,  but  I  did  not  believe  them. 
Self-love  gave  me  the  hope  that  I  was  as  well  educated  as  one 
could  be  at  my  age.  Until  then  I  had  spurned  the  idea  that,  with 
the  rest  of  the  students,  I  was  the  victim  of  an  incredible  system 
of  moral  and  intellectual  blindness. 

Among  the  forbidden  books  of  the  college  1  found  a  splendid 
Bible.  It  seemed  to  be  of  the  same  edition  as  the  one  whose 
perusal  had  made  the  hours  pass  away  so  pleasantly  when  I  was 
at  home  with  my  mother.  I  seized  it  with  the  transports  of  a 
miser  finding  a  lost  treasure.  I  lifted  it  to  my  lips,  and  kissed  it 
respectfully.  .  I  pressed  it  against  my  heart,  as  one  embraces  a 
friend  from  whom  he  has  long  been  separated.  This  Bible 
brought  back  to  my  memory  the  most  delightful  hours  of  my 
life.     I  read  in  its  divine  pages  till  the  scholars  returned. 

The  next  day  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon,  our  director,  called  me  to 
his  room  during  the  recreation,  and  said :  "  You  seem  to  be 
troubled,  and  very  sad  to-day.  I  noticed  that  you  remained 
alone  while  the  other  scholars  were  enjoying  themselves  so  well. 
Have  you  any  cause  of  grief  ?  or  are  you  sick  ? " 

I  could  not  sufficiently  express  my  love  and  respect  for  this 
venerable  man.*  He  was  at  the  same  time  my  friend  and  bene- 
factor. For  four  years  he  and  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard  had  been 
paying  my  board;  for,  owing  to  a  misunderstanding  between 
myself  and  my  uncle  Dionne,  he  had  ceased  to  maintain  me  at 
college.  By  reading  the  Bible  the  previous  day  I  had  disobeyed 
my  benefactor,  Mr.  Leprohon ;  for  when  he  entrusted  me  with 
the  care  of  the  library  he  made  me  promise  not  to  read  the  books 
in  the  forbidden  catalogue. 

It  was  painful  to  me  to  sadden  him  by  acknowledging  that  I 
had  broken  my  word  of  honor,  but  it  pained  me  far  more  to 
deceive  him  by  concealing  the  truth.  I  therefore  answered  him : 
"  You  are  right  in  supposing  that  I  am  uneasy  and  sad.  I  confess 
there  is  one  thing  which  perplexes  me  greatly  amoiig  the  rules 


•■!  11 


i^iiii.piiwniiPi^«>ws"k!  '  '  iii4iifiipp.ipppiwi| 


!!«W«"  ^" 


MORAL   AND   RELIGIOUS   INSTRUCTION,   ETC. 


83 


that  govern  us.  I  never  dared  to  speak  to  you  about  it ;  but  as 
you  wish  to  knowr  the  cause  of  my  sadness,  I  will  tell  you.  You 
have  placed  in  our  hands,  not  only  to  read,  but  to  learn  by 
heart,  books  which  are,  as  you  know,  partly  inspired  by  hell, 
and  you  forbid  us  to  read  the  only  book  whose  every  word  is 
sent  from  heaven!  You  permit  us  to  read  books  dictated  by 
the  Spirit  of  darkness  and  sin,  and  you  make  it  a  crime  for  us  tu 
read  the  only  book  written  under  the  dictation  of  the  Spirit  of 
light  and  holiness.  This  conduction  your  part,  and  on  the  part 
of  all  the  superiors  of  the  college,  disturbs  and  scandalizes  me ! 
Shall  I  tell  you,  your  dread  of  the  Bible  shakes  my  faith,  and 
causes  me  to  fear  that  we  are  going  astray  in  our  Church." 

Mr.  Lcprohon  answered  me;  "I  have  been  the  director  of 
this  college  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  I  have  never  heard 
from  the  lips  of  any  of  the  students  such  remarks  and  complaints 
as  you  are  making  to  me  to-day.  Have  you  no  fear  of  being 
the  victim  of  a  deception  of  the  devil,  in  meddling  with  a  ques- 
tion so  strange  and  so  new  for  a  scholar  whose  only  aim  should 
be  to  obey  his  superiors  ? " 

"It  may  be,"  said  1,  "that  I  am  the  first  to  speak  to  you  in 
this  manner,  for  it  is  very  probable  tliat  I  am  the  only  student 
in  this  college  who  has  read  the  Holy  Bible  in  his  youthful  days. 
I  have  already  told  you  there  was  a  Bible  in  my  father's  house, 
which  disappeared  only  after  his  death,  though  I  never  could 
know  what  became  of  it.  I  can  assure  you  that  the  perusal  of 
that  admirable  book  has  done  me  a  good  that  is  still  felt.  It  is, 
therefore,  because  I  know  by  a  personal  experience  that  there  is 
no  book  in  the  world  so  good,  and  so  proper  to  read,  that  I  am 
extremely  grieved,  and  even  scandalized,  by  the  dread  you  have 
of  it.  I  acknowledge  to  you  I  spent  the  afternoon  of  3'esterday 
in  the  library  reading  the  Bible.  I  found  things  in  it  which 
made  me  weep  for  joy  and  happiness — things  that  did  more 
good  to  my  soul  and  heart  than  all  you  have  given  me  to  read 
for  six  years.  And  I  am  so  sad  to-day  because  you  approve  of 
me  when  I  read  the  words  of  the  devil,  and  condemn  me  when 
I  read  the  Word  of  God." 

My  superior  answered :  "  Since  you  have  read  the  Bible,  you 


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FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


I"      * 


must  know  that  there  are  things  in  it  on  matters  of  such  a 
delicate  nature  that  it  is  improper  for  a  young  man,  and  more  so 
for  a  young  lady,  to  read  them." 

"I  understand,"  answered  I;*' but  these  deh'cate  matters,  of 
which  you  do  not  want  God  to  speak  a  word  to  us,  you  know 
very  well  that  Satan  speaks  to  us  about  them  day  and  night. 
Now,  when  Satan  speaks  about  and  attracts  our  thoughts 
towards  an  evil  and  criminal  thing,  it  is  always  in  order  that  we 
may  like  it  and  be  lost.  But  when  the  God  of  Purity  speaks  to 
us  of  evil  things  (of  which  it  is  pretty  much  impossible  for  men 
to  be  ignorant).  He  does  it  that  we  may  hate  and  abhor  them,  and 
He  gives  us  giace  to  avoid  them.  Well,  then,  since  you  cannot 
prevent  the  devil  from  whispering  to  us  things  so  delicate  and 
dangerous  to  seduce  us,  how  dare  you  hinder  God  from  speaking 
of  the  same  things  to  shield  us  from  their  allure|n^nts  ?  Besides, 
when  my  God  desires  to  speak  to  me  Himself  on  any  question 
whatever,  where  is  your  right  .to  obstruct  His  word  on  its  way 
to  my  heart  ? " 

Though  Mr.  Leprohon*s  intelligence  was  as  much  wrapped 
up  in  the  darkness  of  the  Church  of  Rome  as  it  could  be,  his 
heart  had  remained  honest  and  true;  and  while  I  respected  and 
loved  him  as  my  father,  though  differing  from  him  in  opinion,  I 
knew  hv  loved  me  as  if  I  had  been  his  own  child.  He  was 
thunderstruck  by  my  answer.  He  turned  pale,  and  I  saw  tears 
about  to  flow  from  his  eyes.  He  sighed  deeply,  and  looked  at 
me  some  time  reflectingly,  without  answering.  At  last  he  said : 
*'  My  dear  Chiniquy,  your  answer  and  your  arguments  have  a 
force  that  frightens  me,  and  if  I  had  no  other  but  my  own 
personal  ideas  to  disprove  them,  I  acknowledge  I  do  not  know 
how  I  would  do  it.  But  I  have  something  better  than  my  own 
weak  thoughts.  I  have  the  thoughts  of  the  Church,  and  of 
our  Holy  Father  the  Pope.  They  forbid  us  to  fut  the  Bible 
in  the  hands  of  our  students.  This  should  suffice  to  put  an  end 
to  your  troubles.  To  obey  his  legitimate  superiors  in  all  things 
and  everywhere  is  the  rule  a  Christian  scholar  like  you  should 
follow;  and  if  you  have  broken  it  yesterday,  I  hope  it  will  be 
the  la^it  time  that  the  child  whom  I  love  better  than  myself  will 
cause  me  such  pain.'' 


"m 


MORAL   AND   RELIGIOUS   INSTRUCTION,   £TC. 


85 


On  saying  this  he  threw  his  arms  around  me,  clasped  me  to 
his  heart,  and  bathed  my  face  with  tears.  I  wept  also.  Yes,  I 
wept  abundantly. 

But  God  knoweth,  that  though  the  regret  of  having  grieved 
my  benefactor  and  father  caused  me  to  shed  tears  at  that 
moment,  yet  I  wept  much  more  on  perceiving  that  I  would  no 
more  be  permitted  to  read  His  Holy  Word. 

If,  therefore,  I  am  asked  what  moral  and  religious  education 
we  received  at  college,  I  will  ask  in  return.  What  religious 
education  can  we  receive  in  an  institution  where  seven  years  are 
spent  without  once  being  permitted  to  read  the  Gospel  of  God? 
The  gods  of  the  heathen  spoke  to  us  daily  by  their  apostles  and 
disciples — Homer,  Virgil,  Pindar,  Horace  I  and  the  God  of  the 
Christians  had  not  permission  to  say  a  single  word  to  us  in  that 
college !  A  ■• 

Our  religion,  therefore,  could  be  nothing  but  Paganism 
disguised  under  a  Christian  name.  Christianity  in  a  college  or 
convent  of  Rome  is  such  a  strange  mixture  of  heathenism  and 
superstition,  both  ridiculous  and  childish,  and  of  shocking  fables, 
that  the  majority  of  those  who  have  not  entirely  smothered  the 
voice  of  reason  cannot  accept  it.  A  few  do,  as  I  did,  all  in  their 
power,  and  succeed  to  a  certain  extent,  in  believing  only  what 
the  superior  tells  them  to  believe.  They  close  their  eyes  and 
permit  themselves  to  be  led  exactly  as  if  they  were  blind,  and  a 
friendly  hand  were  offering  to  guide  them.  But  the  greater 
number  of  students  in  Roman  Catholic  colleges  cannot  accept 
the  bastard  Christianity  which  Rome  presents  to  them.  Of 
course,  during  their  studies  they  follow  its  rules,  for  the  sake  of 
peace ;  but  they  have  hardly  left  college  before  they  proceed  to 
join  and  increase  the  ranks  of  the  army  of  skeptics  and  infidels 
which  overruns  France,  Spain,  Italy  and  Canada — ^which  over- 
runs, in  fact,  all  the  countries  where  Rome  has  the  education  of 
the  people  in  her  hands. 

I  must  say,  though  with  a  sad  heart,  that  moral  and  religious 
education  in  Roman  Catholic  colleges  is  worse  than  void,  for 
from  them  has'  been  excluded  the  only  true  standarcl  of  morals 
and  religion, — The  Word  of  God  I 


Chapter    XI. 


FBOTSSTAirr    OHTLDBBN   IN   THE   OONVXHTS   AXTD 

vxrxafXBuia  of  Bomi. 


WE  read  in  the  history  of  Paganism  that  parents  were 
often,  in  those  dark  ages,  slaying  their  children  upon 
the  altars  of  their  gods,  to  appease  their  wrath  or  obtain 
their  favors.  But  we  now  see  a  stranger  thing.  It  is  that 
of  Christian  parents  forcing  their  children  into  the  temples 
and  to  the  very  feet  of  the  idols  of  Rome,  under  the  fallacious 
notion  of  having  them  educated!  While  the  Pagan  parent 
destrayed  only  the  temporal  life  of  his  child,  the  Christian 
parent,  for  the  most  part,  destroys  his  eternal  life.  The  Pagan 
was  consistent :  he  believed  in  the  almighty  power  and  holiness 
of  his  gods;  he  sincerely  thought  that  they  ruled  the  world, 
and  that  they  blessed  both  the  victims  and  those  who  offered 
them.  But  where  is  the  consistency  of  the  Protestant  who 
drags  his  child  and  offers  him  as  a  sacrifice  on  the  altars  of  the 
Pope  I  Does  he  believe  in  his  holiness  or  in  his  supreme  and 
infallible  power  of  governing  the  intelligence?  Then  why  does 
he  not  go  and  throw  himself  at  his  feet  and  increase  the  number 
of  his  disciples?  The  Protestants  who  are  guilty  of  this  great 
wrong  are  wont  to  say,  as  an  excuse,  that  the  superiors  of 
colleges  and  convents  have  assured  them  that  their  religious 
convictions  would  be  respected,  and  that  nothing  should  be  said 
or  done  to  take  away  or  even  shake  the  religion  of  their 
children. 

Our  first  parents  were  not  more  cruelly  deceived  by  the 
seductive  words  of  the  serpent  than  the  Protestants  are  this  day 
by  the  deceitful  promises  of  the  priests  and  nuns  of  Rome. 

1  had  been  myself  the  witness  of  the  promise  given  by  our 

86 


iwlilplipli^^ 


PROTESTANT   CHILDREN    IN   THE   CONVENTS,  ETC.  87 

superior  to  a  judge  of  the  State  of  New  York,  when,  a  few 
days  later  that  same  superior,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon,  said  to 
me:  <*You  know  some  English,  and  this  young  man  knows 
French  enough  to  enable  you  to  understand  each  other.  Try  to 
become  his  friend  and  to  bring  him  over  to  our  holy  religion. 
His  father  is  a  most  influential  man  in  the  United  States,  and 
this,  his  only  son,  is  the  heir  of  an  immense  fortune.  Great 
results  for  the  future  of  the  Church  in  the  neighboring  republic 
might  follow  his  conversion." 

I  replied :  "  Have  you  forgotten  the  promise  you  have  made 
to  his  father,  never  to  say  or  do  anything  to  shake  or  take  away 
the  religion  of  that  young  man  ? " 

My  superior  smiled  at  my  simplicity,  and  said :  "  When  you 
shall  have  studied  theology  you  will  know  that  Protestantism  is 
not  a  religfion,  but  that  it  is  the  negation  of  religion.  Protesting 
cannot  be  the  basis  of  any  doctrine.  Thus,  when  I  promised 
Judge  Pike  that  the  religious  convictions  of  his  child  should  be 
respected,  and  that  I  would  not  do  anything  to  change  his  faith, 
I  did  promise  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world,  since  I  promised 
not  to -meddle  with  a  thing  "which  has  no  existence.^'' 

Convinced,  or  rather  blinded  by  the  reasoning  of  my  supe- 
rior, which  is  the  reasoning  of  every  superior  of  a  college  or 
nunnery,  I  set  myself  to  work  from  that  moment  to  make  a 
good  Roman  Catholic  of  that  young  friend ;  and  I  would  prob- 
ably, have  succeeded  had  not  a  serious  illness  forced  him,  a  few 
months  after,  to  go  home,  where  he  died. 

Protestants  who  may  read  these  lines  will,  perhaps,  be 
indignant  against  the  deceit  and  knavery  of  the  Superior  of  the 
College  of  Nicolet.  But  I  will  say  to  those  Protestants,  It  is 
not  on  that  man,  but  on  yourselves,  that  you  must  pour  your 
contempt.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon  was  honest.  He  acted 
conformably  to  principles  which  he  thought  good  and  legitimate, 
and  for  which  he  would  have  cheerfully  given  the  last  drop  of 
his  blood.  He  sincerely  believed  that  your  Protestantism  is  a 
mere  negation  of  all  religion,  worthy  of  the  contempt  of  every 
true  Christian.  It  was  not  the  priest  of  Rome  who  was 
contemptible,  dishonest  and  a  traitor  to  his  principles,  but  it  wa» 


ifPHiiPpr 


88 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


the  Protestant  who  was  false  to  his  gospel  and  to  his  own 
conscience  hy  having  his  child  educated  by  the  servants  of  the 
Pope.  Moreover,  can  we  not  truthfully  say  that  the  Protestant 
who  wishes  to  have  his  children  bred  and  educated  by  a  Jesuit 
or  a  nun  is  a  nun  of  no  religion?  and  that  nothing  is  more 
ridiculous  ihan  to  hear  such  a  man  begging  respect  for  his 
religious  principles!  A  man's  ardent  desire  to  have  his  reli- 
gious convictions  respected  is  best  known  by  his  respecting  them 
himself. 

The  Protestant  who  drags  his  children  to  the  feet  of  the 
priests  of  Rome  is  either  a  disguised  infidel  or  a  hypocrite.  It 
is  simply  ridiculous  for  such  a  man  to  speak  of  his  religious 
convictions  or  beg  respect  for  them.  His  very  humble  position 
at  the  feet  of  a  Jesuit  or  a  nun,  begging  respect  for  his  faith,  is  a 
sure  testimony  that  he  has  none  to  lose.  If  he  had  any  he 
would  not  be  there,  an  humble  and  abject  suppliant.  He  would 
take  care  to  be  where  there  could  be  no  danger  to  his  dear 
child's  immortal  soul. 

When  I  was  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  we  often  spoke  of  the 
necessity  of  making  superhuman  efforts  to  attract  young  Pro- 
testants into  our  colleges  and  nunneries,  as  the  shortest  and  only 
means  of  ruling  the  world  before  long.  And  as  the  mother  has 
in  her  hands,  still  more  than  the  father,  the.  destinies  of  '^he 
family  and  of  the  world,  we  were  determined  to  sacrifice  evf  ry- 
thing  in  order  to  build  nunneries  all  over  the  land,  where  the 
young  girls,  the  future  mothers  of  our  country,  would  be 
moulded  in  our  hands  and  educated  according  to  our  views. 

Nobody  can  deny  that  this  is  supreme  wisdom.  Who  will 
not  admire  the  enormous  sacrifices  made  by  Romanists  in  order 
to  surround  the  nunneries  with  so  many  attractions  that  it  is 
difficult  to  refuse  them  preference  above  all  other  female 
scholastic  establishments?  One  feels  so  well  in  the  shade  of 
these  magnificent  trees  during  the  hot  days  of  summer!  It  is  so 
pleasant  to  live  near  this  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  or  the  rapid 
current  of  that  charming  river,  or  to  have  constantly  before  one's 
eyes  the  sublime  spectacle  of  the  sea !  What  a  sweet  perfume 
the   flowers   of   that  parterre  diffuse   around   that  pretty   and 


fmmmr*f*^wm^W'^fWWv^ 


PROTESTANT   CHILDRBN    IN   THE   CONVENTS,  ETC. 


89 


peaceful  convent!  And,  besides,  who  can  withstand  the  almost 
angelic  charms  of  the  Lady  superior!  How  it  does  one  good  to 
be  in  the  midst  of  those  holy  nuns,  whose  modesty,  affable 
appearance  and  lovely  smile  present  such  a  beautiful  spectacle, 
that  one  would  think  of  being  at  heaven's  gate  rather  than  in  a 
world  of  desolation  and  sin! 

O  foolish  man!  Thou  art  always  the  same— ever  ready  to 
be  seduced  by  glittering  appearances — ever  ready  to  suppress 
the  voice  of  thy  conscience  at  the  first  view  of  a  seductive 
object! 

One  day  I  had  embarked  in  the  boat  of  a  fisherman  on  the 
coast  of  one  of  those  beautiful  islands  which  the  hand  of  God  has 
placed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  white  sail,  full-blown  by  the  morning  breeze,  had 
carried  us  nearly  a  mile  from  the  shore.  There  we  dropped  our 
anchor,  and  soon  our  lines,  carried  by  the  current,  offered  the 
deceitful  bait  to  the  fishes.  But  not  one  would  come.  One 
would  have  thought  that  the  sprightly  inhabitants  of  these 
limpid  waters  had  acted  in  concert  to  despise  us.  In  vain  did 
we  move  our  lines  to  an(?  fro  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
fishes;  not  one  would  come!  We  were  tired.  We  lamented 
the  prospect  of  losing  our  time,  and  of  being  laughed  at  by  our 
friends  on  the  shore  who  were  waiting  the  result  of  our  fishing 
to  dine.  Nearly  one  hour  was  spent  in  this  manner,  when  the 
captain  said,  ^  Indeed,  I  will  make  the  fishes  come.*' 

Opening  a  box,  he  took  out  handf  uls  of  little  pieces  of  finely- 
cut  fishes  and  threw  them  broadcast  on  the  water. 

I  was  looking  at  him  with  curiosity,  and  I  received  with  a 
feeling  of  unbelief  the  promise  of  seeing,  in  a  few  moments, 
more  mackerel  than  I  could  pick  up.  These  particles  of  fish, 
falling  upon  the  water,  scattered  themselves  in  a  thousand 
diffbiant  ways.  The  rays  of  the  sun,  sporting  among  these 
numberless  fragments,  and  thousands  of  scales,  gave  them  a 
singular  whiteness  and  brilliancy.  They  appeared  like  a  thou- 
sand diamonds,  full  of  movement  and  life,  that  sported  and 
rolled  themselves,  running  at  each  other,  while  rocking  upon  the 
waves. 


mmmmm^m^ 


IPil  llP^f  PWf^';fl||fi)»!fyfflJ.-  •'  !i,.'i."' 


90 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


As  these  innumerable  little  objects  withdrew  from  us  they 
looked  like  the  milky  way  in  the  firmament.  The  rays  of  the 
sun  continued  to  be  reflected  upon  the  scales  of  the  fishes  in  the 
water,  and  to  transform  them  into  as  many  pearls,  whose  white- 
ness and  splendor  made  an  agreeable  contrast  with  the  deep 
green  color  of  the  sea. 

While  looking  at  that  spectacle,  which  was  so  new  to  me,  I 
felt  my  line  jerked  out  of  my  hands,  and  soon  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  a  magnificent  mackerel  lying  at  my  feet.  My  com- 
panions were  as  fortunate  as  I  was.  The  bait  so  generously 
thrown  away  had  perfectly  succeeded  in  bringing  us  not  only 
hundreds,  but  thousands  of  fishes,  and  we  caught  as  many  of 
them  as  the  boat  could  carry. 

The  Jesuits  and  the  nuns  are  the  Pope's  cleverest  fishermen, 
and  the  Protestants  are  the  mackerels  caught  upon  their  baited 
hooks.  Never  fisherman  knew  better  to  prepare  the  perfidious 
bait  than  the  nuns  and  Jesuits,  and  never  were  stupid  fishes  more 
easily  caught  than  Protestants  in  general. 

The  priests  of  Rome  themselves  boast  that  more  than  half  of 
the  pupils  of  the  nuns  are  the  children  of  Protestants,  and  that 
seven-tenths  of  those  Protestant  children,  sooner  or  later,  become 
the  firmest  disciples  and  the  true  pillars  of  Popery  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  with  that  public  and  undeniable  fact  before  them 
that  the  Jesuits  have  prophesied  that  before  twenty-five  years 
the  Pope  will  rule  that  great  republic;  and  if  there  is  not  a 
prompt  change  their  prophesy  will  probably  be  accomplished. 

**But,"  say  many  Protestants,  "where  can  we  get  safer 
securities  that  the  morals  of  our  girls  will  be  sheltered  than  in 
those  convents?  The  faces  of  those  good  nuns,  their  angelic 
smiles,  even  their  lips,  from  which  seems  to  flow  a  pcjrfume 
from  heaven — are  not  these  the  unfailing  signs  that  nothing  will 
taint  the  hearts  of  our  dear  children  whea  they  are  under  the 
care  of  those  holy  nuns  ? " 

Angelic  smiles!  Lips  from  which  flow  a  perfume  from 
heaven!  Expressions  of  peace  and  holiness  of  the  good  nuns! 
Delusive  allurements!  Cruel  deceptions!  Mockery  of  comedy! 
Yes,  a//  these  angelic  smiles,  all  these  expressions  of  joy  and 


"''^^''^■''^''''w^ 


PROTESTANT    CHILDREN    IN    THE   CONVENT8,  ETC.  9I 

happiness,  are  but  allurements  to  deceive  honest  but  too  trusting 
men! 

I  believed  myself  for  a  long  time  that  there  was  something 
true  in  all  the  display  of  peace  and  happiness  which  I  saw 
reflected  in  the  faces  of  a  good  number  of  nuns.  But  how  soon 
my  delusions  passed  away  when  I  read  with  my  own  eyes,  in  a 
book  of  the  secret  rules  of  the  convent,  that  one  of  their  rules  is 
oilwaysy  especially  in  the  presence  of  strangers,  to  have  an 
appearance  of  joy  and  happiness,  even  when  the  soul  is  over- 
whelmed with  grief  and  sorrow  I  The  motives  given  to  the 
nuns,  for  thus  wearing  a  continual  mask,  is  to  secure  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  the  people,  and  to  win  more  securely  the  young 
ladies  to  the  convent! 

All  know  the  sad  end  of  life  of  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
female  comedians  of  the  American  Theatre.  She  had  acted  her 
part  in  the  evening  with  a  perfect  success.  She  appeared  so 
handsome,  and  so  happy  on  the  stage!  Her  voice  was  such  a 
perfect  harmony;  her  singing  was  so  merry  and  lively  with 
mirth!  Two  hours  later  she  was  a  corpse!  She  had  poisoned 
herself  on  leaving  the  theatre!  For  some  time  her  heart  was 
broken  with  grief  which  she  could  not  bear. 

Thus  it  is  with  the  nun  in  her  cell!  forced  to  play  a 
sacriligious  comedy  to  deceive  the  world  and  to  bring  new 
recruits  to  the  monastery.  And  the  Protestants,  the  disciples  of 
the  gospel,  the  children  of  light,  suffer  themselves  to  be  deceived 
by  this  impious  comedy. 

The  poor  nun's  heart  is  often  full  of  sorrow,  and  her  soul  is 
drowned  in  a  sea  of  desolation ;  but  she  is  obliged,  under  oath, 
always  to  appear  gay !  Unfortunate  victim  of  the  most  cruel 
deception  that  has  ever  been  invented,  that  poor  daughter  of 
Eve,  deprived  of  all  the  happiness  that  heaven  has  given, 
tortured  night  and  day  by  honest  aspirations  which  she  is  told 
are  unpardonable  sins,  she  has  not  only  to  suppress  in  herself 
the  few  buds  of  happiness  which  God  has  left  in  her  soul;  but, 
what  is  more  cruel,  she  is  forced  to  appear  happy  in  anguish  of 
shame  and  of  deception. 

Ah!  if  the  Protestants  could  know,  as  I  do,  how  much  the 


iJjfWip^iwsiipiw 


9* 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


m. 


hearts  of  those  nuns  bleed,  how  much  those  poor  victims  of  the 
Pope  feel  themselves  wounded  to  death,  how  almost  every  one 
of  them  die  at  an  early  age,  broken-hearted,  instead  of  speaking 
of  their  happiness  and  holiness  they  would  weep  at  their  pro- 
found misery.  Instead  of  helping  Satan  to  build  up  and  main- 
tain those  sad  dungeons  by  giving  both  their  gold  and  their 
children,  they  would  let  them  crumble  into  dust,  and  thus  check 
the  torrents  of  silent  though  bitter  tears  which  those  cells  hide 
from  our  view. 

I  was  travelling  in  1851  over  the  vast  prairies  of  Illinois  in 
search  of  a  spot  which  would  suit  us  the  best  for  the  colony 
which  I  was  about  to  found.  One  day  my  companions  and 
myself  found  ourselves  so  wearied  by  the  heat  that  we  resolved 
to  wait  for  the  cool  night  in  the  shade  of  a  few  trees  around  a 
brook.  The  night  was  calm ;  there  were  no  clouds  in  the  sky, 
and  the  moon  was  beautiful.  Like  the  sailor  upon  the  sea,  we 
had  nothing  but  our  compass  to  regulate  our  course  on  those 
beautiful  and  vast  prairies.  But  the  pen  cannot  express  the 
emotions  I  felt  while  looking  at  that  beautiful  sky  and  those 
magnificent  deserts  opened  to  our  view. 

We  often  came  to  sloughs  which  we  thought  deeper  than 
they  really  were,  and  of  which  we  would  keep  the  side  for  fear 
of  drowning  our  horses.  Many  a  time  did  I  get  down  from  the 
carriage  and  stop  to  contemplate  the  wonders  which  those  ponds 
presented  to  our  view. 

All  the  splendors  of  the  sky  seemed  brought  down  in 
those  pure  and  limpid  waters.  The  moon  and  the  stars  seemed 
to  have  left  their  places  in  the  firmament  to  bathe  themselves  in 
hose  delightful  lakelets.  All  the  purest,  the  most  beautiful 
things  of  the  heavens  seemed  to  come  ilown  to  hide  themselves 
in  those  tranquil  waters  as  if  in  search  of  more  peace  and  purity. 

A  few  days  later  I  was  retracing  my  steps.  It  was  day- 
time ;  and,  following  the  same  route,  I  was  longing  to  get  to 
my  charming  little  lakes.  But  during  the  interval  the  heat  had 
been  great,  the  sun  very  hot,  and  my  beautiful  sheets  of  water 
had  been  dried  up.     My  dear  little  lakes  were  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

And  what  did  I  find  instead?     Innumerable  reptiles,  with 


'^yf^^W^i^iioW^TF^f^w^w'^^v^ 


T^W^^^^P 


PROTESTANT   CHILDREN    IN   THE   CONVENTS,   ETC. 


93 


the  moHt  hideoui.  forms  and  filthy  colors!  No  brilliant  stars,  no 
clear  moon  were  there  any  more  to  charm  my  eyes.  There  was 
nothing  left  but  thousands  of  little  toads  and  snakes,  at  the  sight 
of  which  I  was  filled  with  disgust  and  horror  I 

Protestants!  when  upon  life's  way  you  are  tempted  to  admire 
the  smiling  lips  and  unstained  faces  of  the  Pope's  nuns,  please 
think  of  those  charming  lakes  which  I  saw  in  the  prairies  of 
Illinois,  and  remember  the  innumerable  reptiles  and  toads  that 
swarm  at  the  bottom  of  those  deceitful  waters. 

When,  by  the  light  of  divine  truth,  Protestants  see  behind 
these  perfect  mocheries  by  which  the  nun  conceals  with  so  much 
care  the  hideous  misery  which  devours  her  heart,  they  will 
understand  the  folly  of  having  permitted  themselves  to  be  so 
easily  deceived  by  appearances.  Then  they  will  bitterly  weep 
for  having  sacrificed  to  that  modern  Paganism  the  future 
welfare  of  their  children,  of  their  families  and  of  their  country  I 

"  But,"  says  one,  "  the  education  is  so  cheap  in  the  nunnery.** 
I  answer,  "  The  education  in  convents,  were  it  twice  cheaper 
than  it  is  now,  would  still  cost  twice  more  than  it  is  worth.  It 
is  in  this  circumstance  that  we  can  repeat  and  apply  the  old 
proverb, '  Cheap  things  are  always  too  highly  paid  for.' " 

In  the  first  place,  the  intellectual  education  in  the  nunnery  is 
completely  null.  The  great  object  of  the  Pope  and  the  nuns  is 
to  captivate  and  destroy  the  intelligence. 

The  moral  education  is  also  of  no  account;  for  what  kind  of 
morality  can  a  young  girl  receive  from  a  nun  who  believes  that 
she  can  live  as  she  pleases  as  long  as  she  likes  it — that  nothing 
evil  can  come  of  her,  neither  in  this  life'^or  in  the  next,  provided 
only  she  is  devout  to  the  Virgin  Mary? 

Let  Protestants  read  the  "  Glories  of  Mary,"  by  St.  Liguori, 
a  book  which  is  in  the  hands  of  every  nun  and  every  priest,  and 
they  will  understand  what  kind  of  morality  is  practiced  and 
taught  inside  the  walls  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  Yes;  let  them 
read  the  history  of  that  lady  who  was  so  well  represented  at 
home  by  the  Holy  Virgin  that  her  husband  did  not  perceive 
that  she  had  been  absent,  and  they  will  have  some  idea  of  what 
their  children  may  learn  in  a  convent. 


mmw  ^^^wmm  imjii  liiinp.iiiipipiiiPiP' 


Chapter  XII. 


BOKB  AND  BDXrOATION.  WET  DOES  THB  OHUKUH  OV  BO] 
HATE  THB  OOMUON  SCHOOLS  OF  THE  UKITED  STATES, 
AND  WANTS  TO  DESTBOT  THEMP  WHT  DOES  SHE  OBJECT 
TO  THE  BEADINO  OV  THB  BIBLE  IN  THB  SCHOOL  P 


THE  word  EDUCATION  is  a  beautiful  word.  It  comes  from 
the  Liatin  educare^  whicli  means  to  raise  up,  to  take  from 
the  lowest  degrees  to  the  highest  spheres  of  knowledge.  The 
object  of  education  is,  then,  to  feed,  expand,  raise,  enlighten,  and 
i^trengthen  the  intelligence. 

We  hear  the  Roman  Catholic  priests  making  use  of  that 
jL"»eautiful  word  education  as  often,  if  not  oftener,  than  the 
Protestant.  But  that  word  "education"  has  a  very  different 
meaning  among  the  followers  of  the  Pope  than  among  the 
disciples  of  the  Gospel.  And  that  difference,  which  the 
Protestants  ignore,  is  the  cause  of  the  strange  blunders  they 
make  every  time  they  try  to  legislate  on  that  question,  here,  as 
well  as  in  England  or  in  Canada. 

The  meaning  of  the  word  education  among  Protestants  is 
as  far  from  the  meaning  of  that  same  word  among  Roman 
Catholics  as  the  southern  pole  is  from  the  northern  pole.  When 
a  Protestant  speaks  of  education,  that  word  is  used  and  under- 
stood in  its  true  sense.  When  he  sends  his  little  boy  to  a 
Prot?^stant  school,  he  honestly  desires  that  he  should  be  reared 
up  in  the  spheres  of  knowledge  as  much  as  his  intelligence  will 
allow.  When  that  little  boy  is  going  to  school,  he  soon  feels 
that  he  has  been  raised  up  to  some  extent,  and  he  experiences  a 
sincere  joy,  a  noble  pride,  for  this  new,  though  at  first  very 
modest  raising;  but  he  naturally  understands  that  this  new  and 
modest  upheaval  is  only  a  stone  to  step  on  and  raise  himself  to  a 


mmPmi^'  m'  m§mi^,m'^iffi^m!^w.^i^fr-. 


« 'iivsmm'm^^v>---ii^^;fi§ 


ROMS   AND   EDUCATION,   BTCt 


95 


higher  degree  of  knowledge,  and  he  quickly  makes  that  second 
step  with  an  unspeakable  pleasure.  When  the  son  of  %  Pro- 
testant has  acquired  a  little  knowledge,  he  wants  to  acquire 
more.  When  he  has  learned  what  iAis  means,  he  wants  to 
know  what  Ma/  means  also.  Like  the  young  eagle,  he  trims 
his  wings  for  a  higher  flight,  and  turns  his  h»ad  upward  to  go 
farther  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  knowledge.  A  noble  and 
mysterious  ambition  has  suddenly  seized  his  young  soul.  Then 
he  begins  to  feel  something  of  that  unquenchable  thirst  for 
knowledge  which  God  himself  has  put  in  the  breast  of  every 
child  of  Adam,  a  thirst  of  knowledge,  however,  which  will 
never  be  perfectly  realised  except  in  heaven. 

When  God  created  man  in  His  own  image.  He  endowed 
him  with  an  intelligence  and  moral  faculties  worthy  of  the  high, 
I  was  going  to  say  the  divine,  dignity  of  His  own  beloved 
children.  He  Himself  put  in  us  aspirations  and  jn^t'ncts  by 
which  we  were  to  be  constantly  longing  after  the  «>((  ans  of 
light,  truth  and  knowledge,  whose  waves  wash  His  eternal 
throne.  It  is  that  thirst  after  more  knowledge,  hat  constant 
longing  after  more  light,  which  constitutes  the  differciije 
between  muu  and  brute.  Man  has  received  from  <.od  an 
inlrlligence  which,  though  clouded  now  by  sin,  is  k»  him  what 
the  helm  is  to  the  noble  ship  which  crosses  the  boundless  ocean ; 
he  has  a  conscience,  an  immortal  soul  which  binds  him  to  God, 
and  he  feels  it.  His  destinies  are  glorious,  they  are  incommen- 
surable, they  pre  infinite,  and  he  knows  it*  Though  a  dethroned 
king,  he  feels  that  he  is  still  a  king.  The  6,000  years  which  have 
passed  over  him  since  his  fall  have  not  yet  effaced  the  kingly 
title  which  God  himself  wrote  on  his  forehead  when  He  told 
him,  *' Multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth,  and  subdue  it"  (Gen. 
i.  28).  With  that  glorious,  that  divine  mission  of  siilxluing  the 
air  and  the  light,  the  wind  and  the  waves,  the  seas  and  the 
earth,  the  roaring  thunder  and  the  flashing  lightning  constantly 
before  his  eyes,  man  marches  to  the  conquest  of  the  world  with 
the  calm  certitude  of  his  power  and  the  glorious  aspirations  of 
his  royal  dignity. 

The  object  of  education,  then,  is  to  enable  man  to  fulfil  that 


9<5 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE  CHURCH  OF   ROME. 


kingly  mission  of  ruling,  subduing  the  world,  under  the  eyes  of 
his  Creator.  Let  us  remember  that  it  is  not  from  himself,  nor 
from  any  angel,  hue  it  is  from  God  himself  that  man  has 
received  that  subljme  mission.  Yes,  it  is  God  himself  who  has 
implanted  in  the  bosom  of  humanity  the  knowledge  and  aspira- 
tions of  those  splendid  destinies  which  can  be  attained  only  by 
«♦  Education." 

What  a  glorious  impulse  is  this  that  seizes  hold  of  the  newly 
awakened  mind,  and  leads  the  young  intelligence  to  rise  higher 
and  pierce  the  clouds  that  hide  from  his  gaze  the  splendors  of 
knowledge  that  lay  concealed  beyond  the  gloom  of  this  nether 
sphere!  That  impulse  is  a  noble  ambition;  it  is  that  part  ot 
humanity  that  assimilates  itself  to  the  likeness  of  the  great 
Creator;  that  impulse  which  education  has  for  its  mission  to 
direct  in  its  onward  and  upward  march,  is  one  of  the  most 
precious  gifts  of  God  to  man.  Once  more,  the  glorious  mission 
of  education  is  to  foster  these  thirstings  after  knowledge  and 
lead  man  to  accomplish  his  high  destiny. 

It  ought  to  be  a  duty  with  both  Roman  Catholics  and 
Protestants  to  assist  the  pupil  in  his  flight  toward  the  regions  of 
science  and  learning."  But  is  it  so?  No.  When  you,  Pro- 
testants, send  your  children  to  school,  you  put  no  fetters  to  their 
intelligence  ;  they  rise  with  fluttering  wings  day  after  day. 
Though  their  flight  at  first  is  slow  and  timid,  how  happy  they 
feel  at  every  new  aspect  of  their  intellectual  horizon  I  How 
their  hearts  beat  with  an  unspeakable  joy  when  they  begin  to 
hear  voices  of  applause  and  encouragement  from  every  side 
saying  to  them,  "Higher,  higher,  higher!"  When  they  shake 
their  young  wings  to  take  a  still  higher  flight,  who  can  express 
their  joy  when  they  distinctly  hear  again  the  voices  of  a  beloved 
mother,  of  a  dear  father,  of  a  venerable  pastor,  cheering  them 
and  saying,  «  Well  done!     Higher  yet,  my  child,  higher!" 

Raising  themselves  with  more  confidence  on  their  wings, 
they  then  soar  still  higher,  in  the  midst  of  the  unanimous  concert 
of  the  voices  of  their  whole  country  encouraging  them  to  the 
highest  flight.  It  is  then  that  the  young  man  feels  his  intellec- 
tual strength  tenfold  multiplied.     He  lifts  himself  on  his  eagle 


•M^npniMip 


"ir 


mm^. 


ROME    AND    EDUCATION,   ETC. 


97 


wings,  with  a  renewed  confidence  and  power,  and  soars  up  still 
higher,  with  his  heart  beating  with  a  noble  and  holy  joy.  For 
from  the  south  and  north,  from  the  east  and  the  west,  the  echoes 
bring  to  his  ears  the  voices  of  the  admiring  multitudes — "  Rise 
higher,  higher  yet ! " 

He  has  now  reached  what  he  thought,  at  first,  to  be  the- 
highest  regions  of  thought  and  knowledge;  but  he  hears  again 
the  same  stimulating  cries  from  below,  encouraging  him  to  a 
still  higher  flight  toward  the  loftiest  dominion  of  knowledge  and 
philosophy,  till  he  enters  the  regions  where  lies  the  source 
of  all  tiuth,  and  light  and  life.  For  he  has  also  heard  the  voice 
of  his  Qod  speaking  through  His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  crying, 
"Come  unto  me!  Fear  not!  Come  unto  me!  I  am  the  light, 
the  way!  Come  to  this  higher  region  where  the  Father,  with 
the  Son  and  the  Spirit,  reign  in  endless  light!" 

Thus  does  the  Protestant  scholar,  making  use  of  his  intelli- 
gence as  the  eagle  of  his  wing,  go  on  from  weakness  unto 
strength,  from  the  timid  flutter  to  the  bold,  confident  flight, 
from  one  degree  to  another  still  higher,  from  one  region  of 
knowledge  to  another  still  higher,  till  he  loses  himself  in  that 
ocean  of  light  and  truth  and  life  which  is  God. 

In  the  Protestant  schools  no  fetters  are  put  on  the  young 
eagle's  wings ;  there  is  nothing  to  stop  him  in  his  progress,  or 
paralyse  his  movements  and  upward  flights.  It  is  the  contrary: 
he  receives  every  kind  of  encouragement  in  his  flight. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  only  truly  great  nations  in  the  world  are 
Protestants !  Thus  it  is  the  truly  powerful  nations  in  the  world 
are  Protestants!  Thus  it  is  that  the  only  free  nations  in  the 
world  are  Protestants!  The  Protestant  nations  are  the  only 
ones  that  acquit  themselves  like  men  in  the  arena  of  this  world ; 
Protestant  nations  only  march  as  giants  at  the  head  of  the 
civilized  world.  Everywhere  they  are  the  advanced  guard  in 
the  ranks  of  progress,  science  and  liberty,  leaving  far  behind  the 
unfortunate  nations  whose  hands  are  tied  by  the  ignominious 
iron  chains  of  Popery. 

After  we  have  seen  the  Protestant  scholar  raising  himself, 
on   his  eagle  wings,^  to  the   highest  spheres   of    intelligence, 


98 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


happiness  and  light,  and  marching  unimpeded  toward  his 
splendid  destinies,  let  us  turn  our  eyes  toward  the  Roman 
Catholic  student,  and  let  us  consider  and  pity  him  in  the  supreme 
degradation  to  which  he  is  subjected. 

That  young  Roman  Catholic  scholar  is  born  with  the  same 
bright  intelligence  as  the  Protestant  one;  he  is  endowed  by  his 
Creator  with  the  same  powers  of  mind  as  his  Protestant  neigh- 
bor; he  has  the  same  impulses,  the  same  noble  aspirations 
implanted  by  the  hand  of  God  in  his  breast.  He  is  sent  to 
school  apparently,  like  the  Protestant  boy,  to  receive  what  is 
called  "  Education."  He  at  first  understands  that  word  in  its 
true  sense;  he  goes  to  school  in  the  hope  of  being  raised, 
elevated  as  high  as  his  intelligence  and  his  personal  efforts  will 
allow.  His  heart  beats  with  joy,  when  at  once  the  first  rays  of 
light  and  knowledge  come  to  him ;  he  feels  a  holy,  a  noble  pride 
at  every  new  step  he  makes  in  his  upward  progress ;  he  longs  to 
learn  more,  he  wants  to  rise  higher;  he  also  takes  up  his  wings, 
like  the  young  eagle,  and  soars  up  higher. 

But  here  begin  the  disappointments  and  tribulations  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  student;  for  he  is  allowed  to  raise  himself — 
yes,  but  when  he  has  raised  himself  high  enough  to  be  on  a 
level  with  the  big  toes  of  the  Pope  he  hears  piercing,  angry, 
threatening  cries  coming  from  every  side — "Stop!  stop  I  Do 
n«t  raise  yourself  higher  than  the  toes  of  the  Holy  Pope !  .  .  .  . 
Kiss  those  holy  toes,  ....  and  stop  your  upward  flight ! 
Remember  that  the  Pope  is  the  only  source  of  science,  knowl- 
edge and  truth!  ....  The  knowledge  of  the  Pope  is  the 
ultimate  limit  of  learning  and  light  to  which  humanity  can 
attain  ....  You  are  not  allowed  to  know  and  believe  what  his 
Holiness  does  not  know  and  believe.  Stop!  stop!  Do  not  go 
an  inch  higher  than  the  intellectual  horizon  of  the  Supreme 
Pontiff  of  Rome,  in  whom  only  is  the  plenitude  of  the  true 
science  which  will  save  the  world." 

Some  will  perhaps  answer  me  here:  "Has  not  Rome  pro- 
duced great  men  in  every  department  of  science?"  I  answer, 
Yes;  as  I  have  once  done  before.  Rome  can  show  us  a  long 
list  of  names  which  shine  among  the  brightest  lights  of  the 


mmm 


MOT 


ROME    AND   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


99 


firmament  of  science  and  philosophy.  She  can  show  us  her 
Copernices,  her  Galileos,  her  Pascals,  her  Bossuets,  her  Lame- 
nais,  etc.,  etc.  But  it  is  at  their  risk  and  peril  that  those  giants 
of  intelligence  have  raised  themselves  into  the  highest  regions 
of  philosophy  and  science.  It  is  in  spite  of  Rome  that  those 
eagles  have  soared  up  above  the  damp  and  obscure  horizon 
where  the  Pope  offers  his  big  toes  to  be  kissed  and  worshipped 
as  the  ne  -plus  ultra  of  human  intelligence;  and  they  have 
invariably  been  punished  for  their  boldness. 

On  the  22nd  of  June,  1663,  Galileo  was  obliged  to  fall  on  his 
knees  in  order  to  escape  the  cruel  death  to  which  he  was  to  be 
condemned  by  the  order  of  the  Pope;  and  he  signed  with  his 
own  hand  the  following  retractation :  "  I  abjure,  curse  and 
detest  the  error  and  heresy  of  the  motion  of  the  earth,"  etc..  etc. 

That  learned  man  had  to  degrade  himself  by  swearing  a 
most  egregious  lie,  namely,  that  the  earth  does  not  move  around 
the  sun.  Thus  it  is  that  the  wings  of  that  giant  eagle  of  Rome 
were  clipped  by  the  scissors  of  the  Pope.  That  mighty  intelli- 
gence was  bruised,  fettered,  and,  as  much  as  it  was  possible  to 
the  Church  of  Rome,  degraded,  silenced  and  killed.  But  God 
would  not  allow  that  such  a  giant  intellect  should  be  entirely 
strangled  by  the  bloody  hands  of  that  implacable  enemy  of 
light  and  truth — the  Pope.  Sufficient  strength  and  life  had 
remained  in  Galileo  to  enable  him  to  say,  when  rising  up,  "  This 
will  not  prevent  the  earth  from  moving!" 

The  infallible'  decree  of  the  infallible  Pope,  Urban  VIII., 
against  the  motion  of  the  earth  is  signed  by  the  Cardinals  Felia, 
Guitto,  Dcsiderio,  Antonio,  Bellingero,  and  Fabricicio.  It  says: 
*'  In  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  plenitude 
of  which  resides  in  His  vicar,  the  Pope,  that  the  proposition  that 
the  earth  is  not  the  centre  of  the  world,  and  that  it  moves  with 
a  diurnal  motion  is  absurd,  philosophically  false,  and  erroneous 
in  faith." 

What  a  glorious  thing  for  the  Pope  of  Rome  to  be  infallible! 
He  infallibly  knows  that  the  earth  does  not  move  around  the 
sun !  And  what  a  blessed  thing  for  the  Roman  Catholics  to  be 
governed  and  taught  by  such  an  infallible  being.     In  conse* 


mM«B 


wmmmm 


^^mmm^ 


lOO 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


quence  of  that  infallible  decree,  you  will  admire  the  following 
act  of  humble  submission  of  two  celebrated  Jesuit  astronomers, 
Lesueur  and  Jacquier:  "Newton  assumes  in  his  third  book  the 
hypothesis  of  the  earth  moving  around  the  sun.  The  proposi- 
tion of  that  author  could  not  be  explained,  except  through  the 
same  hypothesis:  we  have,  therefore,  been  forced  to  act  a 
character  not  our  own.  £ui  zve  declare  our  entire  submission 
to  the  decrees  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff's  of  Rome  against  the 
motion  if  the  earth?''    (Newton's  "  Principia,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  450.) 

Now,  please  tell  me  if  the  world  has  ever  witnessed  any 
degradation  like  ':hat  of  Roman  Catholics  ?  I  do  not  speak  of 
the  ignorant  and  unlearned,  but  I  speak  of  the  learned — the 
ihtelHgent  ones.  There  you  see  Galileo  condemned  to  gaol 
because  he  had  proved  that  the  earth  moved  around  the  sun, 
and  to  avoid  the  cruel  death  on*  the  rack  of  the  holy  Inquisition 
if  he  does  not  retract,  he  falls  on  his  knees  and  swears  that  he 
will  never  believe  it — in  the  very  moment  that  he  believes  it! 
He  promises,  under  a  solemn  oath,-  that  he  will  never  say  it  any 
more,  when  he  is  determined  to  proclaim  it  again  the  very  first 
opportunity !  And  here  you  see  two  other  learned  Jesuits,  who 
have  written  a  very  able  work  to  prove  that  the  earth  moves 
around  the  sun ;  but,  trembling  at  the  thunders  of  the  Vatican, 
which  are  roaring  on  their  heads  and  threaten  to  kill  them,  they 
submit  to  the  decrees  of  the  Popeg  of  Rome  against  the  motion 
of  the  earth.  These  two  learned  Jesuits  tell  a  most  contemptible 
and  ridiculous  lie  to  save  themselves  from  the  implacable  wrath 
of  that  great  light-extinguisher  whose  throne  is  in  the  city  of  the 
seven  hills.  9 

Lamcnais,  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  who  lived  in  this  very 
century,  was  one  of  the  most  profound  philosophers  and  eloquent 
writers  which  France  has  ever  had.  But  Lamenais  was  publicly 
excommunicated  for  having  raised  himself  high  enough  in  the 
regions  of  Gospel  light  to  see  that  "liberty  of  conscience"  was 
one  of  the  great  privileges  which  Christ  has  brought  from 
heaven  for  all  the  nations,  and  which  He  has  sealed  with  His 
blood  1  No  man  has  ever  raised  himself  higher  m  the  regions 
of  thought  and  philosophy  than  Pascal ;  but  the  wings  of  that 


1 


ROME    AND   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


lOI 


giant  eagle  were  clipped  by  the  Pope.  Pascal  was  an  outcast  in 
the  Church  of  Rome.  He  lived  and  died  an  excommunicated 
man  I  Bossuet  is  one  of  the  most  eloquent  orators  which  Rome  has 
given  to  the  world.  But  Veuillot,  the  editor  of  the  Univers 
(the  official  journal  of  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy  of  France) 
assures  us  that  Bossuet  was  a  disguised  Protestant. 

If,  at  any  step  made  by  the  Protestant  through  the  regions 
of  science  and  learning,  he  asks  God  or  man  to  tell  him  how  he 
can  proceed  any  further  without  any  fear  of  falling  into  some 
unknown  and  unsuspected  abyss,  both  God  and  man  tell  him 
what  Christ  said  to  His  apostles — that  he  has-  eyes  to  see,  ears 
to  hear,  and  an  intelligence  to  understand ;  he  is  reminded  that 
it  is  with  his  own  eyes,  and  not  his  neighbor's  eyes,  he  must 
look ;  that  it  is  with  his  own  ears,  and  not  with  another's  ears, 
he  must  hear;  and  that  it  is  with  his  own  intelligence,  and  not 
another's  intelligence,  he  must  understand.  And  when  the 
Protestant  has  made  use  of  his  own  eyes  to  see,  and 'his  own 
ears  to  hear,  and  his  own  intelligence  to  understand,  he  never- 
theless feels  again  his  feet  uncertain  on  the  trembling  waves  of 
the 'mysterious  and  unexplored  regions  of  science  and  learning 
which  spread  before  him  as  a  boundless  ocean,  all  the  echoes  of 
heaven  and  earth  bring  to  his  ears  the  simple  but  sublime  words 
of  the  Son  of  God :  "  If  a  son  shall  ask  bread  of  any  of  you  that 
is  a  father,  will  he  give  him  a  stone?  Or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will 
he,  for  a  fish,  give  him  a  serpent  ?  Or  if  he  shall  ask  an  egg, 
will  he  offer  him  a  scorpion  ?  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how 
to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children;  how  much  more  shall 
your  heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him?" 

Emboldened  with  this  infallible  promise  of  the  Saviour, 
which  has  "ennobled  and  almost  divinized  him,  the  Protestant 
student  ceases  to  tremble  and  fear;  a  new  strength  has  been 
•given  to  his  feet,  a  new  power  to  his  mind.  For  he  has  gone  to 
his  Father  for  more  light  and  strength.  Nay,  he  has  boldly 
asked  not  only  the  Jissistance  and  the  help  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
but  the  very  presence  of  His  Spirit  in  his  soul  to  guide  and 
strengthen  him.     The  assurance  that  the  great  God  who  has 


m 


-^-7^ 


I02 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


created  heaven  and  earth  is  his  Father,  his  loving  Father,  has 
absolutely  raised  him  above  himself;  it  has  given  a  new,  I  dare 
say  a  divine  impulse,  to  all  his  aspirations  for  truth  and  knowl- 
edge. It  has  put  in  his  breast  the  assurance  that,  sustained  by 
the  love,  and  the  light,  and  the  help  of  that  great  infinite^ 
eternal  God,  he  feels  himself  as  a  giant  able  to  cope  with  any 
obstacle.  He  does  not  any  more  walk,  on  his  way  to  eternity, 
as  a  worm  of  the  dust;  a  voice  from  heaven  has  told  him  that 
he  was  the  child  of  God  1  Eternity,  and  not  time,  then  becomes 
the  limits  of  his  existence;  he  is  no  more  satisfied  with  touching 
with  his  hands  and  studying  with  his  eyes  the  few  objects  which 
are  within  the  limited  horizon  of  his  eyelid-vision.  He  stretches 
his  giant  hands  to  the  boundless  limits  of  the  infinite,  he  boldly 
raises  his  feet  and  eyes  from  the  dust  of  this  earth,  to  launch 
himself  into  the  boundless  oceans  of  the  unknown  worlds.,  He 
feels  as  if  there  was  almost  nothing  beyond  the  reach  of  his 
intelligence,  nothing  to  resist  the  power  of  his  arms,  nothing  to 
stop  his  onward  progress  toward  the  infinite  so  long  as  the 
infallible  words  of  Christ  will  be  his  compass,  his  light,  and  his 
strength.  He  will  then  touch  the  mountains,  and  they  will  melt 
and  bow  down  before  him  to  let  his  iron  and  fiery  chariot  pass 
over  the  Rocky  Mountains,  8,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  He  will  bo'  !ly  ascend  to  the  regions  where  the  lightning 
and  the  storms  reign,  and  there  he  will  plunge  his  daring  hands 
into  the  roaring  clouds,  and  wrench  the  sparkle  of  lightning 
which  will  carry  his  message  from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the 
other.  He  will  force  the  oceans  to  tremble  and  submit,  as 
humble  slaves,  before  those  marvelous  steam-engines  which,  like 
giants,  carry  "floating  cities"  over  all  the  seas  in  spite  of  the 
winds  and  the  waves. 

Had  the  Newtons,  the  Franklins^  the  Fultons,  the  Morses 
been  Romanists,  their  names  would  have  been  lost  in  the 
obscurity  which  is  the  natural  heritage  of  the  abject  slaves 
of  the  Popes.  Being  told  from  their  infancy  that  no  one 
had  any  right  to  make  use  of  his  "  private  judgment,"  intelli- 
gence and  conscience  in  the  research  of  truth,  they  would 
have  remained  mute  and  motionless  at  the  feet  of  the  modem 


mmm 


■■■■■ 


ROME   AND   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


103 


and  terrible  god  of  Rome,  the  Pope.  But  they  were  Protestants  I 
In  that  great  and  glorious  word  "  Protestant"  is  the  secret  of  the 
marvelous  discoveries  with  which  they  have  changed  the  face  of 
the  world.  They,  were  Protestants!  Yes,  they  had  passed 
their  young  years  in  Protestant  schools,  where  they  had  read  a 
book  which  told  them  that  they  were  created  in  the  image  of 
God,  and  that  that  great  God  had  sent  His  eternal  Son  Jesus  to 
make  them  free  from  the  bondage  of  man.  They  had  read  in 
that  Protestant  book  ( for  the  Bible  is  the  most  Protestant  book 
in  the  world)  that  man  had  not  only  a  conscience,  but  an  intelli- 
gence to  guide  him ;  tney  had  learned  that  that  intelligence  and 
conscience  had  no  other  master  but  God,  no  other  guide  but 
God,  no  other  light  but  God.  On  the  walls  of  their  Protestant 
schools  the  Son  of  God  had  written  the  marvelous  words: 
•'Come  unto  me;  I  am  the  Light,  the  Way,  the  Life." 

But  when  the  Protestant  nations  are  marching  with  such  giant 
strides  to  the  conquest  of  the  world,  why  is  it  that  the  Roman 
Catholic  nations  not  only  remain  stationary,  but  give  evidence  of 
a  decadence  which  is,  day  after  day,  more  and  more  appalling 
and  remediless?  Go  to  their  schools  and  give  a  moment  of 
attention  to  the  principles  which  are  sown  in  the  young  intelli- 
gences of  their  unfortunate.slaves,  and  you  will  have  the  key  to 
that  sad  mystery. 

What  is  not  only  the  first,  but  the  daily  school  lesson  taught 
to  the  Roman  Catholic?  Is  it  not  that  one  of  the  greatest 
crimes  which  a  man  can  commit  is  to  follow  his  "  private  judg- 
ment ? "  which  means  that  he  has  eyes,  but  cannot  see ;  ears,  but 
he  cannot  hear;  and  intelligence,  but  he  cannot  make  use  of  it  in 
the  research  of  truth  and  light  and  knowledge,  without  danger 
of  being  eternally  damned.  His  superiors — which  mean  the 
priest  and  the  Pope — must  see  for  him,  hear  for  him,  and  think 
for  him.  Yes,  the  Roman  Catholic  is  constantly  told  in  his 
school  that  the  most  unpardonable  and  damnable  crime  is  to 
make  use  of  his  own  intelligence  and  follow  /lis  own  private 
judgment  in  the  research  of  truth.  He  is  constantly  reminded 
that  man's  own  private  judgment  is  his  greatest  enemy.  Hence 
all  his  intellectual  and  conscientious  efforts  must  be  brought  to 


■plp^^ll^^p^^^ 


104 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


fight  down,  silence,  kill  his  "  private  judgment."  It  is  by  the 
judgment  of  his  superiors — the  priest,  the  bishop  and  the  pope — 
that  he  must  be  guided  in  everything. 

Now,  what  is  a  man  who  cannot  make  use  of  his  "  private 
personal  judgment  ?"  Is  he  not  a  slave,  an  idiot,  an  ass  ?  And 
what  is  a  nation  composed  of  men  who  do  not  make  use  of  their 
private  personal  judgment  in  the  research  of  truth  and  happi- 
ness, if  not  a  nation  of  brutes,  slaves  and  contemptible  idiots? 

But  as  this  will  look  like  an  exaggeration  on  my  part,  allow 
me  to  force  the  Church  of  Rome  to  come  here  and  speak  for 
herself.  Please  pay  attention  to  what  she  has  to  say  about  the 
intellectual  faculties  of  men.  Here  are  the  very  words  of  the 
so-called  Saint  Ignatius  Loyola,  the  founder  of  the  Jesuit 
Society. 

"  As  for  holy  obedience,  this  virtue  must  be  perfect  in  every 
point — in  execution,  m  will,  in  intellect;  doing  which  is  enjoined 
with  all  celerity,  spiritual  joy  and  perseverance ;  persuading  our- 
selves that  everything  is  just,  suppressing  every  repugnant 
thought  and  judgment  of  one's  own  in  a  certain  obedience;  and 
let  every  one  persuade  himself,  that  he  who  lives  under  obedience 
should  be  moved  and  directed,  under  Divine  Providence,  by  his 
superior,  just  as  if  he  were  a  cqrpse  {^perinde  acsi  cadaver 
esset)  which  allows  itself  to  be  moved  and  led  in  every  direc- 
tion." 

Yes !  Protestants,  when  you  send  your  child  to  school,  it  is 
that  he  may  more  and  more  understand  the  dignity  of  man. 
Your  object  is  to  enlighten,  expand  and  raise  his  intelligence. 
You  want  to  give  more  light,  more  strength,  more  food,  more 
•  life  to  that  intelligence.  But  know  it  well,  not  from  my  pen, 
but  from  the  solemn  declaration  of  Rome.  The  young  Roman 
Catholic  goes  to  school  not  only  that  his  intelligence  may  be 
fettered,  clouded  and  paralyzed,  but  that  it  may  be  killed.  (You 
have  read  it.)  It  is  only  when  he  will  be  like  a  corpse  before 
his  superior  that  the  young  Roman  Catholic  will  have  attained 
to  the  highest  degree  of  perfect  manhood  I  Is  not  such  a 
doctrine  absolutely  anti-Christian  and  anti-social  ?  Is  it  not 
diabolical?     Would  not  mankind  become  a  flock  of  brute  beasts 


ROME    AND   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


105 


if  the  Church  of  Rome  could  succeed  in  persuading  her  hundred 
of  millions  of  slaves  to  consider  themselves  as  cadavers — 
corpses  in  the  presence  of  their  superiors? 

Some  one  w^ill,  perhaps,  ask  me  what  can  be  the  object  of 
the  popes  and  the  priests  of  Rome  in  degrading  the  Roman 
Catholics  in  such  a  strange  way  that  they  turn  them  into  moral 
corpses?  What  can  be  the  use  of  those  hundred  of  millions  of 
corpses?  Why  not  let  them  live?  The  answer  is  a  very  easy 
one.  The  great,  the  only  object  of  the  thoughts  and  workings 
of  the  Pope  and  the  priests  is  to  raise  themselves  above  the  rest 
of  the  world.  They  want  to  be  high!  high!  high  above  the 
heads  not  only  of  the  common  people,  but  of  the  kings  and 
emperors  of  the  world.  They  want  to  be  not  only  as  high,  but 
higher  than  God.  It  is  when  speaking  of  the  Pope  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  says :  "  He  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself  above  all  that 
is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped ;  so  that  he,  as  God,  sitteth  in 
the  temple  of  God,  shewing  himself  that  he  is  God "  ( 2  Thess. 
ii.  4).  To  attain  their  object,  the  priests  have  persuaded  their 
millions  and  millions  of  slaves  that  they  were  mere  corpses; 
that  they  must  have  no  will,  no  conscience,  no  intelligence  of 
their  own,  just  "  as  corpses  which  allow  themselves  to  be  moved 
and  led  in  any  way,  without  any  resistance."  When  this  has 
been  onge  gained,  they  have  made  a  pyramid  of  all  those  motion- 
less, inert  corpses  which  is  so  high,  that  though  its  feet  are  on 
the  earth  its  top  goes  to  the  skies,  in  the  very  abode  of  the  old 
divinities  of  the  Pagan  world,  and  putting  themselves  and  their 
popes  at  the  top  of  "that  marvelous  j^yramid,  the  priests  say  to 
the  rest  of  the  world:  "  Who  among  you  are  as  high  as  we  are? 
Who  has  ever  been  raised  by  God  as  a  priest  and  a  pope? 
Where  are  the  kings  and  the  emperors  whose  thrones  are  as 
elevated  as  ours?  Are  we  not  at  the  very  top  of  humanity?" 
Yes!  yes!  I  answer  to  the  jiricsts  of  Rome,  you  are  high,  very 
high  indeed !  No  throne  on  earth  has  ever  been  so  sublime,  so 
exalted  as  yours.  Since  the  days  of  the  towers  of  Babel,  the 
world  has  not  seen  such  a  huge  fabric.  Your  throne  is  higher 
than  anything  we  know.     But  it  is  a  throne  of  corpses! ! ! 

And  if  you  want  to  know  what  other  use  is  made  of  those 


io6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    ."HE  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


millions  and  millions  of  corpses,  I  will  tell  it  to  you.  There  is 
no  manure  so  rich  as  dead  carcasses.  Those  millions  of  corpses 
serve  to  manure  the  gardens  of  the  priests,  the  bishops  and  the 
popes,  and  malic  their  cabbages  grow.  And  what  fine  cabbages 
grow  in  the  Pope's  garden! 

Is  it  not  a  lucky  thing  for  the  world  in  general,  and  for  the 
Roman  Catholics  in  particular,  that  though  they  are  taught  to 
become  like  corpses,  to  have  no  will,  no  understanding,  no 
judgment  of  their  own  in  the  presence  of  their  superiors,  there 
are  many  who  can  never  attain  to  that  perfection  of  intellectual 
degradation  and  death !  Yes,  in  spite  of  the  efforts,  in  spite  of 
the  teachings  of  their  Church,  a  few  Roman  Catholics  retain 
some  life,  some  will,  some  intelligence,  some  judgment  of  their 
own  which  prevents  them  from  becoming  comjDlete  brutes. 
They  now  and  then  refuse  to  descend  to  the  damp,  dark  and 
putrid  abode  of  the  Corpses.  They  want  to  breathe  the  fresh 
and  pure  air  of  liberty  which  God  has  given  to  man.  They 
raise  their  humiliated  forehead  from  the  ignominious  tomb  which 
their  Church  has  dug  for  them,  and  they  give  some  signs  of  life. 
But  at  every  such  signs  of  life  given  by  an  individual  or  by  a 
people  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  be  sure  that  you  will  see  the 
flashing  light  and  hear  the  roaring  thunders  of  the  Vatican 
directed  against  the  rebel  who  dares  to  refuse  to  become  a  corpse 
before  his  superiors.  It  is  for  having  shown  such  signs  of  life 
and  independence  of  mind  that  Galileo  was  sent  to  gaol  and 
threatened  to  be  cruelly  tortured  on  the  racks  of  the  Inquisition 
in  Italy,  three  hundred  years  ago.  It  is  for  having  shown  those 
symptoms  of  life  that  not  long  ago  the  honest  Kenna,  one  of  the 
most  respected  Roman  Catholics  of  the  day,  was  excommuni- 
cated the  day  before  his  death,  and  had  to  be  buried  as  a  dog  in 
his  own  field,  for  having  refused  to  take  away  his  children  from 
an  excellent  grammar  school  to  obey  the  priest.  It  is  for  having 
dared  to  think  for  himself  that  a  few  days  before  his  death  the 
amiable  and  learned  Montalembert  was  considered  as  an  outcast 
by  the  Pope,  who  refused  him  the  honor  of  public  prayers  in 
Rome  after  his  death. 

But  that  you  may  better  understand  the  degrading  tendencies 


t^ 


ROME    AND   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


107 


of  the  principles  which  are  as  the  fundamental  stone  of  the 
moral  and  intellectual  education  of  Rome,  let  me  put  before 
your  eyes  another  extract  of  the  Jesuit  teachings,  Which  I  take 
again  from  the  "Spiritual  Exercises,"  as  laid  down  by  their 
founder,  Ignatius  Loyola:  "That  we  may  in  all  things  attain 
the  truth,  that  we  may  not  err  in  anything,  we  ought  ever  to 
hold  as  a  fixed  principle  that  what  I  see  -./hite  I  believe  to  be 
black,  if  the  superior  authorities  of  the  Church  define  it  to  be  so." 

You  all  know  that  it  is  the  avowed  desire  of  Rome  to  have 
public  education  in  the  hands  of  the  Jesuits.  She  says  every- 
where that  they  are  the  best,  the  ntodel  teachers.  Why  so? 
Because  they  more  boldly  and  more  successfully  than  any  other 
of  her  teachers  aim  at  the  destruction  of  the  intelligence  and 
conscience  of  their  pupils.  Rome  proclaims  everywhere  that 
the  Jesuits  are  the  most  devoted,  the  most  reliable  of  her  teachers; 
and  she  is  right,  for  when  a.  man  has  been  trained  a  sufficient 
time  by  them,  he  most  perfectly  becomes  a  moral  corpse.  His 
superiors  can  do  what  they  please  with  him.  When  he  knows 
that  a  thing  is  white  as  snow,  he  is  ready  to  swear  that  it  is 
black  as  ink  if  his  superior  tells  him  so.  But  some  may  be 
tempted  to  think  that  these  degrading  principles  are  exclusively 
taught  by  the  Jesuits;  that  they  are  not  the  teachings  of  the 
Church,  and  that  I  do  an  injustice  to  the  Roman  Catholics  when 
I  give,  as  a  general  iniquity,  what  is  the  guilt  of  the  Jesuits 
only.  Listen  to  the  words  of  that  infallible  Pope  Gregory 
XVL,  in  his  celebrated  Encyclical  of  the  15th  of  August,  1832. 
"  If  the  holy  Church  so  requires,  let  us  sacrifice  our  own 
opinions,  our  knowledge,  our  intelligence^  the  splendid  dreams 
of  our  imagination,  and  the  most  sublime  attainments  of  the 
human  understanding." 

It  is  when  considering  those  anti-social  principles  of  Rome 
that  our  learned  and  profound  thinker,  Gladstone,  wrote,  not 
long  ago:  "No  more  cunning  plot  was  ever  devised  against  the 
freedom,  the  happiness  and  the  virtue  of  mankind  than  Roman- 
ism." ("Letter  to  Earl  Aberdeen.")  Now,  Protestants,  do 
you  begin  to  see  the  difference  of  the  object  of  educrtion 
between  a  Protestant  and  a  Roman  Catholic  school?     Do  you 


io8 


PIPTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OP    ROME. 


begin  to  understand  that  there  is  as  great  a  distance  between 
the  word  "  Education "  among  you,  and  the  meaning  of  the 
same  word  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  than  between  the  southern 
and  the  northern  poles !  By  education  you  mean  to  raise  man 
'to  the  highest  sphere  of  manhood.  Rome  means  to  lower  him 
below  the  most  stupid  brutes.  By  education  you  mean  to  teach 
man  that  he  is  a  free  agent,  that  liberty  within  the  limits  of  the 
laws  of  God  and  of  his  country  is  a  gift  secured  to  every  one ; 
you  want  to  impress  every  man  with  the  noble  thought  that  it  is 
better  to  die  a  free  man  than  to  live  a  slave.  Rome  wants  to 
teach  that  there  is  only  one  man  who  is  free,  the  Pope,  and  that 
all  the  rest  are  born  to  be  his  abject  slaves  in  thought,  will  and 
action. 

Now,  that  you  may  still  more  understand  to  what  a  bottomless 
abyss  of  human  degradation  and  moral  depravity  these  anti- 
Christian  and  anti-social  principles  of  Rome  lead  her  poor  blind 
slaves,  read  what  Liguori  says  in  his  book  "  The  Nun  Sancti- 
fied": "The  principal  and  most  efficacious  means  of  practicing 
obedience  due  to  superiors,  and  of  rendering  it  meritorious 
before  God,  is  to  consider  that  in  obeying  them  we  obey  God 
himself,  and  that  by  despising  their  commands  we  despise  the 
authority  of  our  Divine  Master.  When,  thus,  a  religious 
receives  a  precept  from  her  prelate,  superior  or  confessor,  she 
should  immediately  execute  it,  not  only  to  please  them  hut 
principally  to  please  God,  whose  will  is  made  known  to  her  by 
their  command.  In  obeying  their  command,  in  obeying  their 
directions,  she  is  more  certainly  obeying  the  will  of  God  than  if 
an  angel  came  down  from  heaven  to  manifest  his  will  to  her. 
Bear  this  always  in  your  mind,  that  the  obedience  which  you 
practice  to  your  superior  is  paid  to  God.  If,  then,  you  receive  a 
command  from  one  who  holds  the  place  of  God,  you  should 
observe  it  with  the  same  diligence  as  if  it  came  from  God  him- 
self. Blessed  Egidus  used  to  say  that  it  is  more  meritorious  to 
6bey  man  for  the  love  of  God  than  God  himself.  If  may  be 
added  that  there  is  more  certaiaty  of  doing  the  will  of  God  by 
obedience  to  our  superior  than  by  obedience  to  Jesus  Christ, 
should    He   appear   in   person  and   give   His   commands.      St. 


ROME    AND    EDUCATION,    ETC. 


109 


Phillip  de  Neri  used  to  say  that  religious  Nhall  be  most  certain  of 
not  having  to  render  nn  account  of  the  actions  performed 
through  obedience;  for  these  the  superiors  only  who  commanded 
them  shall  be  held  accountable."  Thb  Lord  said  once  to  St. 
Catherine  of  Siennc,  •'  Religious  will  not  be  obliged  to  render  an 
account  to  me  of  what  they  do  through  obedience;  for  that  I 
will  demand  an  account  from  the  superior.  This  doctrine  is 
conformable  to  Sacred  Scripture:  Behold,  says  the  Lord,  as 
clay  is  in  the  potter's  hand,  so  are  you  in  my  hands,  O  Israel ! 
(Jeremiah  xviii.  6.)  A  religious  man  must  be  in  the  hands  of 
the  superiors  to  be  molded  as  they  will.  Shall  the  clay  say  to 
him  that  fashioneth  it.  What  art  thou  making?  The  potter 
ought  to  answer,  *  Re  silent;  it  is  not  your  business  to  inquire 
what  I  do,  but  to  obey  and  to  receive  whatever  form  I  ple.ase  to 
give  you.'" 

I  ask  of  you,  American  Protestants,  what  would  become  of 
your  fair  country  -f  you  were  blind  enough  to  allow  the  Church 
of  Rome  to  te;.  1  the  children  of  the  United  States?  What 
kind  of  men  and  women  can  come  out  of  such  schools?  What 
future  of  shame,  degradation  and  slavery  you  prepare  for  your 
country  if  Rome  does  succeed  in  forcing  you  to  support  such 
schools.  What  kind  of  women  would  come  out  from  the 
schools  of  nuns,  who  would  teach  them  that  the  highest  pitch  of 
perfection  in  a  woman  is  when  she  obeys  her  superior,  the 
priest,  in  everything  he  commands  herl  that  your  daughter  will 
never  be  called  to  give  an  account  to  God  for  the  actions  she 
will  have  done  to  please  and  obey  her  superior,  the  priest,  the 
bishop  or  the  Pope?'  That  the  affairs  of  her  conscience  will  be 
arranged  between  God  and  that  superior,  and  that  she  will 
never  be  asked  why  she  had  done  this  or  that,  when  it  will  be 
to  gratify  the  pleasures  of  the  superior  and  obey  his  command 
that  she  has  done  it.  Aguin,  what  kind  of  men  and  citizens 
will  come  out  from  the  schools  of  those  Jesuits  who  believe  and 
teach  that  a  man  has  attained  the  perfection  of  manhood  only 
when  he  is  a  perfect  spiritual  corpse  before  his  superior;  when 
he  obeys  the  priest  with  the  perfection  of  a  cadaver^  that  has 
neither  life  nor  will  in  itself. 


no 


FIFTY   YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


But  some  will  be  tempted  to  think  that  this  perfect  blind 
obedience  to  the  priest,  -which  is  the  corner-stone  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  education,  is  required  only  in  spiritual  matters. 
Yes;  but  you  must  not  forget  that  in  the  Church  of  Rome 
every  action  of  the  private  or  public  life  belongs  to  the  spiritual 
sphere,  which  the  superior  only  must  rule.  For  instance,  a 
Roman  Catholic  has  not  the  right  to  select  the  teacher  of  his 
boy,  nor  the  school  where  he  will  send  him ;  he  must  consult 
his  priest,  and  if  he  dares  to  act  in  a  different  way  from  what 
his  priest  has  told  him  in  the  selection  of  that  teacher  or  that 
school  he  is  excommunicated  and  damned,  as  Mr.  Kenna  has 
been  lately.  If  he  votes  according  to  his  own  private  judgment 
for  Mr.  Jones  instead  of  Mr.  Thompson,  the  selected  member 
of  the  bishop  and  the  priest,  he  is  damned  and  considered  as  a 
rebel  against  his  holy  Church,  out  of  which  there  is  no  salvation. 

The  Church  of  Rome's  only  object  in  giving  what  she  calls 
education  is  to  teach  her  slaves  that  they  must  obey  their 
superiors  in  everything,  as  God  himself.  All  the  rest  of  her 
teaching  is  only  a  mask  to  conceal  her  plans.  History  is  never 
taught  in  her  schools ;  what  she  calls  history  is  a  most  shameful 
string  of  falsehoods.  Of  course  she  does  not  dare  to  say  a  word 
of  truth  about  her  past  struggles  against  the  great  principles  of 
light  and  liberty,  when  she  covered  the  whole  of  Europe  with 
tears,  blood  and  ruins.  Writing,  reading,  arithmetic,  geography 
and  grammar  are  taught  to  a  certain  degree  in  her  schools,  but 
all  these  teachings  are  nothing  else  but  covered  roads  through 
which  the  priest  wants  to  reach  the  citadel  of  the  heart  and 
intelligence  of  his  poor  victim,  and  take  an  absolute  possession 
of  them.  Those  things  are  taught  every  day  only  to  have  a 
daily  opportunity  to  persuade  the  pupil  that  he  must  never 
make  any  use  of  his  pnvate  judgment  in  anything,  and  that  he 
must  submit  his  intelligence,  his  conscience,  his  will  to  the 
intelligence,  conscience  and  will  of  his  superior  if  he  wants  to 
save  himself  from  the  eternal  fire  of  hell.  He  is  constantly  told 
what  I  have  been  tcld  a  thousand  times  myself  when  studying 
in  the  college  of  Nicholet,  that  those  who  obey  their  superiors 
in  everything  will  not  be  called  to  give  an  account  of   their 


-r^T" 


ROME    AND   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


Ill 


actions  to  their  Supreme  Judge,  even  if  those  actions  were  bad 
in  themselves ;  for,  as  Liguori  told  you  a  moment  ago,  "  Who- 
soever obeys  his  superior,  for  the  love  of  God,  obeys  God  him- 
self, and  that  there  are  more  merits  to  obey  one's  own  superior 
than  God  himself." 

The  Church  of  Rome  shows  her  great  wisdom  in  enforcing 
that  dogma  of  the  entire  and  blind  subjection  of  the  will  and 
intelligence  of  the  inferior  to  the  superior.  For  ttie  very 
moment  that  a  Roman  Catholic  thinks  that  it  is  his  right  and 
sacred  duty  to  follow  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience  and 
intelligence,  he  is  lost  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  It  is  only  when 
a  man  has  entirely  silenced  and  absolutely  killed  his  intelligence, 
it  is  only  when  he  has  become  a  perfect  moral  corpse,  that  he 
can  believe  that  his  priest,  even  his  drunken  priest,  has  the 
power  to  change  a  wafei',  or  any  other  piece  of  bread,  into  the 
great  God,  for  whom  and  by  whom  everything  has  been  created. 
It  is  only  when  the  intelligence  of  man  has  become  a  dead 
carcass  that  he  can  believe  that  a  miserable  sinner  has  the 
supreme  power  to  force  the  Son*  of  God  to  come,  in  His  divine 
and  human  person,  into  his  vest  or  pants'  pockets  to  follow  him 
everywhere  he  wants  to  go,  even  to  the  bar  of  the  low  tavern, 
that  He  may  become  his  companion  of  debauch  and  drunken- 
ness. Do  you  see,  now,  why  the  Church  of  Rome  cannot  let 
her  poor  young  slaves  go  to  your  schools?  In  your  schools, 
the  first  thing  you  inculcate  to  the  pupil  is  that  his  intelligence 
is  the  great  gift  of  God,  by  which  man  is  distinguished  from 
the  brute;  that  he  must  enlighten,  form,  feed,  cultivate  his 
intelligence,  which  is  to  him  what  the  helm  is  to  the  ship, 
Christ,  with  His  holy  Word,  being  the  pilot.  You  see,  now, 
why  the  Church  of  Rome  abhors  your  schools.  It  is  because 
you  want  to  make  men,  and  she  wants  to  make  brutes.  You 
want  to  raise  men  to  the  highest  sphere  to  which  his  intelligence 
can  allow  him  to  reach;  she  wants  to  keep  him  in  the  dust,  at 
the  feet  of  .the  priests;  you  want  to  form  free  citizens,  she  wants 
to  form  abject  and  obedient  slaves  of  the  priests ;  you  teach  man  ' 
to  keep  his  sacred  promises  and  stand  by  his  oath,  she  teaches 
him  that  the   Pope  has  the  right  to  dissolve  the  most  sacred 


mmm 


112 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THK    CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


promises  and  to  annul  all  his  oaths,  even  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  his  country.  You  tell  your  pupils  that  so  long  as  they  will 
keep  themselves  within  the  limits  of  the  laws  of  their  country 
they  are  responsible  only  to  God  for  their  consciences.  They 
tell  their  pupils  that  it  is  not  to  God,  but  to  the  priest  that  he 
must  go  to  give  an  account  of  his  conscience.  You  teach  your 
pupils  that  the  laws  of  God  only  bind  the  conscience  of  man; 
they  tell  liim  that  it  is  the  laws  of  the  Church,  which  means  the 
ipse  dixit  of  the  Pope,  which  binds  their  consciences.  You 
teach  the  student  that  every  man  has  the  right  to  choose  his 
religion  according  to  his  conscience;  she  positively  says  that  no 
man  has  the  right  to  choose  his  religion  according  to  his 
conscience.  It  is  evident  that  the  Church  of  Rome  would  be 
dead  to-morrow  if,  to-day,  she  would  allow  her  children  to 
attend  schools  where  they  would  learn  to  follow  the  dictates  of 
their  conscience  and  listen  to  the  voice  of  their  intelligence. 
But  she  is  too  shrewd  to  avow  before  the  world  the  real  reasons 
why  she  wants,  at  any  cost,  to  prevent  her  children  from 
attending  your  schools.  And  it  is  here  she  shows  her  profound 
and  diabolical  cunning.  Though  she  is  the  most  deadly  enemy 
of  liberty  of  conscience,  though  she  has,  time  after  time,  anathe- 
matized liberty  of  conscience  as  one  of  Satan's  schemes,  she 
suddenly  steps  on,  as  the  great  friend  and  apostle  of  liberty  of 
conscience,  and  imder  that  new  mask  she  approaches  your 
legislators  with  great  airs  of  dignity  and  says :  "  We  are  happy 
to  live  in  a  country  where  liberty  of  conscience  is  secured  to 
every  citizen.  It  is  in  its  sacred  name  that  we  respectfully 
approach  your  honorable  legislature  to  ask:  First,  to  be 
exempted  from  sending  our  children  to  the  Government  schools. 
Second,  to  have  the  money  we  want  from  the  public  treasury  in 
order  to  support  our  own  schools.  For  two  reasons :  First,  you 
read  the  Bible  in  your  schools,  and  it  is  against  our  conscience  to 
let  our  children  read  your  Bible.  Second,  you  have  some 
prayers  at  the  beginning  and  some  religious  hymns  sung  at  the 
'end  of  the  hours  of  school,  and  it  is  against  our  conscience  to 
allow  the  children  of  the  Church  of  Rome  to  join  you  in  those 
prayers  and  hymns."     The  legislators,  who  for  the  greater  part 


■P«U  ■    i.hi  U.  !«' 


ROME    AND   EDUCATION,   ETC. 


"3 


are  too  honorable  men  to  suspect  the  fraud,  are  won  by  the  air 
of  candor  and  honesty  of  the  Roman  Catholic  petitioners. 
Considering  the  great  benefit  which  will  come  to  the  country  if 
all  the  children  are  taught  in  the  same  school,  they  are  soon 
ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  in  order  to  have  the  Roman  Catholic 
and  the  Protestant  children  under  the  same  roof,  to  receive  the 
same  light  and  the  same  moral  food  and  same  instruction.  As 
true  patriots,  the  legislators  understand  that  if  they  wish  their 
beloved  country  to  be  strong  and  happy,  the  first  thing  they 
must  do  is  to  make  the  young  generation  one  in  mind,  in  heart. 
If  the  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic  children  are  taught  iu 
the  same  school,  they  will  know  each  other  and  love  each  other 
when  young,  and  those  sacred  ties  of  friendship  which  will  bind 
them  in  the  spnng  of  life  will  be  strengthened  when  their 
reason  will  be  matured  and  enlightened  by  a  good  education 
under  the  same  respected  and  worthy  teachers.  As  Christian 
men,  the  legislators  would  perhaps  like  to  keep  the  Bible,  and 
have  short  prayers  in  the  schools;  but  as  patriots,  they  feel  that 
those  things,  though  good  and  sacred,  are  an  unsurmountable 
barrier  to  the  Roman  Catholic.  The  delicate  conscience  of  the 
bishops  and  priests  cannot  allow  such  things  in  the  school 
attended  by  their  lambs!  Through  respect  for  the  sacred  rights 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  conscience,  the  legislators  in  mar.y 
places  throw  the  Bible  overboard,  and  they  say  to  God:  "Please 
get  out  from  our  schools,  and  do  excuse  us  if  we  order  our 
teachers  to  ignore  your  existence!"  They  say  to  Jesus  Christ: 
"We  have  not  forgotten  your  sublime  and  touching  words, 
'  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  mc.'  No  doubt  you  would 
like  to  press  our  dear  little  ones  on  your  loving  heart,  and  bless 
them  for  a  moment  in  the  schools;  but  we  cannot  allow  them  to 
go  so  near  you  in  the  school,  we  cannot  even  allow  them  to 
speak  to  you  a  single  word  there.  Please  be  not  offended  if  we 
turn  you  out  from  those  very  schools  where  you  were  so  wel- 
come formerly.  We  are  forced  to  that  sad  extremity  through 
the  respect  we  owe  to  the  tender  consciences  of  our  fellow- 
citizens  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  You  know  that  they  cannot 
allow  their  children  to  speak  to  you  together  with  ours."     But 


114 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


when  those  awful,  not  to  say  sacrilegious  sacrifices  have  been 
made  by  the  Protestant-legislators  to  appease  the  implacable 
god  of  Rome — when,  through  respect  for  the  scruples  of  the 
bishops  and  priests  of  Rome,  the  great  God  of  Heaven,  with 
His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  have  been  unceremoniously  turned  out 
from  the  schools— when  the  Word  of  God  has  been  pro- 
hibited, and  the  Bible  is  thrown  overboard,  is  the  Moloch  god 
appeased?  Will  the  Roman  Catholic  bishop  and  priests  tell 
their  children  that  they  may  unite  with  yours  to  go  and  receive 
education  from  the  same  teachers ? -  No!  But  assuming,  then,  a 
sublime  air  of  indignation,  they  turn  against  you  as  mad  dogs; 
they  call  your  schools  godles,s  schools!  good  only  to  form 
thieves,  infidels  and  atheists! 

Do  you  see  now  that  all  those  dignified  scruples  of  conscience 
about  reading  the  Bible,  praying  with  you,  etc.,  were  only  a 
mask  to  deceive  you,  and  make  you  fall  into  a  snare?  Do  you 
not  perceive  now  that  they  did  not  care  a  straw  for  the  Bible 
and  the  prayers  in  the  schools?  but  they  wanted  your  legislators 
to  compromise  themselves  before  the  Christian  world,  lose  their 
moral  strength  in  the  eyes  of  a  great  part  of  the  nation,  divide 
your  ranks,  your  means,  your  strength,  and  beat  you  on  that 
great  question  of  education.  They  will  take  such  airs  of  martyrs 
when  you  will  try  to  force  their  children  to  your  schools  that 
many  honest  and  unsuspecting  Protestants  will  be  completely 
deceived  by  them.  At  first  they  could  not,  they  said,  trust  the 
children  to  your  hands,  because  you  read  the  Word  of  God,  you 
prayed  and  blessed  God  in  the  school.  But  now  that  the  Bible 
and  God  are  turned  out  from  the  schools,  they  baptize  them  by 
the  most  ignominious  names  which  can  be  given — they  call  them 
"godless  schools!"  Have  you  ever  seen  a  more  profoundly 
ignominious  and  sacrilegious  trick?  Will  not  your  legislators 
open  their  eyes  to  that  strange  act  of  deception,  of  which  they 
are  the  victims?  Will  they  not  come  out  quickly  from  the 
traps  laid  before  them  by  the  bishops  and  the  priests  of  Rome? 
Yes!  Let  us  hope  that  your  patriots  and  Christian  legislators 
will  soon  understand  that  they  owe  a  reparation  to  God  and  to 
their  country ;  with  unanimous  voice  they  will  ask  pardon  from 


fffltl^igmm^^^l1f^tfm!ii\  I    II 


ROME    AND    EDUCATION,   ETC. 


"5 


God  for  having  expelled  Him  from  the  very  place  where  He 
has  most  right  to  reign  supremely — the  school. 

For  what  is  a  school  without  God  in  its  midst  to  sit  as  a 
father,  and  to  form  the  young  hearts  and  evoke  the  young 
intellect?  What  is  a  bo^',  what  is  a  girl,  what  is  a  woman  or  a 
man  without  God  ?  what  is  a  family,  what  is  a  people  without 
God?  It  is  a  monstrosity,  it  is  a  body  without  life,  it  is  a  world 
without  light,  it  is  a  cistern  without  water.  Let  us  hope  that, 
before  long,  your  patriotic  and  Christian  legislators  will  remem- 
ber that  the  Bible  is  the  foundation  of  the  greatness  of 
Protestant  nations.  Do  not  forget  it,  Protestants.  It  is  to  the 
Bible  the  United  States  owes  their  liberty,  power,  prestige  and 
strength.  It  is  the  Bible  that  has  ennobled  the  hearts  of  your 
heroes,  improved  the  minds  of  your  poets  and  orators,  and 
strengthened  the  arms  of  your  warriors.  Yes!  it  is  because 
your  soldiers  have  brought  with  them,  everywhere,  the  Bible, 
pressed  on  their  hearts,  that  they  have  conquered  the  enemies  of 
liberty.  So  long  as  the  United  States  will  be  true  to  the  Bible, 
their  glorious  banners  will  fly  respected  and  feared  all  over  the 
seas,  and  over  all  the  continents  of  the  world.  Let  the  disciples 
of  the  Gospel,  the  children  of  God,  and  the  redeemed  of  Christ 
all  over  the  fair  and  noble  country  you  inhabit  hasten  to  request 
their  legislators  to  invite  the  Saviour  of  the  world  to  come  back 
and  bless  their  dear  children  in  the  school.  For  it  is  not  only  in 
your  homes  and  your  churches  that  Jesus  tells  you  "  Suffer  little 
children  to  come  unto  fnc."  It  is  particularly  in  the  school. 
Ohl  give  two  or  three  minutes  to  those  dear  little  ones,  that 
they  may  press  themselves  on  His  bosom,  bless  Him  fo"  having 
saved  them  on  the  cross,  and  proclaim  His  mercies  by  singing 
one  of  those  hymns  which  they  like  so  much.  By  this  noble 
act  of  national  reparation  you  will  take  away  from  the  hands  of 
the  priests  the  only  weapon  with  which  they  can  hurt  you ;  you 
will  destroy  the  only  argument  they  use  with  a  true  force 
against  your  schools  when  they  call  them  godless  schools.  Do 
not  fear  any  more  the  priests  and  the  prelates  of  Rome.  Do 
not  yield  any  more  and  give  up  your  privilege  to  please  them 
and  reconcile  them  to  yoyr  schools.     You  will  never  be  able  to 


ii6 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


reconcile  them  to  your  schools ;  for  there  is  light  In  your  schools, 
and  they  want  the  darknebs.  There  is  freedom  and  liberty  in 
your  schools ;  they  want  slavery  I  There  is  life  in  your  schools, 
and  it  is  only  on  dead  corpses  that  their  church  can  have  a  chance 
to  live  a  few  years  more.  You  see,  by  a  sad  experience,  that 
their  scruples  of  conscience  against  the  Bible  and  the  prayer  of 
the  school  are  mere  hypocrisy  just  thrown  into  the  eyes  of  the 
public.  Do  not  say  with  some. honest  but  deluded  Protestants: 
Ts  it  not  enough  that  that  child  should  learn  his  religion  at 
home  ?  No,  it  is  not  enough ;  for  it  is  in  our  nature  that  we 
want  two  witnesses  to  believe  a  thing.  What  comes  to  our 
mind  only  through  one  witness  remains  uncertain;  but  let  two 
good  witnesses  confirm  a  fact,  and  then  we  accept  it.  Your 
child  wants  two  witnesses  to  believe  the  necessity  of  the  sacred- 
ness  of  religion.  His  Christian  home  is  surely  a  good  witness 
to  your  child,  but  it  is  not  enough;  what  he  has  heard  from  you 
must  be  confirmed  by  his  school  teacher.  Without  this  second 
witness,  nine. times  out  of  ten  your  children  will  be  skeptics  and 
infidels.  Besides  that,  the  very  idea  of  God  brings  with  it  the 
obligation  to  bless,  love  and  adore  Him  everywhere.  The 
moment  you  take  your  child  to  a  place  where  not  only  he  cannot 
love,  bless  and  adore  God,  but  where  the  adoration  and  the 
praise  of  God  are  forbidden,  you  entirely  destroy  the  idea  of 
God  from  the  mind  and  the  heart  of  your  child.  You  make 
him  believe  that  what  you  have  told  him,  when  at  home,  of  God 
is  only  a  fable,  to  amuse  and  deceive  him. 

Do  you  see  that  noble  ship  in  the  midst  of  that  splendid 
harbor,  how  she  is  tossed  by  the  foaming  waves,  how  she  is 
beaten  by  the  furious  winds?  What  does  prevent  that  ship, 
from  flying  before  the  storm  and  running  ashore,  a  miserable 
wreck?  What  does  prevent  her  from  being  dashed  on  that 
rock?  The  anchor!  Yes,  the  anchor  is  her  safety.  But  let  a 
single  link  of  the  chain  that  binds  the  ship  to  her  anchor  break, 
will  she  not  soon  be  dashed  on  the  rock  and  broken  to  pieces, 
and  sink  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea?  It  is  so  with  your  child  I 
So  long  as  his  intelligence  and  his  heart  is  united  to  God  by  the 
anchor  of  faith,  he  will  nobly  stand  against  the  furious  waves, 


ROME    AND   EDUCATION,  ETC. 


"7 


he  will  nobly  fight  his  battles;  but  let  the  school  teacher  be 
silent  about  God,  and  here  is  a  broken  link,  and  the  child  will 
be  a  wreck.  Do  not  fear  the  priest,  but  fear  God !  Do  not  try 
any  more  to  please  the  priests,  but  do  all  in  your  power  to  please 
your  great  and  merciful  God,  not  only  in  your  homes,  but  also 
in  your  schools,  and  those  schools  will  become  more  than  ever  a 
focus  of  light,  an  inexhaustible  source  of  intellectual  and  moral 
strength — more  than  ever  your  children  will  learn  in  the  school 
to  be  your  honor  and  your  glory  and  your  joy.  They  will  learn 
that  they  are  not  ignoble  worms  of  the  dust,  whose  existence 
will  end  in  the  tomb,  but  that  they  are  immortal  as  God,  whose 
beloved  children  they  are.  They  will  learn  how  to  serve  their 
God  and  love  their  country.  Be  not  ashamed,  but  be  proud  to 
send  your  children  to  schools  where  they  will  learn  how  to  be 
good  Christians  and  good  citizens.  When  you  will  have  finished 
your  pilgrimage  they  will  be  your  worthy  successors,  and  the 
God  whom  they  will  have  learned  to  fear,  serve  and  love  in  the 
school  will  help  them  to  make  your  country  great,  happy  and 
free. 


Chapter  XIII. 


TEBOLOOT  OF  THB  OHTTBOH  OF  BOICE:  ITS  ANTLSOCIAL  AlTD 
^  ANTI-OHBISTIAN  OHABAOTEB. 


TALLEYRAND,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  Roman  Catholic 
bishops  of  France,  once  said,  "  Language  is  the  art  of 
concealing  one's  thoughts."  Never  was  there  a  truer  expres- 
sion, if  it  had  reference  to  the  awful  deceptions  practiced  by  the 
Church  of  Rome  under  the  pompous  name  of  "  Theological 
studies." 

Theology  is  the  study  of  the  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  God. 
Nothing,  then,  is  more  noble  than  the  study  of  theology.  How 
solemn  were  my  thoughts  and  elevated  my  aspirations  when,  in 
1S29,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Raimbault  and 
Leprohon,  t  commenced  my  theological  course  of  study  at 
Nicolet,  which  1  was  to  end  in  1833! 

I  supposed  that  my  books  of  theology  were  to  bring  me 
nearer  to  my  God  by  the  more  perfect  knowledge  I  would 
acquire,  ui  their  study,  of  His  holy  will  and  His  sacred  laws. 
My  hope  was  that  they  would  be  to  m|l  heart  what  the  burning 
coal,  brought  by  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  was  to  the  lips  of  the 
prophet  of  old. 

The  principal  theologians  which  we  had  in  our  hands  were 
"  Les  Conferences  d'Anger,"  Bailly,  Dens,  St.  Thomas,  but 
above  all  Liguori,  who  has  since  been  canonised.  Never  did  I 
open  one  without  offering  up  a  fervent  prayer  to  God  and  to 
the  Virgin  Mary  for  the  light  and  grace  of  which  I  would  be 
in  need  for  myself  and  for  the  people  whose  pastor  I  was  to 
become. 

But  how  shall  I  relate  my  surpris.e  when  I  discovered,  that 
in  order  to  accept  the  principles  of  the  theologians  which  my 

118 


THEOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME,  ETC. 


II 


9 


Church  gave  me  for  guides  I  had  to  put  away  all  principles  of 
truth,  of  justice,  of  honor  and  holiness  1  What  long  and  painful 
efforts  it  cost  me  to  extinguish,  one  by  one,  the  lights  of  truth 
and  of  reason  kindled  by  the  hand  of  my  merciful  God  in  my 
intelligence.  For  to  study  theology  in  the  Church  of  Rome 
signifies  to  learn  to  speak  falsely,  to  deceive,  to  commit  robbery, 
to  perjure  one's  self  i  It  means  how  to  commit  sins  without 
shame,  it  means  to  plunge  the  soul  into  every  kind  of  iniquity 
and  turpitude  without  remorse! 

I  know  that  Roman  Catholics  will  bravely  and  squarely 
deny  what  I  now  say.  I  am  aware  also  that  a  great  many 
Protestants,  too  easily  deceived  by  the  fine  whitewashing  of  the 
exterior  walls  of <  Rome,  will  refuse  to  believe  me.  Nevertheless 
they  may  rest  assured  it  is  true,  and  my  proof  will  be  irrefutable. 
The  truth  mav  be  denied  by  many,  but  my  witnesses  cannot  be 
contradicted  by  any  one.  My  witnesses  are  even  infallible. 
They  are  none  other  than  the  Roman  Catholic  theologians 
themselves,  approved  by  infallible  Popes!  These  very  men 
who  corrupted  my  heart,  perverted  my  intelligence  and  poisoned 
my  soul,  as  they  have  done  with  each  and  every  priest  of  their 
Church,  will  be  my  witnesses,  my  only  witnesses.  I  will  just 
now  forcibly  bring  them  before  the  world  to  testify  against 
themselves! 

Liguori,  in  his  treatise  on  oaths.  Question  4,  asks  if  it  is 
allowable  to  use  ambiguity,  or  equivocal  words,  to  deceive  the 
judge  when  under  oath,  and  at  No.  151  he  answers:  "It  is 
certain,  and  the  opinion  of  all  theologians,  that  for  good  reasons 
one  may  be  permitted  to  use  equivocations  and  to  maintain  them 
by  oath ;  and  by  '  good  reasons '  we  mean  all  that  can  do  any 
good  to  the  body  or  the  soul." 

Here  is  the  Latin  text: 

«  Certum  est,  et  commune  apud  omnes  quod,  ex  justa  causa, 
licitum  sit  uti  aequivocationc,  et  cum  juvamcnto  affirmare:  Et 
justa  causa  esse  potest  qilicunque  fines  honestus  ad  servanda  bona 
spiritui  vel  corporali  utilia"  (Sal:  Nos.  109  and  vol.  sauch). 

"  A  culprit,  or  a  witness,  questioned  by  a  judge,  but  in  an 
illegal  manner,  may  swear,  that  he  knows  nothing  of  the  crime 


I20 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


about  which  he  is  questioned,  though  he  knows  it  well,  mentally 
meaning  that  he  knows  nothing  in  such  a  manner  as  to  answer." 

When  the  crime  is  very  secret  and  unknown  to  all,  Liguori 
says  the  culprit  or  the  witness  must  deny  it  under  oath.  Here 
are  his  own  words: 

"  Idem  si  testis  ex  alio  capite,  non  teneatur  deponere:  Nempe 
si  ipsi  conotet  crimen  caruisse  culpa,  vel  si  sciat  crimen,  sed  sub 
secreto,  cum  nulla  proccesserit  infamia." 

"  He  may  swear  that  he  knows  nothing,  when  he  knows 
that  the  person  who  committed  the  crime  committed  it  without 
malice  (as  affir.  Salm.  to  c.  2,  No.  259,  and  Elb.  No.  145);  or 
again,  if  he  knows  the  crime,  but  secretly,  and  that  there  has 
been  no  scandal"  (as  we  are  assured  by  Card.,  No.  51) 

"When  a  crime  is  well  concealed,  the  witness,  and  even  the 
criminal,  may  and  even  must  swear  that  the  crime  has  not  been 
committed  I 

"  The  guilty  party  may  yet  do  likewise,  when  a  haif  proof 
cannot  be  brought  against  him." 

Here  is  the  Latin  text:  ' 

"Reus  vel  testis  non  tenetur  judicio,  respondere  si  crimen 
fuerit  omnis  occultum  tune  enim  potest  imo  tenetur  testis  dicere 
reum  non  commisse.  Et  idem  potest  reus,  si  non  adsit  semi- 
plena  probatio"  (Salm.  D.  2,  No.  146  Bus.). 

Liguori  asks  himself  (Quest.  2):  If  an  accused,  legally 
interrogated  by  a  judge,  may  deny  his  crime  under  oath,  when 
the  confession  of  the  crime  might  cause  his  condemnation,  and 
be  disadvantageous  to  nim?  and  he  answers: 

"  It  is  altogether  probable  that  when  the  accused  fears  a 
'  sentence  of  death,  or  of  being  sent  to  prison,  or  exiled,  he  may 
deny  his  crime  under  oath,  understanding  that  he  has  not  com- 
mitted this  crime  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  obliged  to  confess 
it."     Here  is  the  Latin  text : 

"  Quseritur  2.  Au  reus  legitimi  interrogatus  possit  negare 
crimen,  etiam  cum  juvamento,  si  grave  damnum,  ex  confessione 
ipsi  immineat  satis  probabiliter,  (Lugo  de  Justitia,  D.  40,  N.  15; 
Tamb.,  lib.  3,  etc. ) ;  et  aliis  pluribus  dicunt  posse  reum  si  sibi 
immineat  poena  mortis,  carceris,  rut  exilii,  negare  crimen,  etiam 


%m9 


THEOLOGY  OP  THE  CHURCH  OP  ROME,  ETC. 


lai 


juramento,  saltern  sine  peccato  gravi,  sub  intelligendo :  se  non 
commlssisse  quotenus  teneatur  illud  fateri  mode  sit  spes  vitandi 
poBnam." 

'*  He  who  has  sworn  to  keep  a  secret  is  not  obliged  to  keep 
his  oath,  if  any  consequential  injury  to  him  or  to  others  is 
thereby  caused." 

"  If  any  one  has  sworn  before  a  judge  to  tell  the  truth,  he  is 
not  obliged  to  say  secret  things."     (Less,  Bonar,  Trail,  etc.) 

Liguori  asks  whether  a  woman,  accused  of  the  crime  of 
adultery,  which  she  has  really  committed,  may  deny  it  under 
oath  ?  He  answers :  "  Yes  ;  provided  that  she  has  been  to 
confess,  and  received  the  absolution ;  for  then,"  he  says,  "  the  sin 
has  been  pardoned,  and  has  really  ceased  to  exist." 

"Quaritur  2.  An  adultera  negare  adulterium  viro  suo? 
Resp.  Si  adulterium  conf essa  sit :  Potest  respondere,  *  Innocens 
sum  ab  hoc  crimine'  quia  per  confessionem  est  jam  oblatum." 
(Card,  Disc.  19,  N.  54.) 

Liguori  maintains  that  one  may  commit  a  minor  crime  in 
order  to  avoid  a  greater  crime.  He  says :  "  It  is  right  to  advise 
any  one  to  commit  a  robbery  or  a  fornication  In  order  to  avoid  a 
murder." 

"  Hinc,  docet,  Sanchez,  No.  19  caj.  sot.,  parato  aliquem 
occidere  licet  posse  suaderi  ut  ab  eo  furetur,  vel  ut  fornicatur" 
(page  419). 

Question  3,  Liguori :  "  May  a  servant  open  the  door  for  a 
prostitute?     Croix  denies  it,  but  Liguori  affirms  it." 

Utrum   liceat   famulo   ostium   meretrici   operere?      Negat 
Croix.     At  commune  affirmant  Theologi." 

Question  4,  Liguori :  "  Quaeretur  an  liceat  famulo  def erre 
scalam  vel  subjicere  humeros  domino  ascendenti  ad  fornicandum 
et  similia.  Buss,  etc.,  affirmant,  quorum  sententia  probabilior 
videtur." 

"  May  a"  servant  bring  a  ladder  and  help  his  master  to  go  up 
and  commit  adultery?  Buss  and  others  think  that  he  may  do  it, 
and  I  am  of  the  same  opinion."     ( Liguori,  Q.  2.) 

"  A  servant  has  the  right  to  rob  his  master,  a  child  tiis  father, 
and  a  p6or  man  the  rich ! " 


lit 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


The  Salmnntes  says  that  a  servant  may,  according  to  his  own 
judgment,  pay  himself  with  his  own  hands  more  than  was  agreed 
upon  as  a  salary  for  his  work,  if  he  finds  that  he  deserves  a 
larger  salary ;  "and,"  says  Liguori,  " this  doctrine  appears  just 
to  me." 

^alm.,  D.  4,  proe.  N.  1 37,  dicunt  f abulum  ctiam  ex  propria 
judicio  sibi  compensare  suam  opcram,  si  ipse  certe  judicet  se 
majus  stipcndium  mcrcri.     Quod  sane  videtur  mehi  probabile. 

A  poor  man,  who  has  concealed  the  goods  and  effects  of 
which  he  is  in  need,  may  swear  that  he  has  nothing. 

Indigens,  bonis  absconditis  ad  sustentationem,  potest  judici 
respondcre  sc  nihil  habere.     (Salm.,  N.  140.) 

In  like  manner  an  heir  who,  without  taking  an  inventory, 
conceals  his  goods,  when  it  is  not  the  goods  mortgaged  for  the 
debt,  may  swear  that  he  has  concealed  nothing,  understanding 
the  goods  with  which  he  was  to  pay.     (Salm.  140.) 

«  There  are  many  opinions  about  the  amount  which  may  be 
stolen  to  constitute  a  mortal  sin.  Navar  has  said,  too  scrupul- 
ously, that  to  steal  a  half  piece  of  gold  is  a  mortal  sin;  while 
others,  too  lax,  hold  that  to  steal  less  than  ten  pieces  of  gold 
cannot  be  a  serious  sin.  But  Tol,  Mech,  Less,  etc.,  have  more 
wisely  ruled  that  to  steal  two  pieces  of  gold  constitutes  a  mortal 
sin." 

Dubium  2,  Liguori :  «  Variae  ea  de  re  sunt  sententiic.  Nav. 
nimis  scrupulose  statuit  medium  i:pgulum :  alii  nemis  laxe  10 
aureos.  Moderatius,  Tol.  Med.,  Less,  etc.,  etc.  duos  regales, 
etsi  minus  sufficiat,  si  notabiliter  noceat." 

"Is  it  a  crime  to  steal  a  small  piece  of  a  relic?  There  is  no 
doubt  its  being  a  sin  in  the  district  of  Rome,  since  Clement  VII. 
and  Paul  V.  have  excommunicated  those  who  committed  such 
thefts.  But  this  theft  is  not  a  serious  thing  when  committed 
outside  of  the  district  of  Rome,  unless  If  be  a  very  rare  and 
precious  relic,  as  the  wood  of  the  Holy  Cnjs  or  some  of  the 
hair  of  the  Virgin  Mary ! " 

Dubium  3,  Liguori:  "If  any  ono  steals  small  sums  at 
different  times,  either  from  the  same  or  from  different  persons, 
not  having  the  intention  of  stealing  large  sums,  nor  of  causing  a 


THEOLOGY    OP    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME,  ETC. 


123 


great  (Inmngc,  his  sin  is  not  mortal;  particularly  if  the  thief  is 
poor,  and  if  he  has  the  intention  to  give  back  what  he  has 
stolen." 

Latin  text:  "  Si  quis  et  occasione  furatur  sive  uni,  sive 
pluribus,  non  intendens  notabilc  aliquid  acquircre  nee  proximo 
gravitcr  nocerc,  ncque  ea  simul  sumpta  unum  mortale  consti- 
tuunt,  si  vel  restituerc  non  possit  vel  animum  habeat  restituendi." 

Question  ii,  N.  536:  "If  several  persons  steal  from  the 
same  master,  in  small  quantities,  each  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to 
commit  a  mortal  sin,  thou<(h  each  one  knows  that  all  these  little 
thefts  together  cause  a  considerable  damage  to  their  master,  yet 
no  one  of  them  commits  a  mortal  sin,  even  when  they  steal  at 
the  same  time." 

Latin  text :  "  Si  j^lures  modica  f urentur,  nemo  peccat  graviter, 
et  si  mutuo  sciant  graviter  damnum  domino  fieri.  Et  hoc, 
etiamsi  singuli  eodem  tempore  f urentur."     (Liguori,  536.) 

Liguori,  speaking  of  children  who  ste.il  from  their  parents, 
says:  "  Salas,  cited  by  Croix,  maintains  that  a  son  does  not 
commit  a  mortal  sin  when  he  steals  only  twenty  or  thirty  pieces 
of  gold  from  a  father  who  has  an  income  of  1500  pieces  of 
gold;  and  Lugo  approves  of  that  doctrine.  Less  and  other 
theologians  say  that  it  is  not  a  mortal  sin  fo.  a  child  to  steal  two 
or  three  pieces  of  gold  from  a  rich  father;  Banne/  maiiikuns 
that  to  commit  a  mortal  sin  a  child  must  steal  not  less  than  fifty 
pieces  of  gold  from  a  rich  father;  but  Lacroix  rejects  that 
doctrine,  except  the  father  is  a  "prince." 

The  theologians  of  Rome  assure  us  that  we  may,  and  even 
that  we  must,  conceal  and  disguise  our  faith. 

"  Though  lying  is  forbidden,  we  may  be  allowed  to  conceal 
the  truth,  or  to  disguise  it  under  ambiguous  Or  equivocal  words 
or  signs,  for  a  just  cause,  and  when  there  is  no  necessity  to 
confess  the  truth.  If  by  that  means  one  can  rid  himself  of 
dangerous  pursuits,  he  is  permitted  to  use  it;  for  in  general  it  is 
not  true  to  say  that,  when  interrogated  by  public  authority  about 
his  faith,  he  is  obliged  to  reveal  it.  When  you  are  not  ques- 
tioned about  as  to  your  faith,  you  are  not  only  allowed  to  conceal 
it,  but  it  is  often  more  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  interest  of 


"4 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


your  neighbor.  If,  for  example,  you  are  among  a  heretical 
people,  you  can  do  more  good  by  concealing  your  faith ;  or  if, 
by  declaring  it,  you  are  to  cause  great  trouble  or  death.  It  is 
temerity  to  expose  one's  life."     (Liguori,  L.  2.) 

The  Pope  has  the  right  to  release  from  all  oaths. 

"As  for  an  oath  made  for  a  good  and  legitimate  object,  it 
seems  that  there  should  be  no  power  capable  of  annulling  it. 
However,  when  it  is  for  the  good  of  the  public,  a  matter  which 
comes  under  the  immediate  jurisdiction  of  the  Pope,  who  has  the 
supreme  power  over  the  Church,  the  Pope  has  full  power 
to  release  from  that  oath."  (St.  Thomas,  Quest.  89,  art.  9, 
vol.  iv.) 

The  Roman  Catholics  have  not  only  the  rigiit,  but  it  is  their 
duty  to  kill  heretics. 

"  Excommunicatus  privatur  omni  alia  civili  communicatione 
fidelium,  ita  ut  ipsi  non  possit  cum  aliis,  et  si  non  sit  toleratus, 
etiam  aliis  cum  ipso  non  possint  communicare;  idque  in  casibus 
hoc  vcrsu  comjjrehensis.     Os,  orare,  cammunio,  mensa  negatur." 

Translated :  "  Any  man  excommunicated  is  deprived  of  all 
civil  commuiilor'tion  with  the  faithful,  in  such  a  way  that  if  he 
is  not  tolerated  they  can  have  no  communication  with  him,  as  it 
is  in  the  following  verse:  '  It  is  forbidden  to  kiss  him,  pray  with 
him,  salute  hin,  to  cat  or  to  do  any  business  with  him.'"  (St. 
Liguori,  vol.  ix.  page  62.) 

"Quanquam  heretici  tolerandi  non  sunt  ipso  illorum  demerito, 
usque  tamen  ad  secundam  correptionem  expectandi  sunt,  ut  ad 
sanam  redeant  ecclcsiie  fidem;  qui  vero  post  secundam  correp- 
tionem in  suo  errore  obstinati  permanent,  non  modo  excommuni- 
cationis  seutentia  sed,  etiam  saecularibus  principibus  exterminandi 
tradendi  sunt." 

Translated;  "  Though  heretics  must  not  be  tolerated  because 
they  deserve  it,  we  must  bear  with  them  till,  by  a  second 
admonition,  they  may  be  brought  back  to  the  faith  of  the 
Church.  But  those  who,  after  a  second  admonition,  remain 
obstinate  in  their  errors  must  not  only  be  excommunicated,  but 
they  must  be  delivered  to  the  secular  powers  to  be  extermi- 
nated." 


'3*' 


'*. 


THEOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROMS,  ETC. 


"5 


*^Quanquam  heretici  revertentes,  semper  reciprendi  sint  ad 
poenitentiam  quoties  cumque  relapsi  fuerint;  non  tamen  semper 
sunt  recipiendi  et  restituendi  ad  bonorum  hujus  vitae  partici- 
pationem  .  .  .  recipiumtur  ad  pubnitentiam  .  .  .  non  tamen  ut 
liberentur  a  sententia  mortis." 

Translated :  ♦'  Though  the  heretics  who  repent  must  ahvays 
be  accepted  to  penance,  as  often  as  they  have  fallen,  they  must 
not  in  consequence  of  that  always  be  permitted  to  enjoy  the 
benefits  of  this  life.  When  they  fall  again  they  are  admitted  to 
repent.  But  the  sentence  of  death  must  not  be  removed."  (  St. 
Thomas,  vol.  iv.  page  91.) 

"  Quum  quis  per  sententiam  denuntiatur  propter  apostasiam 
excommunicatus,  ipso  facto,  ejus  subditi  a  dominio  et  juramento 
fidelitatis  ejus  liberati  sunt." 

"  When  a  man  is  excommunicated  for  his  apostasy,  it  follows 
from  that  very  fact  that  all  ^those  who  are  his  subjects  are 
released  from  the  oath  of  allegiance  by  which  they  were  bound 
to  obey  him."     (St.  Thomas,  vol.  iv.  page  91.) 

Every  heretic  and  Protestant  is 'condemned  to  death,  and 
every  oath  of  allegiance  to  a  government  which  is  Protestant  or 
heretic  is  abrogated  by  the  Council  of  Lateran,  held  in  a.d.  12 15. 
Here  is  the  solemn  decree  and  sentence  of  death,  which  has 
never  been  repealed,  and  which  is  still  in  force: 

"  We  excommunicate  and  anathematize  every  heresy  that 
exalts  itself  against  the  holy,  orthodox  and  Catholic  faith, 
condemning  all  heretics,  by  whatever  name  they  may  be  known ; 
for  though  their  faces  differ,  they  are  tied  together  by  their  tails. 
Such  as  are  condemned  are  to  be  delivered  over  to  the  existing 
secular  powers,  to  receive  due  punishment.  If  laymen,  their 
goods  must  be  confiscated.  If  priests,  they  shall  be  first 
degraded  from  their  respective  orders,  and  their  property 
applied  to  the  use  of  the  church  in  which  they  have  officiated. 
Secular  powers  of  all  ranks  and  degrees  are  to  be  warned, 
induced,  and,  if  necessary,  compelled  by  ecclesiastical  censure,  to 
swear  that  they  will  exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  in  the 
defence  of  the  faith,  and  extirpate  all  heretics  denounced  by  the 
Church  who  shall  be  found  in  their  territories.     And  whenever 


n 


126 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


any  person  shall  assume  government,  whether  it  be  spiritual  or 
temporal,  he  shall  be  bound  to  abide' by  this  decree. 

"  If  any  temporal  lord,  after  being  admonished  and  required 
by  the  Church,  shall  neglect  to  clear  his  territory  of  heretical 
depravity,  the  metropolitan  and  the  bishops  of  the  province  shall 
unite  in  excommunicating  him.  Should  he  remain  contuma- 
cious for  a  whole  year,  the  fact  shall  be  signified  to  the  Supreme 
Pontiff,  who  will  declare  his  vassals  released  from  their  alleg- 
iance from  that  time,  and  will  bestow  the  territory  on  Catholics 
to  be  occupied  by  them,  on  the  condition  of  exterminating  the 
heretics  and  preserving  the  said  territory  in  the  faith. 

"  Catholics  who  shall  assume  the  cross  for  the  extermination 
of  heretics  shall  enjoy  the  same  indulgences  and  be  protected  by 
the  same  privileges  as  are  granted  to  those  who  go  to  the  help 
of  the  Holy  Land.  We  decree,  further,  that  all  who  may  have 
dealings  with  heretics,  and  especially  such  as  receive,  defend,  or 
encourage  them,  shall  be  excommunicated.  He  shall  not  be 
eligible  to  any  public  office.  He  shall  not  be  admitted  as  a 
witness.  He  shall  neither  have  the  power  to  bequeath  his 
property  by  will,  nor  to  succeed  to  any  inheritance.  He  shall 
not  bring  any  action  against  any  person,  but  any  one  can  bring 
an  action  against  him.  Should  he  be  a  judge,  his  decision  shall 
have  no  force,  nor  shall  any  cause  be  brought  before  him. 
Should  he  be  an  advocate,  he  shall  not  be  allowed  to  plead. 
Should  he  be  a  lawyer,  no  instruments  made  by  him  shall  be 
held  valid,  but  shall  be  condemned  with  their  author." 

But  why  let  my  memory  and  my  thoughts  linger  any  longer 
in  these  frightful  paths,  where  murderers,  liars,  perjurers  and 
thieves  are  assured  by  the  theologians  of  the  Church  of  Rome 
that  they  can  lie,  steal,  murder  and  perjure  themselves  as  much 
as  they  like,  without  ofTending  God,  provided  they  commit  those 
crimes  according  to  certain  rules  approved  by  the  Pope  for  the 
good  of  the  Church! 

I  should  have  to  write  several  large  volumes  were  I  to  quote 
all  the  Roman  Catholic  doctors  and  theologians  who  approve  of 
lying,  of  perjury,  of  adultery,  theft  and  murder,  for  the  greatest 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  the  Roman  Church  I     But  I  have 


THEOLOGY  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME,  ETC. 


127 


quoted  enough  for  those  who  have  eyes  to  see  and  ears  to 
hear. 

With  such  principles,  is  it  a  wonder  that  all  the  Roman 
Catholic  nations,  without  a  single  exception,  have  declined  so 
rapidl\-  ? 

T!ic  j^reat  Legislator  of  the  World,  the  only  Saviour  of 
nations,  has  said :  "  Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by 
every  word  that  proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  God."  A 
nation  can  be  great  and  strong  only  according  to  the  truths 
which  form  the  basis  of  her  faith  and  life.  "  Truth"  is  the  only 
'bread  which  God  gives  to  the  nations  that  they  may  prosper  and 
live.  Deceitfulness,  duplicity,  perjury,  adultery,  theft,  murder, 
are  the  deadly  i5oisons  which  kill  the  nations. 

Then,  the  more  the  priests  of  Rome,  with  their  theology, 
are  venerated  and  believed  by  a  people,  the  sooner  that 
people  will  decay  and  fall.  "  The  more  priests  the  more 
crimes,"  has  said  a  profound  thinker;  for  then  the  more  hands 
will  be  at  work  to  pull  down  the  only  sure  foundations  of 
society. 

How  can  any  man  be  sure  of  the  honesty  of  his  wife  as  long 
as  a  hundred  thousand  priests  tell  her  that  she  may  commit  any 
sin  with  her  neighbor  in  order  to  prevent  him  from  doing  some- 
thing worse?  or  when  she  is  assured  that,  though  guilty  of 
adultery,  she  can  swear  that  she  is  pure  as  an  angel  1 

What  will  it  avail  to  teach  the  best  principles  of  honor, 
decency  and  holiness  to  a  young  girl,  when  she  is  bound  to  go 
many  times  a  year  to  a  bachelor  priest,  who  is  bound  in 
conscience  to  give  her  the  most  infamous  lessons  of  depravity 
under  the  pretext  of  helping  her  to  confess  all  her  sins  ? 

How  will  the  rights  of  justice  be  secured,  and  how  can  the 
judges  and  the  juries  protect  the  innocent  and  punish  the  guilty, 
so  long  as  the  witnesses  are  told  by  one  hundred  thousand 
priests  that  they  can  conceal  the  truth,  give  equivocal  answers, 
and  even  perjure  themselves  under  a  thousand  pretexts? 

What  Government,  either  monarchical  or  republican,  can  be 
sure  of  a  lease  of  existence?  how  can  they  make  their  people 
walk  with  a  firm  step  in  the  ways  of  light,  progress  and  liberty, 


128 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THB  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


mi 


as  long  as  there  fs  a  dark  power  over  them  which  has  the  right, 
at  every  hour  of  the  day  or  night,  to  break  and  dissolve  all  the 
most  sacred  oaths  of  allegiance? 

Armed  with  his  theology,  the  priest  of  Rome  has  become 
the  most  dangerous  and  determined  enemy  of  truth,  justice  and 
liberty.  He  is  the  most  formidable  obstacle  to  every  good 
Government,  as  he  is,  without  being  aware  of  it,  the  greatest 
enemy  of  God  and  man. 


BH.  ';,l  : 


i^ 


Chapter  XIV. 


THS  VOW  OF    CBIiIBACrr. 


.,  Ti-r^,:^ 


WERE  I  to  write  all  the  ingenious  tricks,  pious  lies,  shameful 
stories  called  miracles,  and  sacrilegious  perversions  of  the 
Word  of  God  made  use  of  by  superiors  of  seminaries  and 
nunneries  to  entice  their  poor  victims  into  the  trap  of  perpetual 
celibacy,  I  should  have  to  write  ten  large  volumes,  instead  of  a 
short  chapter. 

Sometimes  the  trials  and  obligations  of  married  life  are  so 
exaggerated  that  they  may  trighten  the  strongest  heart.  At 
other  times  the  joys,  peace  and  privileges  of  celibacy  are 
depicted  with  such  brilliant  colors  that  they  fill  the  coldest  mind 
with  enthusiasm. 

The  Pope  takes  his  victim  to  the  top  of  a  high  mountain, 
and  there  shows  him  all  the  honors,  praise,  wealth,  peace  and 
joys  of  this  world,  united  to  the  most  glorious  throne  of  heaven, 
and  then  tells  him :  ''  I  will  give  you  all  those  things  if  you  fall 
at  my  feet,  promise  me  an  absolute  submission,  and  swear  never 
to  marry  in  order  to  serve  me  better." 

Who  can  refuse  such  glorious  things?  But  before  entirely 
shutting  their  eyes,  so  that  they  may  not  see  the  bottomless 
abyss  into  which  they  are  to  fall,  the  unfortunate  victims  some- 
times have  forebodings  and  presentiments  of  the  terrible  miseries 
which  are  in  store  for  them.  The  voice  'of  their  conscience, 
intelligence  and  common  sense  has  not  always  been  so  fully 
silenced  as  the  superior  desired. 

At  the  very  time  when  the  tempter  is  whispering  his  lying 
promises  into  their  ears,  their  Heavenly  Father  is  speaking  to 
them  of  the  ceaseless  trials,  the  shameful  falls,  the  tedious  days, 


129 


pPv»»STf^^ 


130 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


the  dreary  nights,  and  the  cruel  and  insufferable  burdens  which 
are  concealed  behind  the  walls  where  the  sweet  yoke  of  the 
good  Master  is  exchanged  for  the  burdens  of  heartless  men  and 
women. 

-  As  formerly,  the  human  victims  crowned  with  flowers,  when 
dragged  to  the  foot  of  the  altar  of  their  false  gods,  often  cried 
out  Avith  alarm  and  struggled  to  escape  from  the  bloody  knife  of 
the  heathen  priest,  so  at  the  approach  of  the  fatal  hour  at  which 
the  impious  vow  is  to  be  made,  the  young  victims  often  feel  their 
hearts  fainting  and  filled  with  terror.-  With  pale  cheeks,  tremb- 
ling., lips  and  cold-dropping  sweat  they  ask  their  superiors, 
"  Is  it  possible  that  our  merciful  God  requires  of  us  such  a 
sacrifice  ? " 

Oh !  how  the  merciless  priest  of  Rome  then  becomes 
eloquent  in  depicting  celibacy  as  the  only  way  to  heaven,  or 
in  showing  the  :-tei :  fires  of  hell  ready  to  receive  cowards  and 
traitors  who,  after  having  put  their  hand  to  the  plough  of 
celibacy,  I00I.  back!  He  speaks  of  the  disappointment  and 
sadness  of  so  man,  -^ea^  J -^nds,  who  expected  better  things  of 
them.  He  points  out  to  them  their  own  sharhe  when  they  will 
again  be  in  a  world  which  will  have  nothing  for  them  but 
sneers  for  their  want  of  perseverance  and  courage.  He  over- 
whelms them  with  a  thousand  pious  lies  about  the  miracles 
wrought  by  Christ  in  favor  of  his  virgins  and  priests.  He 
bewitches  them  by  numerous  texts  of  Scripture,  which  he 
brings  as  evident  proof  of  the  will  of  God  in  favor  of  their 
taking  the  vows  of  celibacy,  though  they  have  not  the  slightest 
reference  to  such  vows. 

The  text  of  which  the  strangest  abuses  are  made  by  the 
superiors  to  persuade  the  young  people  of  both  sexes  to  bind 
themselves  by  those  shameful  vows  is  Matt.  xix.  12,  13:  "For 
there  are  eunuchs  which  were  born  from  their  mother's  womb; 
and  there  are  some  eunuchs  which  were  made  eunuchs  of 
men ;  and  there  are  eunuchs  which  have  made  themselves 
eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake.  He  that  is  able  to 
receive  it,  let  him  receive  it." 

Upon  one  occasion  our  superior  made  a  very  pressing  appeal 


•::'«?iw>f  •• 


•TT-T^frrm 


THE   VOW   OF   CELIBACY. 


131 


to  our  religious  feelings  from  this  text,  to  induce  us  to  make  the 
vow  of  celibacy  and  become  priests.  But  the  address,  though 
delivered  with  a  great  deal  of  zeal,  seemed  to  us  deficient  in 
logic. 

The  next  day  was  a  day  of  rest  i^conge).  The  students  in 
theology  who  were  preparing  themselves  for  the  priesthood, 
with  me,  talked  seriously  of  the  singular  arguments  of  the  last 
address.  It  seemed  to  them  that  the  conclusions  could  not  in 
any  way  be  drawn  from  the  selected  text,  and  therefore  deter- 
mined to  respectfully  present  their  objections  and  their  views, 
which  were  also  mine,  to  the  superior;  and  I  was  chosen  to 
speak  for  them  all. 

At  the  next  conference,  after  respectfully  asking  and  obtain- 
ing permission  to  express  our  objections  with  our  own  frank 
and  plain  sentiments,  I  spoke  about  as  follows: 

"Dear  and  venerable  sir:  You  told  us  that  the  following 
words  of  Christ, '  There  be  eunuchs  which  have  made  them- 
selves eunuchs  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven's  sake, — show  us 
evidently  that  we  must  make  the  vow  of  celibacy  and  make 
ourselves  eunuchs  if  we  want  to  become  priests.  Allow  us  to 
tell  you  respectfully,  that  it  seems  to  us  that  the  mind  of  our 
Saviour  was  very  different  from  yours  when  he  pronounced 
these  words.  In  our  humble  opinion,  the  only  object  of  the 
Son  of  God  was  to  wai*n  His  disciples  against  one  of  the  most 
damnable  errors  which  were  to  endanger  the  very  existence  of 
nations.  He  was  foretelling  that  there  would  be  men  so  wicked 
and  blind  as  to  preach  that  the  best  way  for  men  to  go  to 
heaven  would  be  to  make  eunuchs  of  themselves.  Allow  us  to 
draw  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  that  speech  Jesus  Christ 
neither  approves  nor  disapproves  of  the  idea  of  gaining  a  throne 
in  heaven  by  becoming  einiuchs.  He  leaves  us  to  our  common 
sense  and  to  some  clearer  parts  of  Scripture  to  see  whether  or 
not  He  approves  of  those  who  would  make  eunuchs  of  them- 
selves to  gain  a  crown  in  heaven.  Must  we  not  interpret  this 
text  as  we  interpret  what  Jesus  said  to  His  apostles,  '  The  time 
Cometh  that  whosoever  killeth  you  will  think  that  he  doeth 
God's  service'  (John  xvi.  i,  2). 


^Wj,>,)„u»i-tl^Ja...»..j..,.^^->..»_;:..vA;.;:a.j^..;..m^..j-i»..iJj.--,..      . 


...  J^sc 


iti'ii'iii*'f'i'irtiiiirj»fti^Atewmi...i;.,i^«C 


■  .'■^'r>f\w,'7Vy^7^'^"ir^^^-^^Tv-^^"<   '(Tj?7' 


h  :.fl  ;;/'fi7,i3T!*^^ll\/;ii.«l|!*WW1W 


^WPP 


13a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   cHUKCH   OF    ROME,      r 


m 


bM  !' 


"  Allow  us  to  put  these  two  texts  face  to  face : 

"  '  There  are  eunuchs  which  have  "  '  The   time  cometh   that  who- 

made   themselves  eunuchs   for   the  soever   killeth  ^ou  will  think   that 

kingdom  of  heaven's  sake '  (Matt.  he  doeth  God   service '  (John  xvi. 

xix.  12,  13)-  I,  2). 

"  Because  our  Saviour  has  said  that  there  would  be  men  who 
would  think  that  they  would  please  God  (and  of  course  gain  a 
place  in  heaven)  by  killing  His  disciples,  are  we,  therefore, 
allowed  to  conclude  that  it  would  be  our  duty  to  kill  those  who 
believe  and  follow  Christ?     Surely  not. 

"  Well,  it  seems  to  us  that  we  are  not  to  believe  that  the 
best  way  to  go  to  heaven  is  to  make  ourselves  eunuchs,  because 
our  Saviour  said  that  some  men  had  got  that  criminal  and 
foolish  notion  into  their  mind! 

"  Christian  nations  have  always  looked  with  horror  upon 
those  who  voluntarily  became  eunuchs.  Common  sense,  as  well 
as  the  Word  of  God,  condemns  those  who  thus  destroy  in  their 
own  bodies  that  which  God  in  His  wisdom  gave  them  for  the 
wisest  and  holiest  purposes.  Would  it  not,  therefore,  be  a  crime 
which  every  civilized  and  Christian  nation  would  punish,  to 
preach  publicly  and  with  success  to  the  people  that  one  of  the 
surest  ways  for  a  man  to  go  to  heaven  would  be  to  make  him- 
self an  eunuch?  How  can  we  believe  that  our  Saviour  could 
ever  sanction  such  a  practice? 

"  Moreover,  if  being  eunuchs  would  make  the  way  to  heaven 
surer  and  more  easy,  would  not  God  be  unjust  for  depriving  us 
of  the  great  privilege  of  being  born  eunuchs,  and  thus  being 
made  ripe  fruits  for  heaven? 

"  It  seems  to  us  that  that  text  does  not  in  any  way  require 
us  to  believe  that  an  eunuch  is  nearer  the  kingdom  of  God  than 
he  who  lives  just  according  to  the  laws  which  God  gave  to  man 
in  the  earthly  paradise.  If  it  was  not  good  for  man  to  be 
without  his  wife  when  he  was  so  holy  and  strong  as  he  was  in 
the  Garden  of  Eden,  how  can  it  be  good  now  that  he  is  so  weak 
and  sinful? 

"  Our  Saviour  clearly  shows  that  he  finds  no  sanctifying 
power  in  the  state  of  an  eunuch,  in  his  answer  to  the  young 


■;'-.^.-.-,-!.-.^\,;X.:^ 


IPPSP'S'SWa?^*?^ 


THE    VOW    OF    CELIBACY. 


133 


man  who  asked  him, '  Good  master,  what  must  I  do  that  I  may 
have  eternal  life?"  (Matt.  xix.  16).  Did  the  good  Master 
answer  him  in  the  language  we  heard  from  you  two  days  ago, 
namely,  that  the  best  way  to  have  eternal  life  is  to  make  your- 
self an  eunuch — make  a  solemn  vow  never  to  marry?  No;  but 
he  said,  *  Keep  the  commandments!' 

"  Were  the  blessed  Saviour  to-day  in  your  place,  and  I 
should  ask  him,  '  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved,'  and  to  show  the 
way  of  God  to  my  brethren  ? '  would  He  not  say  to  me, '  Keep 
the  commandments  1'  But  where  is  the  commandment  of  God, 
in  the  Old  or  New  Testament,  to  induce  us  to  make  such  a  vow 
as  that  of  celibacjj?  The  promise  of  a  place  in  heaven  is  not 
attached  in  any  way  to  the  vow  of  celibacy.  Christ  has  not  a 
word  about  that  doctrine. 

"Allow  us  to  respectfully  ask,  if  the  views  concerning  the 
vows  of  celibacy  entertained  by  Christ  had  been  like  yours,  is  it 
possible  that  He  would  have  forgotten  to  mention  them  wheit 
He  answered  the  solemn  question  of  that  yoimg  man?  Is  it 
possible  that  He  would  not  have  said  a  single  word  about  a 
thing  which  you  haVe  represented  to  us  as  being  of  such  vital 
importance  to  those  who  sincerely  desire  to  know  what  to  do  to 
be  saved?  Is  it  not  strange  that  the  Church  should  attach  such 
an  importance  to  that  vow  of  celibacy,  when  we  look  in  vain 
for  such  an  ordinniice  in  both  the  Old  and  New  Testaments? 
How  can  we  understand  the. reasons  or  the  importance  of  such  a 
strict  and,  we  dare  say,  unnatural  obligation  in  our  day,  when 
we  know  very  well  that  the  holy  apostles  themselves  were 
living  with  their  wives,  and  that  the  Saviour  had  not  a  word  of 
rebuke  for  them  on  that  account  ? " 

This  free  expression  of  our  common  views  on  the  vows  of 
celibacy  evidently  took  our  superior  by  surprise.  He  answered 
me,  with  an  accent  of  indignation  which  he  could  not  suppress'. 
"  Is  that  all  you  have  to  say  ? " 

"  It  is  not  quite  all  we  have  to  say,"  I  answered ;  "  but  before 
we  go  further  we  would  be  much  gratified  to  receive  from  you 
the  light  we  want  on  the  difficulties  which  I  have  just  stated." 

"  You  have  spoken  as  a  true  heretic,"  replied  Mr.  Leprohon, 


^fe!fc>.ifc.JiJ>-?>VWr^-i-*'^^.UV- - 


|^HWWJP-VI*llt,'«4.lT»'W^V*"*'  ■  •■'  •■•W''" """' ' 


""WKwrwr^^^^w^""" 


^PPi^ 


134 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


with  an  uiiusuhI  vivacity ;  "  and  were  it  not  for  the  hope  which 
I  entertain  that  you  have  said  these  things  to  receive  the  light 
you  want  than  to  present  and  support  the  heretical  side  of  such 
an  important  question,  I  would  at  once  denounce  you  to  the 
hishop.  You  speak  of  the  Holy  .Scriptures  just  as  a  Protestant 
would  do.  You  appeal  to  them  as  the  only  source  of  Christian 
truth  and  knowledge.  Have  you  forgotten  that  we  have  the 
holy  traditions  to  guide  us,  the  authority  of  which  is  equal  to 
that  of  the  Scriptures  ? 

"  You  are  correct  when  you  say  that  we  do  not  find  any 
direct  proof  in  the  Bihle  to  enforce  the  vows  of  celihacy  upon 
those  who  desire  to  consecrate  themselves  to  *the  service  of  the 
Church.  But  if  we  do  not  find  the  obligation  of  that  vow  in 
the  Bible,  we  find  it  in  the  holy  traditions  of  the  Church. 

"  It  is  an  article  of  faith  that  the  vow  of  celibacy  is  ordered 
by  Jesus  Christ,  through  His  Church.  The  ordinances  of  the 
Church,  which  are  nothing  but  the  ordinances  of  the  Son  of 
God,  are  clear  on  that  subject,  and  bind  our  consciences  just  as 
the  commandments  of  God  upon  Mount  Sinai;  for  Christ  has 
said,  those  who  do  not  hear  the  Church  must  be  looked  upon  as 
heathen  and  publicans.  There  is  no  salvation  to  those  who  do 
not  submit  their  reason  to  the  teachings  of  the  Church. 

"  You  are  not  required  to  understand  all  the  reasons  for  the 
vow  of  celibacy;  but  you  are  bound  to  believe  in  its  necessity 
and  holiness^  as  the  Church  has  pronounced  her  verdict  upon 
that  question.  It  is  not  your  business  to  argue  about  those 
matters;  but  your  duty  is  to  obey  the  Church,  as  dutiful  children 
obey  a  kind  mother. 

"  But  who  can  have  any  doubt  about  the  necessity  of  the 
vows  of  celibacy,  when  we  remember  that  Christ  had  ordered 
His  apostles  to  separate  themselves  from  their  wives? — a  fact  on 
which  no  doubt  can  remain  after  hearing  St.  Peter  say  to  our 
Saviour,  *•  Behold,  we  have  forsaken  all  and  followed  thee ;  what 
shall  we  have,  therefore?'  (Matt.  xix.  27).  Is  not  the  priest 
the  true  representative  of  Christ  on  earth?  In  his  ordination,  is 
not  the  priest  made  the  equal  and  in  a  sense  the  superior  of 
Christ?  for  when  he  celebrates  Mass  he  commands  Christ,  and 


y.wf'i'^K'^fi 


""■^ 


THE    VOW    OF    CELIBACY. 


'35 


that  very  Son  of  God  is  bound  to  obey!  It  is  not  in  the  power 
of  Christ  to  resist  the  orders  of  the  priest.  He  must  come  down 
from  heaven  every  time  the  priest  orders  Him.  The  priest 
shuts  Him  up  in  the  holy  tabernacles  or  takes  Him  out  of  them, 
according  to  his  own  will. 

"By  becoming  priests  of  the  New  Testament  you  will  be 
raised  to  a  dignity  which  is  much  above  that  of  angels.  From 
these  sublime  privileges  flows  the  obligation  to  the  priest  to 
raise  himself  to  a  degree  of  holiness  much  above  the  level  of 
the  common  people,  a  holiness  equal  to  that  of  the  angels.  Has 
not  our  Saviour,  when  speaking  of  the  angels,  said  '' Neque 
nubeni  neque  nubenturf  They  marry  not,  nor  are  given  in 
marriage.  Surely,  since  the  priests  are  the  messengers  and 
angels  of  God,  on  earth  they  must  be  clad  with  angelic  holiness 
and  purity. 

"  Does  not  Paul  say  that  the  state  of  virginity  is  superior  to 
that  of  marriage?  Docs  not  that  saying  of  the  apostle  show 
that  the  priest,  whose  hands  every  day  touch  the  divine  body 
and  blood  of  Christ,  must  be  chaste  and  pure,  and  must  not  be 
defiled  by  the  duties  of  married  life?  That  vow  of  celibacy  is 
like  a  holy  chain,  which  keeps  us  above  the  filth  of  this  earth 
and  ties  us  to  heaven.  Jesus  Christ,  through  His  holy  Church, 
commands  that  vow  to  His  priests  as  the  most  eflicacious  remedy 
against  the  inclinations  of  our  corrupt  nature. 

"According  to  the  holy  Fathers,  the  vow  of  celibacy  is  like 
a  strong  high  tower,  from  the  top  of  which  we  can  fight  our 
enemies,  and  be  perfectly  safe  from  their  darts  and  weapons. 

"  I  will  be  happy  to  answer  your  other  objections,  if  you 
have  any  more,"  said  Mr.  Leprohon. 

"We  are  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  answers,"  I  replied, 
"  and  we  will  avail  ourselves  of  your  kindness  to  present  you 
with  some  other  observations. 

"  And,  firstly,  we  thank  you  for  having  told  us  that  we  find 
nothing  in  the  Word  of  God  to  support  the  vows  of  celibacy, 
and  that  it  is  only  by  the  traditions  of  the  Church  that  we  can 
prove  their  necessity  and  holiness.  It  was  our  impression  that 
you  desired  us  to  believe  that  the  necessity  of  that  vow  was 


< 


L, 


I 
•'t 


^■i   M 


■>:^    ■'. 


■m^ 


^miFmm 


ilipppfR|pilpppi;FV*Riiiii  II  iLwiipiiiiipR,i^ni;w!M|iiwmp«iujipini' 


136 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


MU 

■( .  1.^ 

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ii 


founded  on  the  Holy  Scriptures.  If  you  allow  it,  we  will 
discuss  the  traditions  another  time,  and  will  confine  ourselves 
to-day  to  the  different  texts  to  which  you  referred  i«i  favor  of 
celibacy. 

"When  Peter  says, 'We  have  given  up  everything,'  it  seems 
to  us  that  he  had  no  intention  of  saying  that  he  had  forever 
given  up  his  wife  by  a  vow.  For  St.  Paul  positively  says, 
many  years  after,  that  Peter  had  his  wife;  that  he  was  not  only 
living  with  her  in  his  own  house,  but  was  traveling  with  her 
when  preaching  the  gospel.  The  words  of  Scripture  are  of 
such  evidence  on  that  subject  that  they  can  neither  be  obscured 
by  any  shrewd  explanation  nor  by  any  tradition,  however 
respectable  it  may  appear. 

"  Though  you  know  the  words  of  Paul  on  that  subject,  you 
will  allow  us  to  read  them:  'Have  we  not  power  to  eat  and 
drink?  have  we  not  power  to  lead  about  a  sister,  a  wife,  as  well 
as  other  apostles  and  as  the  brethren  of  the  Lord,  and  Cephas,^' 
(i  Cor.  ix.  4,  5).  St.  Peter  saying  'We  have  forsaken  every- 
thing '  could  not  then  mean  that  he  had  made  a  vow  of  celibacy, 
and  that  he  would  never  live  with  his  wife  as  a  married  man. 
Evidently  the  words  of  Peter  mean  only  that  Jesus  had  the  first 
place  in  his  heart — that  everything  else,  cve(j  the  dearest  objects 
of  his  love,  as  father,  mother,  wife,  were  only  secondary  in  his 
affections  and  thoughts. 

"  Your  other  text  about  the  angels  who  do  not  marry,  from 
which  you  infer  the  obligation  and  law  of  the  vow  of  celibacy, 
does  not  seem  to  us  to  bear  on  that  subject  as  much  as  you  have 
told  us.  For,  be  kind  enough  to  again  read  the  text:  'Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the 
Scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God.  For  in  the  resurrection  they 
neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage;  but  arc  as  the  angels 
of  God  in  heaven'  (Matt.  xxii.  29,  30).  You  see  that  when 
our  Saviour  speaks  of  men  who  are  like  angels,  and  who  do  not 
marry,  He  takes  care  to  observe  that  He  speaks  of  the  state  of 
men  after  the  resurrection.  If  the  Church  had  the  same  rule 
for  us  that  Christ  mentioned  for  the  angelic  men  to  whom  He 
refers,  and  would  allow  us  to  make  a  vow  never  to  marry  after 


T- 


■'^v*'':WWfi!^ 


t 


THE    VOW    OF    CELIBACY 


»37 


US 


the  resurrection,  we  would  not  have  the  slightest  objection  to 
such  a  vow. 

•*  You  see  chat  our  Saviour  speaks  of  a  state  of  celibacy;  but 
He  docs  not  intimate  that  that  state  is  to  begin  on  this  side  of 
the  grave.  Why  does  not  our  Church  imitate  and  follow  the 
teachings  of  our  Saviour?  Why  does  she  enforce  a  state  of 
celibacy  before  the  resurrection,  while  Christ  postpones  the 
promulgation  of  this  law  till  after  that  great  day? 

"Christ  speaks  of  a  perpetual  celibacy  only  in  heaven!  On 
what  authority,  then,  does  our  Church  enforce  that  celibacy  on 
this  side  of  the  grave,  when  we  still  carry  our  souls  in  earthly 
vessels? 

"  You  tell  us  that  the  vow  of  celibacy  is  the  best  remedy 
against  the  inclinations  of  our  corrupt  nature;  but  do  you  not 
fear  that  your  remedy  makes  war  against  the  great  one  which 
God  prepared  in  His  wisdom?  Do  we  not  read  in  our  own 
vulgate:  'Propter  fornicationem  autem  quisque  suam  uxorem 
habeat,  el  unaquaqua;  virum  suum '  ?  '  To  avoid  fornication  let 
every  man  have  his  own  wife,  and  let  every  woman  have  her 
own  husband'  (2  Cor.  vii.  2). 

"  Is  it  not  too  strange,  indeed,  that  God  does  tell  us  that  the 
best  remedy  He  had  prepared  against  the  inclinations  of  our 
corrupt  nature  is  in  the  blessings  of  a  holy  marriage.  *Let 
every  man  have  his  own  wife,  and  every  woman  her  own 
husband.'  But  now  our  Church  has  found  another  remedy, 
which  is  more  accordant  to  the  dignity  of  man  and  the  holiness 
of  God,  and  that  remedy  is  the  vow  of  celibacy ! " 

The  sound  of  my  last  words  were  still  on  my  lips  when  our 
venerable  superior,  unable  any  longer  to  conceal  his  indignation, 
abruptly  interrupted  me,  saying: 

"  I  do  exceedingly  regret  to  have  allowed  you  to  go  so  far. 
This  is  not  a  Christian  and  humble  discussion  between  young 
Levites  and  <  heir  superior,  to  receive  from  him  the  light  they 
want.  It  is  the  exposition  and  defence  of  the  most  heretical 
doctrines  I  have  ever  heard.  Are  you  not  ashamed,  when  you 
try  to  make  us  prefer  your  interpretation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
to  that  of  the  Church?     Is  it  to  you,  or  to  His  holy  Church, 


ujlii/ipi^ii|i,i!)-(».w''ii''j"v'''^''"''**"..j  lyi'"'  A'y^i^ 


't4PMi,>ii  I .  .>,>  ^immffmn'i^mtf 


138 


FIFTY    YKAHS    IN 


IIE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


'    /il 


that  Christ  promised  the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  Is  it  you 
who  have  to  teach  the  Church,  or  the  Church  who  must  teach 
you  ?  Is  it  you  who  will  govern  and  guide  the  Church,  or  the 
Church  who  will  govern  and  guide  you? 

"  My  dear  Chiniquy,  if  there  is  not  a  great  and  prompt 
change  in  you  and  in  those  whom  you  pretend  to  represent,  I 
fear  much  for  you  all.  You  show  a  spirit  of  infidelity  and 
revolt  which  frightens  me.  Just  like  Lucifer,  you  rebel  against 
the  Lord!  Do  you  not  fear  to  share  the  eternal  pains  of  his 
rebellion  ? 

"  Whence  have  you  taken  the  false  and  heretical  notions  you 
have,  for  inrtance,  about  the  wives  of  the  apostles?  Do  you  not 
know  that  you  are  supporting  a  Protestant  error,  when  you  say 
that  the  apostles  were  living  with  their  wives  in  the  usual  way 
of  married  people?  It  is  true  that  Paul  says  that  the  apostles 
had  women  with  them,  and  that  they  were  even  traveling  with 
them.  But  the  holy  traditions  of  the  Church  tell  us  that  those 
women  were  holy  virgins,  who  were  traveling  with  the  apostles 
to  serve  and  help  them  in  different  ways.  They  were  minister- 
ing to  their  different  wants — washing  their  underclothes,  prepar- 
ing their  meals,  just  like  the  housekeeper  whom  the  priests  have 
to-day.  It  is  a  Protestant  impiety  to  think  and  speak  other- 
wise. 

"  But  only  a  word  more,  and  I  am  done.  If  you  accept  the 
teaching  of  the  Church,  and  submit  yourselves  as  dutiful  children 
to  that  most  holy  Mother,  she  will  raise  you  to  the  dignity  of 
the  priesthood,  a  dignity  much  above  kings  and  emperors  in  this 
world.  If  you  serve  her  with  fidelity,  she  will  secure  to  you  the 
respect  and  veneration  of  the  whole  world  while  you  live,  and 
procure  you  a  crown  of  glory  in  heaven. 

"  But  if  you  reject  her  doctrines,  and  persist  in  your  rebellious 
views  against  one  of  the  most  holy  dogmas;  if  you  continue  to 
listen  to  the  voice  of  your  own  deceitful  reason  rather  than  to 
the  voice  of  the  Church,  in  the  interpretation  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  you  become  heretics,  apostates  and  Protestants;  you 
will  lead  a  dishonored  life  in  this  world,  and  you  will  be  lost  for 
all  eternity." 


IW' 


■^  I' 


THE    VOW    OF    CELIBACY. 


'39 


Our  superior  left  us  immediately  after  these  fulminating 
words.  Some  of  the  theological  students,  after  his  exit,  laughed 
heartily,  and  thanked  me  for  having  so  bravely  fought  and 
gained  so  glorious  a  victory.  Two  of  them,  disgusted  by  the 
sophisms  and  logical  absurdities  of  our  superior,  left  the  seminary 
a  few  days  after.  The  rest,  with  me,  had  not  the  moral  courage 
to  follow  their  example,  but  remained,  stunned  by  the  last  words 
of  our  superior. 

I  went  to  my  room  and  fell  on  my  knees,  with  a  torrent  of 
tears  falling  from  my  eyes.  I  was  really  sorry  for  having 
wounded  his  feelings,  but  still  more  so  for  having  dared  for  a 
moment  to  oppose  my  own  feeble  and  fallible  reason  to  the 
mighty  and  infallible  intelligence  of  my  Charch! 

At  first  it  appeared  to  me  that  I  was  only  combating,  in  a 
respectful  way,  against  my  old  friend.  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon;  but 
I  had  received  it  from  his  ow  i  lips  that  I  had  really  fought 
against  the  Lord! 

After  spending  a  long  and  dark  night  of  anguish  and 
remorse,  my  first  action,  the  next  day,  was  to  go  to  confession, 
and  ask  my  confessor,  with  tears  of  regret,  pardon  for  the  «ins  I 
had  committed  and  the  scandal  I  had  given. 

Had  I  listened  to  the  voices  of  my  conscience,  I  certainly 
would  have  left  the  seminary  that  day ;  for  they  told  me  that  I 
had  confounded  my  superior  and  pulverized  all  his  arguments. 
Reason  and  conscience  told  me  that  the  vow  of  celibacy  was  a 
sin  against  logic,  morality  and  God ;  that  that  vow  could  not  be 
sustained  by  any  argument  from  the  Holy  Scriptures,  logic  or 
common  sense.  But  I  was  a  most  sincere  Ronfian  Catholic.  I 
ha«'.  therefore  to  fight  a  new  battle  against  my  conscience  and 
intelligence,  so  as  to  subdue  and  silence  them  for  ever!  Many  a 
time  it  was  my  hope,  before  this,  to  have  succeeded  in  slaughter- 
ing them  at  the  foot  of  the  altar  of  my  Church ;  but  that  day, 
far  from  being  forever  silenced  and  buried,  they  had  come  out 
again  with  renewed  force,  to  waken  me  from  the  terrible 
illusions  in  which  I  was  living.  Nevertheless,  after  a  long  and 
frightful  battle,  my  hope  was  that  they  were  perfectly  subdued 
and  buried  under  the  feet  of  the  holy  Fathers,  the  learned  theo- 


i  ! 


il  " 


•!>      'l 


140 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


logians  and  the  venerable  popes,  whose  voice  only  I  was 
determined  now  to  follow.  I  felt  a  real  calm  after  that  struggle. 
It  was  evidently  the  silence  of  death,  although  my  confessor 
told  me  it  was  the  peace  of  God.  More  than  ever  I  determined 
to  have  no  knowledge,  no  thought,  no  will,  no  light,  no  desires, 
no  science  but  that  which  my  Church  would  give  me  through 
my  superior.  I  was  fallible,  she  was  infallible!  I  was  a  sinner, 
she  was  the  immaculate  spouse  of  Jesus  Christ!  I  was  weak, 
she  had  more  power  than  the  great  waters  of  the  ocean !  I  was 
but  an  atom,  she  was  covering  the  world  with  her  glory! 
What,  therefore,  could  T  have  to  fear  in  humbling  myself  at  her 
feet,  to  live  of  her  life,  to  be  strong  of  her  strength,  wise  of 
her  wisdom,  holy  with  her  holiness?  Had  not  my  supt  k  «■ 
repeatedly  told  me  that  no  error,  no  sin  would  be  imputed  to 
tne  as  long  as  I  obeyed  my  Church  and  walked  in  her  ways? 

With  these  sentiments  of  a  most  profound  and  perfect 
respect  for  my  Church,  I  irrevocably  consecrated  myself  to  her 
service  on  the  4th  of  May,  1832,  by  making  the  vow  of  celibacy 
and  accepting  the  office  of  sub-deacon. 


If         J 


lllf 


II 


m 


'^SS^T^SLi-:'^^<S^S^^ 


9!r-"-  ■-.■V".---     ';     v'-ij:vp,;F'  ,./ ■..;•»,,<;• 


'-',:!' ,':,"-MH"  J   '■     ^WPW.W-^.''^" 


«'.,•"  ■•    ■•    )'   .     ■    ',,','  I   J'.,-  .1.   >ll 


Chapter  XV. 


THB  XUFUBZTIBS  OF  THB   THEOLOGT  OF  BOME. 

"  The  mother  of  harlots  and  abominations." — Rev.  xvii.  5. 

CONSTRAINED  by  the  voice  of  my  conscience  to  reveal 
the  impurities  of  the  theology  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  I 
feel,  in  doing  so,  a  sentiment  of  inexpressible  shame.  They  are 
of  such  a  loathsome  nature,  that  often  they  cannot  be  expressed 
in  any  living  language. 

However  great  may  have  been  the  corruptions  in  the  theo- 
logies and  priests  of  paganism,  there  is  nothing  in  their  records 
which  can  be  compared  with  the  depravity  of  those  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Before  the  day  on  which  the  theology  of 
Rome  was  inspired  by  Satan,  the  world  had  certainly  witnessed 
many  dark  deeds;  but  vice  had  never  been  clothed  with  the 
mantle  of  theology: — the  most  shameful  forms  of  iniquity  had 
never  been  publicly  taught  in  the  schools  of  the  old  pagan  priest, 
under  the  pretext  of  saving  the  world.  No!  neither  had  the 
priests  or  the  idols  been  forced  to  attend  meetings  where  the 
most  degrading  forms  of  iniquity  were  objects  of  the  most  minute 
study,  and  that  under  the  pretext  of  glorifying  God. 

Let  those  who  understand  Latin  read  "The  Priest,  the 
Woman,  and  the  Confessional,"  antl  decide  as  to  whether  or  not 
the  sentiments  therein  contained  are  not  enough  to  shock  the 
feelings  of  the  most  depraved.  And  let  it  be  remembered  that 
all  those  abominations  have  to  be  studied,  learned  by  heart  and 
thoroughly  understood  by  men  who  have  to  make  a  vow  never 
to  marry!  For  it  is  not  till  after  his  vow  of  celibacy  that  the 
student  in  theology  is  initiated  into  those  mysteries  of  iniquity. 

Has  the  world  ever  witnessed  such  a  sacrilegious  comedy? 


s 


:ir 


n 


■■•'J 


'  \ 


pp«(iw«»|i!Pi,#ipi»^p.ii|u»ji^_^«7rj>^^^ 


iPiPllipipiISP 


^m 


142 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


li     ^1 


,  m 


A  young  man  about  twenty  years  of  age  has  been  enticed  to 
make  a  vow  of  perpetual  celibacy,  and  the  very  next  day  the 
Church  of  Rome  puts  under  the  eye  of  his  soul  the  most  infamous 
spectacle !  She  fills  his  memory  with  the  most  disgusting  images! 
She  tickles  all  his  senses  and  pollutes  his  ears,  not  by  imaginary 
representations,  but  by  realities  which  would  shock  the  most 
abandoned  in  vice! 

For,  let  it  be  well  understood,  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible 
for  one  to  study  those  questions  of  Roman  Theology,  and  fathom 
those  forms  of  iniquity  without  having  his  body  as  well  as  his 
mind  plunged  into  a  state  the  most  degrading.  Moreover,  Rome 
does  not  even  try  to  conceal  the  overwhelming  power  of  this 
kind  of  teaching;  she  does  not  even  attempt  to  make  it  a  secret 
from  the  victims  of  her  incomparable  depravity,  but  bravely 
TELLS  them  that  the  study  of  those  questions  will  act  with  an 
irresistible  power  upon  their  organs,  and  without  a  blush  says 
"that  pollution  must  follow!!!" 

But  in  order  that  the  Church  of  Rome  may  more  certainly 
destroy  her  victims,  and  that  they  may  not  escape  from  the  abyss 
which  she  has  dug  under  their  feet,  she  tells  them  "  There  is  no 
sin  for  you  in  those  pollutions!"     (Dens,  vol.  i.  p.  315.) 

But  Rome  must  bewitch  so  as  the  better  better  to  secure 
their  destruction.  She  puts  to  their  lips  the  cup  of  her  enchant- 
ments, the  more  certainly  to  kill  their  souls,  dethrones  God  from 
their  consciences,  and  abrogates  his  eternal  laws  of  holiness. 
What  answer  does  Rome  give  to  those  who  reproach  her  with 
the  awful  impurity  of  her  theelogy.  "  My  theological  works, 
she  answers,  "  are  all  written  in  Latin ;  the  people  cannot  read 
them.  No  evil,  no  scandal,  therefore,  can  come  from  them!" 
But  this  answer  is  a  miserable  subterfuge.  Is  this  not  the  public 
acknowledgment  that  her  theology  would  be  exceedingly 
injurious  to  the  people   if  it  were  read  and  understood  by  them  ? 

By  saying,  "  My  theological  works  are  written  in  Latin, 
therefore  the  people  cannot  be  defiled,  as  they  do  not  understand 
them,"  Rome  does  acknowledge  that  these  works  would  only 
act  as  a  pestilence  among  the  people,  were  they  read  and 
understood   by  them.     But  are  not  the  one  hundred  thousand 


l.'JSSSE 


THE    IMPURITIES   OF    THE    THEOI.OGY    OF    ROME. 


H3 


priests  of  Rome  bound  to  explain  in  every  known  tongue,  and 
present  to  the  mind  of  every  nation,  the  theology  contained  in 
those  books?  Are  they  not  bound  to  make  every  polluting 
sentence  in  them  flow  into  the  ears,  imaginations,  hearts  and 
minds  of  all  the  married  and  unmarried  women  whom  Rome 
holds  in  her  grasp? 

I  exaggerate  nothing  when  I  say  that  not  fewer  than  half  a 
million  women  every  day  are  compelled  to  hear  in  their  own 
language,  almost  every  polluting  sentence  and  impure  notion  of 
the  diabolical  sciences. 

And  here  I  challenge,  most  fearlessly,  the  Church  of  Rome 
to  deny  what  I  say,  when  I  state  that  the  daily  average  of  women, 
who  go  to  confession  to  each  priest,  is  ten.  But  let  us  reduce  the 
number  to  five.  Then  the  one  hundred  thousand  priests  who 
are  scattered  over  the  whole  world,  hear  the  confessions  of  five 
hundred  thousand  women  every  day!  Well,  now,  out  of 
one  hundred  women  who  confess,  there  are  at  least  ninty-nine 
whom  the  priest  is  bound  in  conscience  to  pollute,  by  questioning 
them  on  the  matters  mentioned  in  the  Latin  pages  at  the  end  of 
this  chapter.  How  can  one  bie  surprised  at  the  rapid  downfall  of 
the  nations  who  are  under  the  yoke  of  the  Pope. 

The  public  statistics  of  the  European,  as  well  as  of  American 
nations,  show  that  there  is  among  Roman  Catholics  nearly  double 
the  amount  of  prostitution,  bastardy,  theft,  perjury  and  murder, 
that  is  found  among  Protestant  nations.  Where  must  we,  ihen, 
look  for  the  cause  of  those  stupendous  facts,  if  not  in  the  corrupt 
teachings  of  the  theology  of  Rome.  How  can  the  Roman 
Catholic  nations  hope  to  raise  themselves  in  the  scale  of  Christian 
dignity  and  morality  as  long  as  there  remain  one  hundred 
thousand  priests  in  their  midss,  bound  in  conscience  every  day 
to  pollute  the  minds,  and  the  hearts  of  their  mothers,  their  wives 
and  their  daughters! 

And  hear  let  me  say,  once  for  all,  that  I  am  not  induced  to 
speak  as  I  do  from  any  motive  of  contempt  or  unchristian  feeling 
against  the  theological  professors  who  have  initiated  me  into 
those  mysteries  of  iniquity.  The  Rev.  Messrs.  Raimbault  and 
Leprohon  were,  and  in  my  mind  they  still  are,  as  venerable  as 


144 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


men  can  be  in  the  Church  of  Rome.  As  I  have  been  myself, 
and  as  all  the  priests  of  Rome  are,  they  were  plunged 
without  understanding  it,  into  the  abyss  of  the  most  stolid 
ignorance.  They  were  crushed,  as  I  was  myself,  under  a  yoke 
which  bound  their  understanding  to  the  dust,  and  polluted  their 
hearts  without  measure.  We  were  embarked  together  on  a 
ship,  the  first  appearance  of  which  was  really  magnificent,  but 
the  bottom  of  which  was  irremediably  rotten.  Without  the  true 
Pilot  on  board  we  were  left  to  perish  on  unknown  shoals.  Out 
of  this  sinking  ship  the  hand  of  God  alone,  in  His  merciful 
providence  rescued  me.  I  pity  those  friends  of  my  youth,  but 
despise  them?  hate  them?     No!     Never!     Never! 

Every  time  our  theological  teachers  gave  us  our  lessons,  it 
was  evident  that  they  blushed  in  the  inmost  part  of  their  souls. 
Their  consciences  as  honest  men  were  evidently  forbidding  them, 
on  the  one  iiand,  to  open  their  mouths  on  such  matters  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  as  slaves  and  priests  of  the  Pope,  they  were 
compelled  to  speak  without  reserve. 

After  our  lessons  in  theology*,  we  students  used  to  be  filled 
with  such  a  sentiment  of  shame  that  sometimes  we  hardly  dared 
to  look  at  each  other;  and,  when  alone  in  our  rooms,  those 
horrible  pictures  were  affecting  our  hearts,  in  spite  of  ourselves, 
as  the  rust  affects  and  corrodes  the  hardest  and  purest  steel. 
More  than  one  of  my  fellow-students  told  me,  with  tears  of 
shame  and  rage,  that  they  regretted  to  have  bound  themselves 
by  perpetual  oaths  to  minister  at  the  altars  of  the  Church. 

One  day  one  of  the  students,  called  Desaulnier,  who  was 
sick  in  the  same  room  with  me,  asked  me:  "  Chiniquy,  what  do 
you  think  of  the  matters  which  are  the  objects  of  our  present 
theological  studies?  Is  it  not  a  burning  shame  that  we  must 
allow  our  minds  to  be  so  polluted  ? " 

"  I  cannot  sufficiently  tell  you  my  feelings  of  disgust,"  I 
answered.  "  Had  I  known  sooner  that  we  were  to  be  dragged 
over  such  a  ground,  I  certainly  never  would  have  nailed  my 
future  to  the  banners  under  which  we  are  irrevocably  bound 
to  live." 

"Do  you  know,"  said  Desaulnier,  "that  I  am  determined 


-II- 


iv"     ■,*• 


THE    IMPURITIES    OF    THE    THEOLOGY   OF    ROME. 


H5 


never  to  consent  to  be  ordained  a  priest;  for  when  I  think  of  the 
fact  that  the  priest  is  bound  to  confer  with  women  on  all  these 
polluting  matters,  I  feel  an  insurmountable  disgust  and  shame." 

"  I  am  not  less  troubled,"  I  replied.  "  My  head  aches  and 
my  heart  sinks  within  me,  when  I  hear  our  theologians  telling 
us  that  we  will  be  in  conscience  bound  to  speak  to  females  on 
these  impure  subjects."  But  sometimes  this  looks  to  me  as  if  it 
were  a  bad  dream,  the  impure  phantoms  of  which  will  disappear 
at  the  first  awakening.  Our  Church,  which  is  so  pure  and  holy 
that  she  can  only  be  served  by  the  spotless  virgins,  surely  cannot 
compel  us  to  pollute  our  lips,  thoughts,  souls,  and  even  our  bodies, 
by  speaking  to  strange  women  on  matters  so  defiling  I" 

"  But  we  are  near  the  hour  at  which  the  good  Mr.  Leprohon 
is  in  the  habit  of  visiting  us.  Will  you,"  I  said,  "  promise  to 
stand  by  me  in  what  I  will  ask  him  on  this  subject?  I  hope  to 
get  from  him  a  pledge  that  we  will  not  be  compelled  to  be 
polluted  in  the  confessional  by  the  women  who  will  confess  to 
us.  The  purity  and  holiness  of  our  superior  is  of  such  a  high 
chaiacter,  that  I  am  sure  he  has  never  said  a  word  to  females  on 
those  degrading  matters.  In  spite  of  all  the  theologians,  Mr. 
Leprohon  will  allow  us  to  keep  our  tongues  and  our  hearts,  as 
well  as  our  bodies,  pure  in  the  confessional." 

"  I  have  had  the  desire  to  speak  to  him  upon  this  subject  for 
some  time,"  rejoined  Desaulnier,  "but  my  courage  failed  me 
every  tinie  I  attempted  to  do  so.  I  am  glad,  therefore,  that  you 
are  to  break  the  ice,  and  I  will  certainly  supiDort  you,  as  I  have 
a  longing  desire  to  know  something  more  in  regard  to  the 
mysteries  of  the  confessional.  If  we  be  at  liberty  never  to 
speak  to  women  on  those  horrors,  I  will  consent  to  serve  the 
Church  as  a  priest;  but  if  not,  I  will  never  be  a  priest." 

A  few  minutes  after  this  our  superior  entered  to  kindly 
enquire  bow  we  had  rested  the  night  before.  Having  thanked 
him  for  his  kindness,  I  opened  the  volumes  of  Dens  and  Liguori 
which  were  on  our  table,  and,  with  a  blush,  putting  my  fingers 
on  one  of  the  infamous  chapters  referred  to,  I  said  to  him : 

"  After  God,  you  have  the  first  place  in  my  heart  since  my 
mother's  death,  and  you  know  it.     I  take  you,  not  only  as  my 


ill 


146 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


benefactor,  bjit  also,  as  it  were,  as  my  father  and  mother.  You 
will  therefore  tell  me  all  I  want  to  know  in  these  my  hours  of 
anxiety,  through  which  God  is  pleased  to  make  me  pass.  To 
follow  your  advice,  not  to  say  your  commands,  I  have  lately 
consented  to  receive  the  order  of  sub-deacon,  and  I  have  in 
consequence  taken  the  vow  of  perpetual  celibacy.  But  I  will 
not  conceal  the  fact  from  you,  I  had  not  a  clear  understanding 
of  what  I  was  then  doing ;  and  Desaulnier  has  just  stated  to  me, 
that  until  recently  he  had  no  more  idea  of  the  nature  of  that 
promise,  nor  of  the  difficulties  which  we  now  see  ahead  of  us  in 
our  priestly  life,  than  I  had. 

"  But  Dens,  Liguori  and  St.  Thomas  have  given  us  notions 
quite  new  in  regard  to  many  things.  They  have  directed  our 
minds  to  the  knowledge  of  the  laws  which  are  in  us,  as  well  as 
in  every  other  child  of  Adam.  They  have,  in  a  word,  directed 
our  minds  into  regions  which  were  quite  new  and  unexplored 
by  us;  and  I  dare  say  that  every  one  of  those  whom  we  have 
known,  whether  in  this  house  or  elsewhere,  who  have  made  the 
same  vow,  could  tell  the  same  tale. 

♦'However,  I  do  not  speak  for 'them;  I  speak  only  for  myself 
and  Desaulnier.  For  God's  sake,  please  tell  us  if  we  will  be 
bound  in  conscience  to  speak  in  the  confessional,  to  the  married 
and  immarried  females,  on  such  impure  and  defiling  questions  as 
are  contained  in  the  theologians  before  us  ? " 

"  Most  imdoubtedly,"  replied  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon ;  "  because 
the  learned  and  holy  theologians  whose  writings  are  in  your 
hands  are  positive  on  that  question.  It  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  you  should  question  your  female  penitents  on  such  matters; 
for,  as  a  general  thing,  girls  and  married  women  are  too  timid 
to  confess  those  sins,  of  which  they  are  even  more  frequently 
guilty  than  men,  therefore  they  must  be  helped  by  questioning 
them." 

"  But  have  you  not,"  I  rejoined,  "  induced  us  to  make  an 
oath  that  we  should  always  remain  pure  and  undefiled  ?  How 
is  it,  then,  that  to-day  you  put  us  in  such  a  position  that  it  is 
ahnost  an  impossibility  for  us  to  be  true  to  our  sacred  promise? 
For  the  theologians  are  unanimous  that  those  questions  put  by 


THE    IMPURITIES   OF    THE    THEOLOGY    OF    ROME. 


H7 


us  to  our  female  penitents,  together  with  the  recital  of  their 
secret  sins,  will  act  with  such  an  irresistible  power  upon  us  that 
we  will  be  polluted. 

"Would  it  not  be  better  for  us  to  feel  those  things  in  the 
holy  bonds  of  marriage,  with  our  wives,  and  according  to  the 
laws  of  God,  than  in  company  and  conversation  with  strange 
women  ?  Because,  if  we  are  to  believe  the  theologians  which 
are  in  our  hands,  no  priest  —  not  even  you,  my  dear  Mr. 
Leprohon,  can  hear  the  confessions  of  women  without  being 
defiled." 

Here  Desaulnier  interrupted  me,  and  said :  "  My  dear  Mr. 
Leprohon,  I  concur  in  everything  Chiniquy  has  just  been  telling 
you.  Would  we  not  be  more  chaste  and  pure  by  living  with 
our  lawful  wives,  than  by  daily  exposing  ourselves  in  the 
confessional  in  company  of  women  whose  presence  will  irresist- 
ibly drag  us  into  the  most  shameful  pit  of  impurity?  I  ask  you, 
my  dear  sir,  what  will  become  of  my  vow  of  perfect  and 
perpetual  chastity,  when  the  seducing  presence  of  my  neighbor's 
wife,  or  the  enchanting  words  of  his  daughter,  will  have  defiled 
me  through  the  confessional.  After  all,  I  may  be  looked  upon 
by  the  people  as  a  chaste  man ;  but  what  will  I  be  in  the  eyes  of 
God  ?  The  people  may  entertain  the  thought  that  I  am  a  strong 
and  honest  man ;  but  will  I  not  be  a  broken  reed  ?  Will  God 
not  be  the  witness  that  the  irresistible  temptations  which  will 
have  assailed  me  when  hearing  the  secret  sins  of  some  sweet 
and  tempting  woman,  will  have  deprived  me  of  that  glorious 
crown  of  chastity  for  which  I  have  so  dearly  paid  ?  Men  will 
think  that  I  am  an  angel  of  purity;  but  my  own  conscience 
will  tell  me  that  I  am  nothing  but  a  skillful  hypocrite.  For 
according  to  all  the  theologians,  the  confessional  is  the  tomb  of 
the  chastity  of  priests!!  If  I  hear  the  confession  of  women,  I 
will  be  like  all  other  priests,  in  a  tomb,  well  painted  and  gilded 
on  the  outside,  but  within  full  of  corruption." 

Francis  Desaulnier,  just  as  he  had  foretold  me,  refused  to  be 
a  priest.  He  remained  all  his  life  in  the  orders  of  the  sub- 
deaconate,  in  the  College  of  Nicolet,  as  a  Professor  of  Philo- 
sophy.    He  was  a  man  who  seldom  spoke  in  conversation,  but 


148 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


thought  very  much.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  still  see  him  there, 
under  that  ♦^  '11  centenary  tree,  alone,  during  the  long  hours  of 
intermission, .  d  many  long  days  during  our  holidays,  while  the 
rest  of  the  students  passed  hither  and  thither,  singing  and 
playing,  on  the  enchanting  banks  of  the  river  of  Nicolet. 

He  was  a  good  logician  and  a  profound  mathematician;  and 
although  affable  to  everyone,  he  was  not  communicative.  I  was 
probjilil)-  the  only  one  to  whom  he  opened  his  mind  concerning 
the  great  questions  of  Christianity — faith,  history,  the  Church 
and  her  discipline.  He  repeatedly  said  to  me:  *'I  wish  I  had 
never  opened  a  book  of  theology.  Our  theologians  are  without 
heart,  soul  or  logic.  Many  of  them  approve  of  theft,  lies  and 
perjury;  others  drag  us,  without  a  blush,  into  the  most  filthy 
pits  of  iniquity.  Every  one  of  them  would  like  to  make  an 
assassin  of  every  Catholic.  According  to  their  doctrine,  Christ 
is  nothing  but  a  Corsican  brigand,  whose  bloody  disciples  are 
bound  to  destroy  all  the  heretics  with  fire  and  sword.  Were  we 
acting  according  to  the  principles  of  those  theologians,  we  would 
slaughter  all  Protestants  with  the  same  coolness  of  blood  as  we 
would  shoot  down  the  wolf  which  crosses  our  path.  With 
their  hand  still  reddened  with  the  blood  of  St.  Bartholomew, 
they  speak  to  us  of  charity,  religion  and  God,  as  if  there  were 
neither  of  them  in  the  world." 

Dcsaulnier  was  looked  upon  as  "?<«  homme  singuUcr''''  at 
Nicolet.  He  was'  really  an  exception  to  all  the  men  in  the 
seminary.  For  example:  Though  it  was  the  usage  and  the  law 
that  ecclesiastics  should  receive  the  communion  every  month, 
and  upon  every  great  feast  day  of  the  Church,  yet  he  would 
scarcely  take  the  communion  once  a  year.  But  let  me  return  to 
the  interview  with  our  superior. 

Desaulnier's  fearless  and  energetic  words  had  evidently 
made  a  very  painful  impression  upon  our  superior.  It  was  not 
a  usual  thing  for  his  disciples  in  theology  thus  to  take  upon 
themselves  to  speak  with  such  freedom  as  we  both  did  on  this 
occasion.  He  did  not  conceal  his  pain  at  what  he  called  our 
unbecoming  and  unchristian  attack  upon  some  of  the  most  holy 
ordinances  of  the  Church;  and  after  he  had  refuted  Desaulnier 


THE    IMPURITIES   OF    THE    THEOLOGY   OF    ROME. 


149 


in  the  best  way  he  could,  he  turned  to  me  and  said :  "  My  dear 
Chiniquy,  I  have  repeatedly  warned  you  against  the  habit  you 
have  of  listening  to  your  own  frail  reasoning,  when  you  should 
only  obey  as  a  dutiful  child.  Were  we  to  believe  you,  we 
would  immediately  set  ourselves  to  work  to  reform  the  Church 
and  abolish  the  confession  of  women  to  priests ;  we  would  throw 
all  our  theological  books  into  the  fire  and  have  new  ones  written, 
better  adapted  to  your  fancy.  What  does  all  this  prove?  Only 
one  thing,  and  that  is,  that  the  devil  of  pride  is  tempting  you  as 
he  has  tempted  all  the  so-called  Reformers,  and  destroyed  them 
as  he  would  you.  If  you  do  not  take  care,  you  will  become 
another  Luther! 

"  The  theological  books  of  St.  Thomas,  Liguori  and  Dens 
have  been  approved  by  the  Church.  How,  therefore,  do  you 
not  see  the  ridicule  and  danger  of  your  position.  On  one  side,^ 
then,  I  see  all  our  holy  popes,  the  two  thousand  Catholic 
bishops,  all  our  learned  theologians  and  priests,  backed  up  by 
our  two  hundred  millions  of  Roman  Catholics  drawn  up  as  an 
innumerable  army  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord ;  and  on  the 
other  side  what  do  I  see?  Nothing  but  my  small,  though  very 
dear  Chiniquy! 

"  How,  then,  is  it  that  you  do  not  fear,  when  with  your 
weak  reasoning  you  oppose  the  mighty  reasoning  and  light  of 
so  many  holy  popes,  venerable  bishops  and  learned  theologians? 
Is  it  not  just  as  absurd  for  you  to  try  to  reform  the  Church  by 
your  small  reason,  as  it  is  for  the  grain  of  sand  which  is  found 
at  the  foot  of  the  great  mountain  to  try  to  turn  that  mighty 
mountain  out  of  its  place?  or  for  the  small  drop  of  water  to 
attempt  to  throw  the  boundless  ocean  out  of  its  bed,  or  try  to 
oppose  the  running  tides  of  the  Polar  seas? 

"  Believe  me,  and  take  my  friendly  advice,"  continued  our 
superior, "  before  it  is  too  late.  Let  the  small  grain  of  sand 
remain  still  at  the  foot  of  the  majestic  mountain!  and  let  the 
humble  drop  of  water  consent  to  follow  the  irresistible  currents 
of  the  boundless  seas,  and  everything  will  be  in  order. 

«'A11  the  good  priests  who  have  heard  the  confessions  of 
women  before  us  have  been  sanctified  and  have  had  their  souU 


x< 


JvTbahv^ 


CANADA. 
^i-IAM^!^ 


»3P 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Baved,  even  when  their  bodies  were  polUited ;  for  those  carnal 
pollutions  are  nothinjj  but  human  miseries,  wliich  cannot  defile 
a  soul  which  desires  to  remain  united  to  God.  Are  the  rays  of 
the  sun  defiled  by  coming  down  into  the  mud?  No!  The  r. ays 
remain  pure,  and  return  spotless  to  the  shining  orb  whence  they 
came.  So  the  heart  of  h  good  priest — as  I  hope  my  dear 
Chiniquy  will  be — will  remain  pure  and  holy  in  spite  of  the 
accidental  and  unavoidable  defilement  of  the  flesh. 

"  Apart  from  those  things,  in  your  ordination  you  will  receive 
a  special  grace  which  will  change  you  into  another  man;  and 
the  Virgin  Mary,  to  whom  you  will  constantly  address  yourself, 
will  obtain  for  you  a  perfect  purity  from  her  Son. 

"  The  defilement  of  the  flesh  sjxjken  of  by  the  theologians, 
and  which,  I  confess,  is  unavoidable  when  hearing  the  con- 
fessions of  women,  must  not  trouble  you;  for  they  arc  not 
sinful,  as  Dens  and  Liguori  assure  us.  (Dens,  vol.  i.,  pages 
299,  300.) 

"  But  enough  on  that  subject.  I  forbid  you  to  speak  to  me 
any  more  on  those  idle  questions,  and,  as  much  as  my  authority 
is  anything  to  you  both,  I  forbid  you  to  say  a  word  more  to 
each  other  on  that  matter! !" 

It  was  my  fond  hope  that  my  dear  and  so  much  venerated 
Mr.  Leprohon  would  answer  me  with  some  good  and  reasonable 
arguments;  but  he,  to  my  surprise,  silenced  the  voice  of  our 
conscience  by  "  un  coup  d''ctat^'' 

Nevertheless,  the  idea  of  that  miserable  grain  of  sand  which 
so  ritliculously  attempted  to  remove  the  stately  mountain,  and 
also  of  that  all  but  imperceptible  drop  of  water  which  attempted 
to  oppose  itself  to  the  onward  motion  of  the  vast  ocean,  singularly 
struck  and  humbled  me.  I  remained  silent  and  conf  useil,  though 
not  convinced. 

This  was  not  all.  Those  rayS  of  the  sun,  which  could  not 
be  defiled  even  when  going  down  into  the  mud,  after  bewilder- 
ing one  by  their  glittering  appearance,  left  my  soul  more  in  the 
dark  than  ever.  I  could  not  resist  the  presentiment  that  I  was 
in  the  presence  of  an  imposition,  and  of  a  glittering  sophism. 
But  I  had  neither  sufficient  learning,  moral  courage,  nor  grac' 


THE    IMPURITIES   OP    THE    TilKOLO(iY    OK    HOMK. 


'51 


from  God  clearly  to  see  through  that  misty  cloud,  and  to  expel 
it  from  my  mind. 

Almost  every  month  of  the  ten  years  which  I  had  passed  in 
the  seminary  of  Nicolet,  priests  of  the  district  of  Three  Rivers 
and  elsewhere  were  sent  by  the  bihhops  to  spend  two  or  three 
weeks  in  doing  penances  for  having  bastards  by  their  nieces, 
their  housekeepers,  or  their  fair  penitents.  Even  not  long 
before  this  conversation  with  our  director,  the  curate  of  St. 
Francois,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Amiot,  had  in  the  very  same  week  two 
children  by  two  of  his  fair  penitents,  both  of  whom  were  sisters. 
One  of  those  ^irls  gave  birth  to  her  child  at  the  parsonage  the 
very  night  on  which  the  bishop  was  on  his  episcopal  visit  to 
that  parish.  These  public  and  undeniable  facts  were  not  much 
in  harmony  with  those  beautiful  theories  of  our  venerable 
director  concerning  the  rays  of  the  sun,  which  "  remained  pure 
and  undefiled  even  when  warming  and  vivifying  the  mud  of 
our  planet."  The  facts  had  frequently  occurred  to  my  mind 
while  Mr.  Leprohon  was  speaking,  and  I  was  tempted  more 
than  once  to  ask  him  respectfully  if  he  really  thought  these 
"shining  rays,"  the  priests,  hjid  thus  come  mto  the  mire,  and 
would  then  return,  like  the  rays  of  the  sun,  without  taking  back 
with  them  something  of  the  mire  in  which  they  had  been  so 
strangely  vv^allowing.  But  my  respect  for  Mr.  Leprohon  sealed 
my  lips. 

When  I  returned  to  my  room  I  fell  on  my  knees  to  ask  God 
to  pardon  me  for  having,  for  a  moment,  thought  otherwise  than 
the  popes  and  theologians  of  Rome.  I  again  felt  angry  with 
myself  for  having  dared,  for  a  single  moment,  to  have  arrayed 
my  poor  little  and  imperceptible  grain  of  sand — drop  of  water — 
and  personal  and  contemptible  understanding  against  that 
sublime  mountain  of  strength,  that  vast  ocean  of  learning,  and 
that  immensely  divine  wisdom  of  the  popes! 

But,  alas!  I  was  not  yet  aware  that  when  Jesus  in  His 
mercy  sends  into  a  perishing  soul  a  single  ray  of  His  grace,  that 
there  is  more  light  and  wisdom  in  that  soul  than  in  all  the  popes 
and  their  theologians! 

I  was  then  taught  what  the  real  foundation  of  the  Church  of 


152 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Rome  IS,  and  sincerely  believed  that  to  think  for  myself  was  a 
damnable  impiety — that  to  look  and  see  with  my  own  eyes,  and 
understand  with  my  ovm  mind,  was  an  unpardonable  sin.  To 
be  saved  I  had  to  believe,  not  what  I  copsidered  to  be  the  truth, 
but  what  the  popes  told  me  to  be  the  truth.  I  had  to  look  and 
see  every  object  of  faith,  just  as  every  true  Roman  Catholic  of 
to-day  has  to  look  and  see  the  same,  through  the  Pope's  eyes  or 
those  of  his  theologians. 

However  absurd  and  impious  this  belief  may  be,  yet  it  was 
mine,  and  it  is  also  the  belief  of  every  true  member  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  to-day.  The  glorious  light  and  grace  of  God 
could  not  possibly  flow  directly  from  Him  to  me;  they  had  to 
pass  through  the  Pope  and  his  Church,  which  were  my  only 
mountain  of  strength  and  only  ocean  of  light.  It  was,  then,  my 
firm  belief  that  there  was  an  impassable  abyss  between  myself 
and  God,  and  that  the  Pope  and  his  Church  were  the  only 
bridge  by  which  I  could  have  communication  with  Him.  That 
stupendously  high  and  most  sublime  mountain,  the  Pope,  was 
between  myself  and  God;  and  all  that  was  allowed  my  poor 
soul  was  to  raise  itself  and  travel  with  great  difficulty  till  it 
attained  the  foot  of  that  holy  mountain,  the  Pope,  and,  pros- 
trating itself  there  in  the  dust,  ask  him  to  let  me  know  what  my 
yet  distant  God  would  have  me  to  do.  The  promises  of  mercy, 
truth,  light  and  life  were  all  vested  in  this  great  mountain,  the 
Pope,  from  whom  alone  they  could  descend  upon  my  poor  lost 
soul! 

Darkness,  ignorance,  uncertainty  and  eternal  loss  were  my 
lot,  the  very  moment  I  ceased  worshipping  at  the  feet  of  the 
Pope!  The  God  of  Heaven  was  not  my  God;  He  was  only  the 
God  of  the  Pope!  The  Saviour  of  the  world  was  not  my 
Saviour;  He  was  only  the  Pope's.  Therefore  it  was  through 
the  Pope  only  that  I  ro  ild  receive  Christ  as  my  Saviour,  and  to 
the  Pope  alone  ha(  •  I  to  go,  to  Know  the  way,  the  truth  and  the 
life  of  my  soul! 

God  alone  knows  what  a  dark  and  terrible  night  I  passed 
after  this  meeting!  I  had  again  to  smother  my  conscience, 
dismantle  my  reason,  and  bring  them  all  under  the  turpitudes  of 


THE   IMPURITIES   OF    THE    THEOLOGY   OF    ROME. 


153 


the  theologies  of  Rome,  which  are  so  well  calculated  to  keep 
the  world  fettered  in  ignorance  and  superstition. 

But  God  saw  the  tears  with  which  I  bedewed  my  pillow 
that  night.  He  heard  the  cry  of  my  agonizing  soul,  and  in  His 
infinite  love  and  mercy  determined  to  come  to  my  rescue,  and 
save  me.  If  He  saw  fit  to  leave  me  many  years  more  in  the 
slavery  of  Egypt,  it  was  that  I  might  better  know  the  plagues 
of  that  land  of  darkness,  and  the  iron  chains  which  are  there 
prepared  for  poor  lost  souls. 

When  the  hour  of  my  deliverance  came,  the  Lord  took  me 
by  the  hand  and  helped  me  to  cross  the  Red  Sea.  He  brought 
me  to  the  Land  of  Promise — a  land  of  peace,  life  and  joy  which 
passeth  all  understanding. 


Chapter  XVI. 


THE  PBIBST  OF  BOMB  AND  THE  HOIiT  FATHBBS;  OB,  H0t7 
I  SWOBB  TO  OrVIB  VF  THE  WOBD  Of  GK>D  TO  FOLLOW 
THE  WOBD  OF  MEN. 


THERE  are  several  imposing  ceremonies  at  the  ordination 
of  a  priest;  and  I  will  never  forget  the  joy  I  felt  when 
the  Roman  Pontiff,  presenting  to  me  the  Bible,  ordered  me, 
with  a  solemn  voice,  to  study  and  preach  it.  •  That  order  passed 
through  my  soul  as  a  beam  of  light.  But,  alas!  those  rays  of 
light  and  life  were  soon  to  be  followed,  as  a  flash  of  lightning 
in  a  stormy  night,  by  the  most  sudden  and  distressing  darkness! 

When  holding  the  sacred  volume,  I  accepted  with  unspeak- 
able joy  the  command  of  studying  and  preaching  its  saving 
truth;  but  I  felt  as  if  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen  upon  me  when  I 
pronounced  the  awful  oath  which  is  required  from  every  priest: 
"/  will  never  interpret  the  Holy  Scriptures  except  according 
to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers^'' 

Many  times,  with  the  other  students  in  theology,  I  had 
discussed  the  nature  of  that  strange  oath;  still  more  often,  in  the 
silence  of  my  meditations,  alone  in  the  presence  of  God,  I  had 
tried  to  fathom  the  bottomless  abyss  which,  it  seemed  to  me, 
was  dug  under  my  feet  by  it,  and  every  time  my  conscience  had 
shrunk  in  terror  from  its  consequences.  But  I  was  not  the  only 
one  in  the  seminary  who  contemplated,  with  an  anxious  mind, 
its  evidently  blasphemous  nature. 

About  six  months  before  our  ordination,  Stephen  Baillargeon, 
one  of  my  fellow  theological  students,  had  said  in  my  presence 
to  our  superior,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Raimbault:  "Allow  me  to  tell 
you  that  one  of  the  things  with  which  I  cannot  reconcile  my 
conscience  is  the  solemn  oath  we  will  have  to  take,  '  That  we 

'54 


THE    PRIEST   OF    ROME    AND    THE    HOLY    FATHERS.        155 


will  never  interpret  the  Scriptures  except  according  to  the 
unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers!'  We  have  not  given  a 
single  hour  yet  to  the  serious  study  of  the  Holy  Fathers.  I 
know  many  priests,  and  not  a  single  one  of  th'em  has  ever 
studied  the  Holy  Fathers;  they  have  not  even  got  them  in  their 
libraries!  We  will  probably  walk  in  their  footsteps.  It  may 
be  that  not  a  single  volume  of  the  Holy  Fathers  will  ever  fall 
into  our  hands!  .In  the  name  of  common  sense,  how  can  we 
swear  that  we  will  follow  the  sentiments  of  men  of  whom  we 
know  absolutely  nothing,  and  about  whom,  it  is  more  probable, 
we  will  never  know  anything,  except  by  mere  vague  hearsay? 

Our  superior  gave  evident  signs  of  weakness  in  his  answer 
to  that  unexpected  difficulty.  But  his  embarrassment  grew 
much  greater  when  I  said :  "  Baillargeon  cannot  contemplate 
that  oath  without  anxiety,  and  he  has  given  you  some  of  his 
reasons;  but  he  has  not  said  the  last  word  on  that  strange  oath. 
If  you  will  allow  me,  Mr.  Superior,  I  will  present  you  some 
more  formidable  objections.  It  is  not  so  much  on  account  of 
our  ignorance  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Holy  Fathers  that  I  tremble 
when  I  think  that  I  will  have  '  to  swear  never  to  interpret  the 
Scriptures,  except  according  to  their  unanimous  consent.'  Would 
to  God  that  I  could  say,  with  Baillurgeon,  '  I  know  nothing  of 
the  Holy  Fathers;  how  can  I  swear  that  they  will  guide  me  in 
all  my  ways?'  It  is  true  that  we  know  so  little  of  them  that  it 
is  supremely  ridiculous,  if  it  is  not  an  insult  to  God  and  man, 
that  we  take  them  for  our  guides.  But  my  regret  is  that  we 
know  already  too  much  of  the  Holy  Fathers  to  be  exempt  from 
perjuring  ourselves,  when  we  swear  that  we  will  not  niterpret 
the  Holy  Scriptures  except  according  to  their  unanimous 
consent. 

"  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  the  Holy  Fathers'  writings  are  so 
perfectly  kept  out  of  sight,  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to 
read  and  study  them  ?  But  evf  if  we  had  access  to  them,  have 
we  sufficient  time  at  our  disposa.  to  study  them  so  perfectly  that 
we  could  conscientiously  swear  that  we  will  follow  them?  And 
if  we  don't  study  them,  how  can  we  be  exempted  from  willful 
perjury  the  day  that  we  will  swear  to  follow  them  ?     How  can 


156 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROMB. 


we  follow  a  thing  we  do  not  see,  which  we  cannot  hear,  and 
about  which  we  do  not  know  more  than  the  man  in  the  moon? 
Our  shameful  ignorance  of  the  Holy  Fathers  is  a  sufficient 
reason  to  make  us  fear  at  the  approach  of  the  solemn  hour  that 
we  will  swear  to  follow  them.  Yes!  But  we  know  enough  of 
the  Holy  Fathers  to  chill  the  blood  in  our  veins  when  swearing 
to  in*^erpret  the  Holy  Scriptures  only  according  to  their  unani- 
mous consent.  Please,  Mr.  Superior,  tell  us  what  are  the  texts 
of  Scripture  on  which  the  Holy  Fathers  are  unanimous.  You 
respect  yourself  too  much  to  try  to  answer  a  question  which  no 
honest  man  has,  or  will  ever  dare  to  answer.  And  if  you,  one 
of  the  most  learned  men  of  France,  cannot  put  your  finger  on 
the  texts  of  the  Holy  Bible  and  say,  *  The  Holy  Fathers  are 
perfectly  unanimous  on  these  texts!'  how  can  we,  poor  young 
ecclesiastics  of  the  humble  College  of  Nicolet,  say  '  The  Holy 
Fathers  are  unanimously  of  the  same  mind  on  those  texts?' 
But  if  we  cannot  distinguish  to-day,  and  if  we  shall  never  be  able 
to  distinguish  between  the  texts  on  which  the  Holy  Fathers  are 
unanimous  and  the  ones  on  which  they  differ,  how  can  we  dare 
to  swear  before  God  and  men  to  interpret  every  text  of  the 
Scriptures  only  according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  those 
Holy  Fathers? 

"  By  that  awful  oath,  will  we  not  be  absolutely  bound  to 
remain  mute  as  dead  men  on  every  text  on  which  the  Holy 
Fathers  have  differed,  under  the  evident  penalty  of  becoming 
perjured?  Will  not  every  text  on  which  the  Holy  Fathers 
have  differed  become  as  the  dead  carcass  which  the  Israelites 
could  not  touch,  except  by  defiling  themselves?  After  that 
strange  oath,  to  interpret  the  Scripture  only  according  to  the 
unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  will  we  not  be  abso- 
lutely deprived  of  the  privilege  of  studying  or  preaching  on  a 
text  on  which  they  have  differed? 

"  The  consequences  of  that  oath  are  legion^  and  every  one 
of  them  seems  to  me  the  death  of  our  ministry,  the  damnation 
of  our  souls!  You  have  read  the  history  of  the  Church,  as  we 
have  it  here,  written  by  Henrion,  Berrault  -  Bell  -  Costel  and 
Fleury.     Well,  what   is   the  prominent   fact   in  those  reliable 


THE    PRIEST   OF    ROME    AND    THE    HOLY    FATHERS.        I57 


histories  of  the  Church  ?  Is  it  not  that  the  Church  has  constantly 
been  filled  with  the  noise  of  the  controversies  of  Holy  Fathers 
with  Holy  Fathers?  Do  we  not  find,  on  every  page,  that  the 
Holy  Fathers  of  one  century  very  often  differed  from  the  Holy 
Fathers  of  another  century  in  very  important  matters?  Is  it  not 
a  public  and  undeniable  fact,  that  the  history  of  our  holy  Church 
is  almost  nothing  else  than  the  history  of  the  hard  conflict,  stem 
divisions,  unflinching  contradictions  and  oppositions  of  Holy 
Fathers  to  Holy  Fathers? 

"  Here  is  a  big  volume  of  manuscript  written  by  me,  contain- 
ing only  extracts  from  our  best  Church  historians,  filled  with 
the  public  disputes  of  Holy  Fathers  among  themselves  on  almost 
every  subject  of  Christianity. 

"  There  are  Holy  Fathers  who  say,  with  our  best  modern 
theologians — St.  Thomas,  Bellarmine  and  Liguori — that  we 
must  kill  heretics  as  we  kill  wild  beasts;  while  many  others  say 
that  we  must  tolerate  them!  You  all  know  the  name  of  the 
Holy  Father  who  sends  to  hell  all  the  widows  who  marry  a 
second  time,  while  other  Holy  Fathers  are  of  a  different  mind. 
Some  of  them,  you  know  well,  had  very  different  notions  from 
ours  about  purgatory.  Is  it  necessary  for  me  to  give  you  the 
names  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  in  Africa  and  Asia,  who  refused  to 
accept  the  supreme  jurisdiction  we  acknowledge  in  the  Pope 
over  all  chui'ches  ?  Several  Holy  Fathers  have  denied  the 
supreme  authority  of  the  Church  of  Rome — you  know  it;  they 
have 'laughed  at  the  excommunications  of  the  Popes!  Some 
even  have  gladly  died,  when  excommunicated  by  the  Pope, 
without  doing  anything  to  reconcile  themselves  to  him !  What 
do  we  find,  in  the  six  volumes  of  letters  we  have  still  from  St. 
Jerome,  if  not  the  undeniable  fact  that  he  filled  the  Church  with 
the  noise  of  his  harsh  denunciations  of  the  scriptural  views  of 
St.  Augustine  on  many  important  points.  You  have  read  those 
letters?  Well,  have  you  not  concluded  that  St.  Jerome  and  St. 
Augustine  agreed  almost  only  on  on-^  thing,  which  was,  to 
disagree  on  every  subject  they  treated? 

"  Did  not  St.  Jerome  knock  his  head  against  nearly  all  the 
Holy  Fathers  of  his  time  ?  •  And  has  he  not  received  hard  knocks 


158 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


from  almost  all  the  Holy  Fathers  with  whom  he  was  acquainted  ? 
Is  it  not  a  public  fact  that  St.  Jerome  and  several  other  Holy 
Fathers  rejected  the  sacred  books  of  the  Maccabees,  Judith, 
Tobias,  just  as  the  heretics  of  our  time  reject  them  ? 

"  And  now  we  are  gravely  asked,  in  the  name  of  the  God  of 
Truth,  to  swear  that  we  will  interpret  the  Holy  Scriptures  only 
according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  those  Holy  Fathers,  who 
have  been  unanimous  but  in  one  thing,  which  was  never  to 
agree  with  each  other,  and  sometimes  not  even  with  themselves. 

"  For  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  though  it  is  a  very  deplorable 
one,  for  instance,  that  St.  Augustine  did  not  always  keep  to  the 
same  correct  views  on  the  text  '  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  that 
rock  I  will  build  my  church.'  After  holding  correct  views  on 
that  fundamental  truth  he  gave  it  U]),  at  the  end  of  his  life,  to 
say,  with  the  Protestants  of  our  day,  that  '  upon  that  rock  means 
only  Christ,  and  not  Peter.'  Now,  how  can  I  be  bound  by  an 
oath  to  follow  the  views  of  men  who  have  themselves  been 
wavering  and  changing,  when  the  Woi-d  of  God  must  stand  as 
an  unmoving  rock  to  my  heart?  If  you  require  from  us  an 
oath,  why  put  into  our  hands  the  history  of  the  Church,  which 
has  stuffed  our  memory  with  the  undeniable  facts  of  the  endless 
fierce  division?:  ol  the  Holy  Fathers  on  almost  every  question 
which  the  Scriptures  present  to  our  faith? 

"  Would  to  God  that  I  could  say,  with  Baillargeon,  I  know 
nothing  of  the  Holy  Fathers!  Then  I  could  perhaps  be  at  peace 
with  my  conscience,  after  perjuring  myself  by  promising  a  thing 
that  I  cannot  do. 

"  I  was  lately  told  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon,  that  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  go  to  the  Holy  Fathers  in  order  to 
understand  the  Holy  Scriptures!  But  I  will  respectfully  repeat 
to-day  what  I  then  said  on  that  subject. 

"  If  I  am  too  ignorant  or  too  stupid  to  understand  St.  Mark, 
St.  Luke  and  St.  Paul,  how  can  I  be  intelligent  enough  to 
understand  Jerome,  Augustine,  and  Tertullian?  And  if  St. 
Matthew,  St.  John  and  St.  Peter  have  not  got  from  God  the 
grace  of  writing  with  a  sufficient  degree  of  light  and  clearness 
to  be  understood  by  men  of  good-will,  how  is  it  that  Justin, 


THE    PRIEST    OF    ROME    AND    THE    HOLY    FATHERS.        I59 


Clemens  and  Cyprian  have  received  from  our  God  a  favor  of 
lucidity  and  clearness  which  He  denied  to  His  apostles  and 
evangelists  ?  If  I  cannot  rely  upon  my  private  judgment  when 
studying,  with  the  help  of  God,  the  Holy  Scriptures,  how  can  1 
rtly  on  my  private  judgment  when  studying  the  Holy  Fathers? 
You  constantly  tell  me  I  cannot  rely  on  my  private  judgment  to 
understand  and  interpret  the  Holy  Scriptures;  but  will  you 
please  tell  me  with  what  judgment  and  intelligence  I  shall  have 
to  interpret  and  understand  the  writings  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  if 
it  be  not  with  my  own  private  judgment?  Must  I  borrow  the 
judgment  and  intelligence  o^  some  of  my  neighbors  in  order  to 
understand  and  interpret,  for  instance,  the  writings  of  Origen? 
or  shall  I  be  allowed  to  go  and  hear  what  that  Holy  Father 
wants  from  me,  with  my  own  private  intelligence?  But  again, 
if  you  are  forced  to  confess  that  I  have  nothing  else  but  my 
frivatc  judgment  and  intelligence  to  read,  understand  and 
follow  the  Holy  Fathers,  and  that  I  not  only  can  but  T  must 
rely  on  my  own  private  judgment,  without  any  fear,  in  that 
case,  how  is  it  that  I  will  be  lost  if  I  make  use  of  that  same 
private  and  personal  judgment  when  at  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
listening  to  His  eternal  and  life-giving  words? 

"  Nothing  distresses  me  so  much  in  our  holy  religion  as  that 
want  of  confidence  in  God  when  we  go  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  to 
hear  or  read  His  soul-saving  words,  and  the  abundance  of  self- 
confidence,  when  we  go  among  sinful  and  fallible  men,  to  know 
what  they  say. 

"  It  is  not  to  the  Holy  Scriptures  that  we  are  invited  to  go 
to  know  what  the  Lord  saith,  it  is  to  the  Holy  Fathers  1 1 

«  Would  it  be  possible  that,  in  our  Holy  Church,  the  Word 
of  God  would  be  darkness,  and  the  words  of  men    light! 

"  This  dogma,  or  article  of  our  religion,  by  which  we  must 
go  to  the  Holy  Fathers  in  order  to  know  what  '  The  Lord 
saith,'  and  not  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  is  to  my  soul  what  a 
handful  of  sand  would  be  to  my  eyes — it  makes  me  perfectly 
blind. 

"  When  our  venerable  bishop  places  the  Holy  Scriptures  in 
my  hands  and  commands  me  to  study  and  preach  them,  I  will 


i6o 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


ir^iT: 


understand  what  he  means,  and  he  will  know  what  he  says. 
He  will  give  me  a  most  sublime  work  to  perform;  and,  with 
the  grace  of  God,  I  hope  I  will  do  it.  But  when  he  orders  me 
to  swear  that  I  will  never  interpret  the  Holy  Scriptures,  except 
according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  will 
he  not  make  a  perjured  man  of  me,  and  will  he  not  say  a  thing 
to  which  he  has  not  given  sufficient  attention  ?  For  to  swear 
that  we  will  never  interpret  anything  of  the  Scriptures  except 
according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  is  to 
swear  to  a  thing  as  impossible  and  ridiculous  as  to  take  the  moon 
with  our  hands.  I  say  more,  it  is  to  swear  that  we  will  iievpr 
study  nor  interpret  a  single  chapter  of  the  Bible.  For  it  is 
probable  that  there  are  very  few  chapters  of  that  Holy  Book 
which  have  not  been  a  cause  of  serious  diffei'ences  between 
some  of  the  Holy  Fathers. 

"As  the  writings  of  the  Holy  Fathers  fill  at  least  two 
hundred  volumes  in  folio,  it  will  not  take  us  less  than  ten  years 
of  constant  study  to  know  on  what  question  they  are  or  are  not 
unanimous!  If,  after  that  time  of  study,  I  find  that  they  are 
unanimous  on  the  question  of  orthodoxy  which  I  must  believe 
and  preach,  all  will  be  right  with  me.  I  will  walk  with  a 
fearless  heart  to  the  gates  of  eternity,  with  the  certainty  of 
following  the  true  way  of  salvation.  But  if  among  fifty  Holy 
Fatiiers  there  are  forty-nine  on  one  side  and  one  only  on  the 
opposite  side,  in  what  awful  state  of  distress  will  I  be  plunged! 
Will  I  not  be  then  as  the  ship  in  a  stormy  night,  after  she  has 
lost  her  compass,  her  masts  and  her  helm.  If  I  were  allowed 
to  follow  the  majority,  there  would  always  be  a  plank  of  safety 
to  rescue  me  from  the  impending  wreck.  But  the  Pope  has 
inexorably  tied  us  to  the  unanimity.  If  my  faith  is  not  the 
faith  of  unanimity.,  I  am  forever  damned.  I  am  out  of  the 
Church!! 

"What  a  frightful  alternative  is  just  before  us!  We  must 
either  perjure  ourselves,  by  swearing  to  follow  a  unanimity 
which  is  a  fable,  in  order  to  remain  Roman  Catholics,  or  we 
must  plunge  into  the  abyss  of  inrpiety  and  atheiism  by  refusing  to 
swear  that  we  will  adhere  to  a  unanimity  which  never  existed.'* 


-rlf- 


•  Ti'Vyy^i 


THE    PRIEST   OF    ROME    AND    THE    HOLY   FATHERS.        l6l 

It  was  visible,  at  the  end  of  that  long  and  stormy  conference, 
that  the   fears  and  anxieties  of   Baillargeon   and   mine  were 
partaken  of  by  every  one  of  the  students  in  theology.     The 
boldness  of  our  expressions  brought  upon  us  a  real  storm.     E  Jt 
our  superior  did  not  dare  to  face  or  answer  a  single  one  of  cur 
arguments;  he  was  evidently  embarrassed,  and  nothing  could 
surpass  his  joy  when  the  bell  told  him  that  the  hour  of  the 
conference  was  over.     He  promised  to  answer  us  the  next  day; 
but  the  next  day  he  did  nothing  but  throw  dust  into  our  eyes, 
and  abuse  us  to  his  heart's  content.     He  began  by  forbidding 
me  to  read  any  more  of  the  controversial  books  I  had  bought  a 
few  months  before,  among  which  was  the  celebrated   Deny 
discussion  between  seven  priests  and  seven  Protestants.     I  had 
to  give  back  the  well-known  discussion  between  "Pope  and 
Maguire,"  and  between  Gregg  and  the  same  Maguire.     I  had 
also  to  give  up  the  numbers  of  the  Avenir  and  other  books  of 
Lamenais,  which  I  had  got  the  liberty,  as  a  privilege,  to  read. 
It  was  decided  that  my  intelligence  was  not  clear  enough,  and 
that  my  faith  was  not  sufficiently  strong  to  read  those  books.     I 
had  nothing  to  do  but  to  bow  my  head  under  the  yoke  and  obey, 
wishout   a  word   of   murmur.     The  darkest   night  was   made 
around  our  understandings,  and  we  had    to  believe  that  that 
awful  darkness  was  the  shining  light  of  God!!     We  rejected 
the  bright  truth  which  had  so  nearly  conquered  our  mind  in 
order  to  accept  the  most  ridiculous  sophisms  as  gospel  truths! 
We  did  the  most  degrading  action  a  man  can  do — we  silenced 
the  voice  of  our  conscience,  and  we  consented  to  follow  our 
superior's  views,  as  a  brute  follows  the  order  of  his  master;  we 
consented  to  be  in  the  hands  of  our  superiors  like  a  stick  in  the 
hands  of  the  traveler. 

During  the  months  which  elapsed  between  that  hard  fought, 
though  lost  battle,  and  the  solemn  hour  of  my  priestly  ordination, 
I  did  all  I  could  to  subdue  and  annihilate  my  thoughts  on  that 
subject.  My  hope  was  that  I  had  entirely  succeeded.  But,  to 
my  dismay,  that  reason  suddenly  awoke,  as  from  a  long  sleep, 
when  I  had  perjured  myself,  as  every  priest  has  to  do.  A  chill 
of  horror  and  shame  ran  through  all  my  frame  in  spite  of 


jh^:,. 


f^^^^j^t^^^ijiU 


gjgH 


^^V7'?*,PT'^."y-i/,  « 


if' 

B  ^' 

I'i  •' 


162 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


} 

I'i'-'S  k 


myself.  In  my  inmost  soul  a  cry  was  heard  from  my  wounded 
conscience,  "You  annihilate  the  Word  of  Godl  You  rebel 
against  the  Holy  Ghost!  You  deny  the  Holy  Scriptures  to 
follow  the  steps  of  sinful  men  I  You  reject  the  pure  waters  of 
eternal  life,  to  drink  the  waters  of  death." 

In  order  to  choke  again  the  voice  of  my  conscience,  I  did 
what  my  Church  advised  me  to  do — I  cried  to  my  wafer  god 
and  to  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  that  they  might  come  to  my 
help,  and  silence  the  voices  which  were  troubling  my  peace  by 
shaking  my  faith. 

With  the  utmost  sincerity,  the  day  of  my  ordination,  I 
renewed  the  promise  that  I  had  already  so  often  made,  and  said 
in  the  presence  of  God  and  His  angels,  "  I  promise  that  I  will 
never  believe  anything  except  according  to  the  teachings  of  my 
Holy  and  Apostolic  Church  of  Rome." 

And  on  that  pillow  of  folly,  ignorance  and  fanaticism  I  laid 
my  head  to  sleep  the  sleep  of  spiritual  death,  with  the  two 
hundred  millions  of  slaves  whom  the  Pope  sees  at  his  feet. 

And  I  slept  that  sleep  till  the  God  of  our  salvation,  in  His 
great  mercy,  awoke  me,  by  giving  to  my  soul  the  light,  the 
truth  and  the  life  which  are  in  Jesus  Christ. 


iw  1 1 1  ^ll(pi|l^iimf',f  •'P^*>TOWH,'WF''^ 


Chapter  XVII. 

THB  BOUAN  CATHOLIC  FBIBSTHOOD;  OB,  ANCIENT  AND 
UODBBN    IDOUITBT. 

I  WAS  ordained  a  priest  of  Rome  in  the  Cathedral  of  Quebec, 
on  the  2ist  of  September,  1833,  by  the  Right  Reverend 
Sinai,  first  Archbishop  of  Canada.  No  words  can  express  the 
solemnity  of  my  thoughts,  the  superhuman  nature  of  my  aspira- 
tions, when  the  delegate  of  the  Pope,  imposing  his  hands  on  my 
head,  gave  me  the  power  of  converting  a  real  wafer  into  the 
real  substantial  body,  blood,  soul  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ! 
The  bright  illusion  of  Eve,  as  the  deceiver  told  her  "  Ye  shall 
be  as  gods,"  was  child's-  play  compared  with  what  I  felt  when, 
assured  by  the  infallible  voice  of  my  Church  that  I  was  not  only 
on  equal  terms  with  my  Saviour  and  God,  but  I  was  in  reality 
above  Him !  and  that  hereafter  I  would  not  only  command,  but 
create  Him ! ! 

The  aspirations  to  power  and  glory  which  had  been  such  a 
terrible  temptation  in  Lucifer  were  becoming  a  reality  in  me  I 
I  had  received  the  power  of  commanding  God,  not  in  a  spiritual 
and  mystical,  but  in  a  real,  personal  and  most  irresistible  way. 

With  my  heart  full  of  an  inexpressible  joy  and  gratitude  to 
God,  and  with  all  the  faculties  of  my  soul  raised  to  exaltation,  I 
withdrew  from  the  feet  of  the  pontiff  to  my  oratory,  where  I 
passed  the  rest  of  the  day  in  meditation  on  the  great  things 
which  my  God  had  wrought  in  me. 

I  had,  at  last,  attained  the  top  of  that  power  and  holiness 
which  my  Church  had  invited  me  to  consider  from  my  infancy 
as  the  most  glorious  gift  which  God  had  ever  given  to  man! 
The  dignity  which  I  had  just  received  was  above  all  the 
dignities  and  the  thrones  of  this  world.     The  holy  character  of 

163 


w 


i! 


164 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


the  PRIESTHOOD  had  been  impressed  on  my  soul,  with  the 
blood  of  Christ,  as  an  imperishable  and  celestial  glory.  Nothing 
could  ever  take  it  away  from  me,  in  time  or  eternity.  I  was  to 
be  a  priest  of  my  God  forever  and  ever.  Not  only  had  Christ 
let  His  divine  and  priestly  mantle  fall  on  my  shoulders,  but  He 
had  so  perfectly  associated  me  with  Himself  as  the  great  and 
eternal  Sacrificator,  that  I  was  to  renew,  every  day  of  my  life, 
His  atoning  sacuikice!  At  my  bidding,  the  only  and  eternally 
begotten  Son  of  my  God  was  now  to  come  into  my  hands  in 
person!  The  same  Christ  who  sits  at  the  I'ight  hand  of  the 
Father  was  to  come  down  every  day  into  my  breast,  to  unite 
His  flesh  to  my  flesh,  His  blood  to  my  blood.  His  divine  soul  to 
my  poor  sinful  soul,  in  order  to  walk,  work  and  live  in  me  and 
with  me  in  the  most  perfect  unity  and  intimacy! 

I  passed  that  whole  day  and  the  greater  part  of  the  night  in 
contemplating  the  superhuman  honors  and  dignities  which  my 
beloved  Church  had  conferred  on  me.  Many  times  I  fell  on 
my  knees  to  thank  God  for  His  mercies  towards  me,  and  I  could 
hardly  speak  to  Him  except  with  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude.  I 
often  repeated  the  words  of  the  Holy  Virgin  Mary :  "  My  soul 
doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  doth  rejoice  in  God  my 
saviour." 

The  privileges  granted  to  me  were  of  a  more  substantial 
kind  than  those  bestowed  upon  Mary.  She  had  been  obeyed 
by  Christ  onfy  when  He  was  a  child.  He  had  to  obey  me  now, 
although  He  was  in  the  full  possession  of  His  eternal  glory! 

In  the  presence  of  God  and  His  angels,  I  promised  to  live  a 
holy  life  as  a  token  of  my  gratitude  to  Him.  I  said  to  my  lips 
and  my  tongue,  "  Be  holy  now ;  for  you  will  not  only  speak  to 
your  God:  you  will  give  Him  a  new  birth  every  day!"  I  said 
to  my  heart,  "  Be  holy  and  pure  now ;  for  you  will  bear  every 
day  the  Holy  of  Holies ! "  To  my  soul  I  said,  "  Be  holy  now ; 
for  you  will  henceforth  be  most  intimately  and  personally  united 
to  Christ  Jesus.  You  will  be  fed  with  the  body,  blood,  soul  and 
divinity  of  Him  before  whom  the  angels  do  not  find  themselves 
pure  enough 1 " 

Looking  on  my  table,  where  my  pipe,  filled  with  tobacco. 


'TP'U! »  T*';"  '  ''7  .";'"<■"    "  '. 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    PRIESTHOOD,   ETC. 


165 


rith  tobacco, 


and  my  snuff-box  were  lying,  I  sftid:  «' Impure  and  noxious 
weeds,  you  will  no  more  defile  me  I  I  am  the  priest  of  the 
Almighty.  It  is  beneath  my  dignity  to  touch  you  any  more!" 
and  opening  tue  window  I  threw  them  into  the  street,  never  to 
make  use  of  them  again. 

On  the  2 1st  of  September,  1833,  I  had  thus  been  raised  to 
the  priesthood;  but  I  had  not  yet  made  use  of  the  divine  powers 
with  which  I  had  been  invested.  The  next  day  I  was  to  say 
my  first  Mass,  and  work  that  incomparable  miracle  which  the 
Church  of  Rome  calls  Transubstantiation. 

As  I  have  already  said,  I  had  passed  the  greater  part  of  the 
night  between  the  21st  and  22nd  in  meditation  and  thanks- 
givings. On  the  morning  of  the  22nd,  long  before  the  dawn  of 
day,  I  was  dressed  and  on  my  knees.  This  was  to  be  the  most 
holy  and  glorious  day  of  my  life!  Raised,  the  day  before,  to 
a  dignity  which  was  above  the  kingdoms  and  emijires  of  the 
world,  I  was  now,  for  the  first  time,  to  work  a  miracle  at  the 
altar  which  no  angel  or  seraph  could  do. 

At  my  bidding  Christ  was  to  receive  a  new  existence!  The 
miracle  wrought 'by  Joshua,  when  he  commanded  the  sun  and 
moon  to  stop,  on  the  bloody  plain  of  Gibeon,  was  nothing  com- 
pared to  the  miracle  that  I  was  to  perform  that  day.  When  the 
eternal  Son  of  God  would  be  in  my  hands,  I  was  to  present 
myself  at  the  throne  of  mercy,  with  that  expiatory  victim  of  the 
sins  of  the  world  pay  the  debt,  not  only  of  my  guilty  soul,  but 
of  all  those  for  whom  I  should  speak!  The  ineffable  sacrifice 
of  Calvary  was  to  be  renewed  by  me  that  day  with  the  utmost 
perfection ! 

When  the  bell  rang  to  tell  me  that  the  hour  was  come  to 
clothe  myself  with  the  golden  priestly  robes  and  go  to  the  altar, 
my  heart  beat  with  such  a  rftpidity  that  I  came  very  near 
fainting.  The  holiness  of  the  action  I  was  to  do,  the  infinite 
greatness  of  the  sacrifice  I  was  about  to  make,  the  divine  victim 
I  was  to  hold  in  my  hands  and  present  to  God  the  Father!  the 
wonderful  miracle  I  was  to  perform,  filled  my  soul  and  my 
heart  with  such  sentiments  of  terror,  joy  and  awe  that  I  was 
trembling  from  head  to  foot;  and  if  very  kind  friends,  among 


iipiliililllippp 


:m 


m 


1 .1 


i66 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OK    ROME. 


■  11 


11 


.;!» 


R^ 


whom  was  the  venerable  secretary  of  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec, 
now  the  Grand  Vicar  Cazault,  had  not  been  there  to  help  and 
encourage  me,  I  think  I  would  not  have  dared  to  ascend  the 
steps  of  the  altar. 

It  is  not  an  easything  togo  through  all  the  ceremonies  of  a 
mass.  There  are  more  than  one  hundred  different  ceremonies 
and  fositions  of  the  body,  which  must  be  observed  with  the 
utmost  perfection.  To  omit  one  of  them  willingly,  or  through 
a  culpable  neglect  or  ignorance,  is  eternal  damnation.  But 
thanks  to  a  dozen  exercises  through  which  I  had  gone  the 
previous  week,  and  thanks  be  to  the  kind  friends  who  helped 
and  guided  me,  I  went  through  the  performances  of  that  first 
mass  much  more  easily  than  I  expected.  It  lasted  about  an 
hour.  But  when  it  was  over,  I  was  really  exhausted  by  the 
effort  made  to  keep  my  mind  and  heart  in  unison  with  the 
infinite  greatness  of  the  mysteries  accomplished  by  nic. 

To  make  one's  self  believe  that  he  can  convert  a  piece  of 
bread  into  God  requires  such  a  supreme  effort  of  the  will,  and 
complete  annihilation  of  intelligence,  that  the  state  of  the  soul, 
after  the  effort  is  over,  is  more  like  death  than  life. 

I  had  really  persuaded  myself  that  I  had  done  the  most  holy 
and  sublime  action  of  my  life,  when,  in  fact,  I  had  been  guilty 
of  the  most  outrageous  act  of  idolatry !  My  eyes,  my  hands  and 
lips,  my  mouth  and  tongue,  and  all  my  senses,  as  well  as  the 
faculties  of  my  intelligence,  were  telling  me  that  what  I  had 
seen,  touched,  eaten,  was  nothing  but  a  wafer;  but  the  voices  of 
the  Pope  and  his  Church  were  telling  me  that  it  was  tlie  real 
body,  blood,  soul  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Chris^t.  I  haJ  persuaded 
myself  that  the  voices  of  my  senses  and  intelligence  were  the 
voices  of  Satan,  and  that  the  deceitful  voice  of  the  Pope  was  the 
voice  of  the  God  of  Truth!  Every  priest  of  Rome  has  to  come 
to  that  strange  degree  of  folly  and  perversity,  every  day  of  his 
I'fe,  to  remain  a  priest  of  Rome. 

The  great  imposture  taught  under  the  modern  word  tran- 
SUBSTANTiATioN,  whcu  divcstod  of  the  glare  which  Rome,  by 
her  sorceries,  throws  around  it,  is  soon  seen  to  be  what  it  is — a 
most  impious  and  idolatrous  doctrine. 


THE    ROMAN   CATHOLIC    PRIESTHOOD,   ETC. 


167 


"  I  must  carry  the  '  good  god '  to-morrow  to  a  sick  man," 
says  the  priest  to  his  servant  girl.  In  plain  French:  "  Jc  dois 
porter  le  '  Bon  Dieu '  demain  a  un  malade,  dit  le  praitre  a  sa 
servante ;  mais  il  n'y  en  a  plus  dans  le  tabernacle."  "  But  there 
are  no  more  particles  in  the  tabernacle.  Make  some  small  cakes 
that  I  may  consecrate  them  to-morrow."  And  the  obedient 
domestic  takes  some  wheat  flour,  for  no  other  kind  of  flour  is  fit 
to  make  the  god  of  the  Pope.  A  mixture  of  any  other  kind 
would  make  the  miracle  of  « transubstantiation  "  a  great  failure. 
The  servant  girl  accordingly  takes  the  dough,  and  bakes  it 
between  two  heated  irons,  on  which  are  graven  the  following 
figures,  c.  H.  s.  When  the  whole  is  w^ell  baked,  she  takes  her 
scissors  and  cuts  those  wafers,  which  are  about  four  or  five 
inches  large,  into  smaller  ones  of  the  size  of  an  inch,  and 
respectfully  hands  them  over  to  the  priest. 

The  next  morning  the  priest  takes  the  newly-baked  wafers 
to  the  altar,  and  changes  them  into  the  body,  blood,  soul  and 
divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  one  of  those  wafers  that  I  had 
taken  to  the  altar  in  that  solemn  hour  of  my  first  mass,  and 
which  I  had  turned  into  my  Saviour  by  the  five  magical  words 

— Hoc  EST  ENIM  CORPUS  MEUm! 

What  was  the  diflference  between  the  incredible  folly  of 
Aaron,  on  the  day  of  his  apostasy  in  the  wilderness,  and  the 
'Aci'mn  1  had  done,  when  I  worshipped  the  god  whom  I  made 
myself,  and  got  my  friends  to  worship?  Where,  I  ask,  is  the 
difference  between  the  adoration  of  the  calf-god  of  Aaron  and 
the  wafer-god  which  I  had  made  on  the  22nd  September,  1833. 
The  only  difference  was,  that  the  idolatry  of  Aaron  lasted  but 
one  day,  while  the  idolatry  in  which  I  lived  lasted  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  and  has  been  perpetuated  in  the  Church  of  Rome  for 
more  than  a  thousand  years. 

What  has  the  Church  of  Rome  done  by  giving  up  the  words 
of  Christ,  "  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  mc,"  and  substituting 
her  dogma  of  Transubstantiation?  She  has  brought  the  world 
back  to  the  old  heathenism.  Tl'  0  priest  of  Rome  worships  a 
Saviour  called  Christ.  Yes;  but  that  Christ  is  not  the  Christ  of 
the  gospel.     It  is  a  false  and  newly-invented  Christ  whom  the 


.J^ 


i68 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


h'  IM 


1^ 


I 


■ 


E^»! 


>■:' 


' 


Popes  have  smuggled  from  the  Pantheon  of  Rome,  and  sacri- 
legiously called  by  the  adorable  name  of  our  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ. 

I  have  often  been  asked :  "  Was  it  possible  that  you  sincerely 
believed  that  the  w^afer  could  be  changed  into  God  by  you?" 
And,  "Have  you  really  worshipped  that  wafer  as  your  Saviour?" 

To  my  shame,  and  to  the  shame  of  poor  humanity,  I  must 
say  "  Yes."  I  believed  as  sincerely  as  every  Roman  Catholic 
priest  is  bound  to  believe  it,  that  I  was  creating  my  own  Saviour- 
God  every  morning  by  the  assumed  consecration  of  the  wafer j 
and  I  was  saying  to  the  people,  as  I  presented  it  to  them,  "  Ecce 
agnus  Dei " — "  This  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  takes  away  the 
sins  of  the  world;  let  us  adore  him" — and  prostrating  myself  on 
my  knees  I  was  adoring  the  god  made  by  myself,  with  the  help 
of  my  servant;  and  all  the  people  prostrated  themselves  to  adore 
the  newly-made  god ! 

I  must  confess,  further,  that  though  I  was  bound  to  believe 
in  the  existence  of  Christ  in  heaven,  and  was  invited  by  my 
Church  to  worship  Him  as  my  Saviour  and  my  God,  I  had,  as 
every  Roman  Catholic  has,  more  confidence,  faith  and  love 
towards  the  Christ  which  I  had  created  with  a  few  words  of  my 
lips  than  tov  ards  the  Christ  of  heaven. 

My  Church  told  me,  every  day  of  my  life,  and  I  had  to 
believe  and  preach  it,  that  though  the  Christ  of  heaven  was  my 
Saviour,  He  was  angry  against  me  on  account  of  my  sins;  that 
He  was  constantly  disposed  to  punish  me,  according  to  His 
terrible  ju'^'^ice;  that  He  was  armed  with  lightning  and  thunder 
to  crush  me;  and  that,  were  it  not  for  His  mother,  who  day  and 
'night  was  interceding  for  me,  I  should  be  cast  into  that  hell 
which  my  sins  had  so  richly  deserved.  All  the  theologians, 
with  St.  Liguori  at  their  head,  whose  writings  I  was  earnestly 
studying,  and  which  had  received  the  approbation  of  infallible 
popes,  persuaded  me  that  it  was  Mary  whom  I  had  to  thank 
and  bless,  if  I  had  not  yet  been  jDunished  as  I  deserved.  Not 
only  had  I  to  believe  this  doctrine,  but  I  had  to  preach  it  to  the 
people.  The  result  was  for  me,  as  it  is  for  every  Roman 
Catholic,  that  my  heart  was  really  chilled,  and  I  was  filled  with 


ij 


i 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    PRIESTHOOD     ETC. 


169 


terror  every  time  I  looked  to  the  Christ  of  heaven  through  the 
lights  and  teachings  of  my  Church.  He  could  not,  as  I  helieved, 
look  to  me  except  with  an  angry  face;  He  could  not  stretch  out 
His  hand  towards  me  except  to  crush  me,  unless  His  merciful 
mother  or  some  other  might)  saint  interposed  their  saving  suppli- 
cations to  appease  His  just  indignation.  When  I  was  praying 
to  that  Christ  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  my  mind  was  constantly 
perplexed  about  the  choice  I  should  make  of  some  powerful 
protector,  whose  influence  could  get  me  a  favorable  hearing 
from  my  irritated  Saviour. 

Besides  this,  I  was  told,  and  I  had  to  believe  it,  that  the 
Christ  of  heaven  was  a  mighty  monarch,  a  most  glorious  king, 
surrounded  by  innumerable  hosts  of  servants,  officers  and  friends, 
and  that,  as  it  would  not  do  for  a  poor  rebel  to  present  himself 
before  his  irritated  King  to  get  his  pardon,  but  he  must  address 
himself  to  some  of  His  most  influential  courtiers,  or  to  His 
beloved  mother,  to  whom  nothing  can  be  refused,  that  they 
mip'ht  plead  his  cause;  so  I  sincerely  believed  that  it  was  better 
for  me  not  to  speak  myself  to  Jesus  Christ,  but  to  look  for  some 
one  who  would  speak  for  me. 

But  there  were  no  such  terrors  or  fears  in  my  heart  when  I 
pproached  the  Saviour  whom  I  had  created  myself!  Such  an 
humble  and  defenceless  Saviour,  surely,  had  no  thunder  in  His 
hands  to  punish  His  enemies.  He  could  have  no  angry  looks 
for  me.  He  was  my  friend,  as  well  as  the  work  of  my  hands. 
There  was  nothing  in  Him  which  could  inspire  me  with  any 
fear.  Had  I  not  brought  Him  down  from  heaven?  And  had 
He  not  come  into  my  hands  that  He  might  hear,  bless  and 
forgive  me? — that  He  might  be  nearer  to  me,  and  I  nearer  to 
Him? 

When  I  was  in  His  presence,  in  that  solitary  church,  there 
was  no  need  of  officers,  of  courtiers,  of  mothers  to  speak  to  Him 
for  me.  He  was  no  longer  there  a  mighty  monarch,  an  angry 
king,  who  could  be  approached  only  by  the  great  officers  of  His 
court;  He  was  now  the  rebuked  of  the  world,  the  humble  and 
defenceless  Saviour  of  the  manger,  the  forsaken  Jesus  of  Calvary, 
the  forgotten  Christ  of  Gethsemane. 


17© 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


( 


lid 


Is  f 


', 


''•i 


I 


No  words  can  give  any  idea  of  the  pleasure  I  used  to  feel 
when  alone,  prostrated  befoi'e  the  Christ  whom  I  had  made  at 
the  morning  mass,  I  poured  out  my  heart  at  His  feet.  It  is 
impossible  for  those  who  have  not  lived  under  those  terrible 
illusions  to  understand  with  what  confidence  I  spoke  to  the 
Christ  who  was  then  before  me,  bound  .  by  the  ties  of  His  love 
for  me!  How  many  times,  in  the  colder  days  of  winter,  in 
churches  which  had  never  seen  any  fire,  with  an  atmosphere 
15  degrees  below  zero,  had  I  passed  whole  hours  alone,  in 
adoration  of  the  Saviour  whom  I  had  made  only  a  few  hours 
before !  How  often  have  I  looked  with  silent  admiration  to  the 
Divine  Person  who  was  there  alone,  passing  the  long  hours  of 
the  day  and  night,  rebuked  and  forsaken,  that  I  might  have  an 
opportunity  of  approaching  Him,  and  of  speaking  to  Him  as  a 
friend  to  his  friend,  as  a  repenting  sinner  to  his  merciful  Savioui". 
My  faith — I  should  rather  say  my  awful  delusion,  was  then  so 
complete  that  I  scarcely  felt  the  biting  of  the  cold!  I  may 
say  with  truth,  that  the  happiest  hours  I  ever  had,  during  the 
long  years  of  darkness  into  which  the  Church  of  Rome  had 
plunged  me,  were  the  hours  which  I  passed  in  adoring  the 
Christ  whom  I  had  made  with  my  own  lips.  And  every  priest 
of  Rome  would  make  the  same  declaration,  were  they  questioned 
on  the  subject. 

It  is  a  similar  principle  of  monstrous  faith  that  leads  widows 
in  India  to  leap  witli  cries  of  joy  into  the  fire  wliith  will  burn 
them  into  ashes  with  the  bodies  of  their  deceased  husbands. 
Their  priests  have  assured  them  that  sucli  a  sacrifice  will  secure 
eternal  happiness  to  themselves  and  their  ileparted  hiisliands. 

In  fact,  the  Roman  Catholics  have  no  other  Saviour  to 
whom  they  can  betake  themselves  than  tlie  one  made  by  the 
consecration  of  the  wafer.  He  is  the  only  Saviour  who  is  not 
angry  with  them,  and  who  does  not  require  the  mediation  of 
virgins  and  saints  to  appease  His  wrath.  This  is  the  rea;>un  why 
Roman  Catholic  churches  are  so  well  filled  l>y  the  poor  blioKi 
Roman  Catholics.  See  how  they  rush  to  the  foot  of  their 
altars  at  almost  e^  vy  hour  of  the  day,  sometimes  long  before 
the  dawn  I     Go  to    ome  of  their  churches,  even  on  a  rainy  and 


-Xu. 


^p^"l^ 


'  m 


THE    ROMAN    CATHOLIC    PRIESTHOOD,   ETC. 


171 


stormy  morning,  and  you  will  see  crowds  of  worshippers,  of 
every  age  and  from  every  grade  of  society,  braving  the  storm 
and  the  rain,  walking  through  the  mud  to  pass  an  hour  at  the 
foot  of  their  tabernacles! 

How  is  it  that  the  Roman  Catholics,  alone,  offer  such  a 
spectacle  to  the  civilized  world?  The  reason  is  very  simple 
and  plain.  Every  soul"  yearns  for  a  God  to  whom  it  can  speak, 
and  who  will  hear  its  supplications  with  a  merciful  heart,  and 
who  will  wipe  away  her  penitential  tears.  Just  as  the  flowers 
of  our  gardens  turn  naturally  towards  the  sun  which  gives  them 
their  color,  their  fragrance  and  their  life,  so  every  soul  wants  a 
Saviour  who  is  not  angry  bv.t  merciful  towards  those  who  come 
unto  Him — A  Saviour  who  will  sayto  the  weary  and  heavy  laden : 
"  Come  unto  me  and  I  will  give  you  rest." — A  God,  in  fine,  who 
is  not  armed  with  Thunder  and  Lightning,  and  does  not  require 
to  be  approached  only  by  saints,  virgins  and  martyrs;  but  who, 
through  his  son  Jesus,  is  the  real,  the  true  and  the  only  friend  of 
Sinners. 

When  the  people  think  that  there  is  such  a  God, — such  a 
loving  Saviour  to  be  found  in  the  tabernacle,  it  is  but  natural 
that  they  should  brave  the  storms  and  the  rains,  to  worship  at 
his  feet,  to  receive  the  pardon  of  their  sins. 

The  children  of  light,  the  disciples  of  the  gospel,  who  protest 
against  the  errors  of  Rome,  know  tha«:  their  Heavenly  Father  is 
everywhere  ready  to  hear,  forgive  and  help  them.  They  know 
that  it  is  no  more  "  at  Jerusalem,  nor  on  this  or  that  mountain," 
or  at  church  that  God  wants  to  be  worshipped  (John  iv.  21.) 
They  know  that  their  Saviour  liveth,  and  is  everywhere  ready  to 
hear  those  who  invoke  His  name ;  that  He  is  no  more  in  that 
desert,  or  in  that  secret  chamber  (Matt.  xxiv).  They  know 
that  He  is  everywhere — that  He  is  ever  near  to  those  who  look 
to  his  bleeding  wounds  and  want  to  wash  their  robes  in  His 
blood.  They  find  Jesus  in  their  most  secret  closets  when  they 
enter  them  to  piay; — they  meet  Him  and  converse  with  Him 
when  in  the  fields,  behind  the  counter,  travelling  on  railroads  or 
steamers — everywhere  they  meet  with  Him,  and  speak  to  Him 
as  friend  to  friend. 


i 


^PP^V^IIJP^PPIII!  IIUJI.I.  IJI 


'"W,Mi«;i» 


(■(■ 


li  1 


172 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


It  is  not  SO  with  the  followers  of  the  Pope.  They  are  told 
contrary  to  the  gospel  (Matt.  xxiv.  22).  that  Christ  is  in  this 
Church — in  that  secret  chamber  or  tabernacle!  Cruelly 
deceived  by  their  priests,  they  run,  they  brave  the  storms  to  go 
as  near  as  possible  to  that  place  where  their  merciful  Christ  lives. 
They  go  to  the  Christ  who  will  give  them  a  hearty  welcome, 
who  will  listen  to  their  humble  prayers,  and  be  compassionate  to 
their  tears  of  repentance. 

Let  Protestants  cease  to  admire  poor  deluded  Roman  Catholics 
who  dare  the  storm  and  go  to  church  even  before  the  dawn  of 
day.  This  devotion,  which  so  dazzles  them,  should  excite 
compassion,  and  not  admiration;  for  it  is  the  logical  result  of  the 
most  awful  spiritual  darkness.  It  is  the  offspring  of  the  greatest 
imposture  the  world  has  ever  seen,  it  is  the  natural  consequence 
of  the  belief  that  the  priest  of  Rome  can  create  Christ  and  God 
by  the  consecration  of  a  wafer,  and  keep  Him  in  a  secret 
chamber. 

The  Egyptians  worshipped  God  under  the  form  of  croco- 
diles and  calves:  The  Greeks  made  their  gods  of  marble  or 
of  gold :  The  Persian  made  the  sun  his  god :  The  Hottentots 
make  their  gods  with  whale-bone,  and  go  far  through  the 
storms  to  adore  them:  The  Church  of  Rome  makes  her  god 
out  of  a  piece  of  bread !     Is  this  not  idolatry  ? 

From  the  year  1833,  to  the  day  that  God  in  his  mercy  opened 
my  eyes,  my  servant  had  used  more  than  a  bushel  of  wheat  flour, 
to  make  the  little  cakes  which  I  had  to  convert  into  tlie  Christ 
of  the  mass.  Some  of  these  I  ate;  others  I  carried  about  with 
me  for  the  sick ;  and  others  I  placed  in  the  tabernacle  for  the 
adoration  c)f  the  people. 

I  am  often  asked: — "How  is  it  that  you  could  be  guilty  of 
such  a  gross  act  of  idolatry?"  My  only  answer  is  the  answer 
of  the  blind  man  of  the  gospel :  "  I  know  not,  only  this  one 
thing  I  know,  that  I  was  blind,  and  could  not  see.  But  Jesus 
has  touclied  my  eyes  and  now  I  see."     (John  ix.  ii). 


Chapter  XVIII. 


NI7.X!  STABTZilNa  00NSEQT7EN0ES  OF  THI!  DOGMA  OF  TBAN- 
SUBSTANTIATION-THE  0U>  FAaANISU  UNDER  A  CHRIS- 
TIAN NAICE. 


ON  the  day  of  my  ordination  to  the  priesthood,  I  had  to  believe, 
with  all  the  priests  of  Rome,  that  it  was  within  the  limits 
of  my  powers  to  go  into  all  the  bakeries  of  Quebec,  and  change 
all  the  loaves  and  biscuits  in  that  old  city,  into  the  body,  blood, 
soul  and  divinity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  pronouncing  over 
them  the  five  words:  Hoc  est  enim  corpus  meum.  Nothing 
would  have  remained  of  these  loaves  and  biscuits  but  the  smell, 
the  color,  the  taste. 

2.  Every  bishop  and  priest  of  the  cities  of  New  York  and 
Boston,  Chicago,  Montreal,  Paris  and  London,  etc.,  firmly 
believes  and  teaches  that  he  has  the  power  to  turn  all  the  loaves 
of  their  cities,  of  their  dioceses,  nay,  of  the  whole  world,  into  the 
body,  blood,  soul  and  divinity  of  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 
And,  though  they  have  never  yet  found  it  advisable  to  do  that 
wonderful  miracle,  they  consider,  and  say,  that  to  entertain  any 
doubt  about  the  power  to  perform  that  marvel,  is  as  criminal  as 
to  entertain  any  doubt  about  the  existence  of  God. 

3.  When  in  the  Seminary  of  Nicolet,  I  heard,  several  times, 
our  Superior,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Raimbault,  tell  us  that  a  French 
priest  having  been  condemned  to  death  in  Paris,  when  dragged 
to  the  scaffold  had,  through  revenge,  consecrated  and  changed 
into  Jesus  Christ  all  the  loaves  of  the  bakeries  of  that  great  city 
which  were  along  the  streets  through  which  he  had  to  pass; 
and  though  our  learned  superior  condemned  that  action  in  the 
strongest  terms,  yet  he  told  us  that  the  consecration  was  valid, 
and  that  the  loaves  were  really  changed  into  the  body,  blood, 


174      STARTLING   CONSEQUENCES   OF    TRANSUBSTANTIATION. 


M 


;  M 


soul  and   divinity  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.      And  I  was 
bound  to  believe  it  under  pain  of  eternal  damnation. 

4.  Before  my  ordination  I  had  been  obliged  to  learn  by 
heart,  in  one  of  the  most  sacred  books  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
(Missale  Romanism,  p.  63)  the  following  statement:  "If,  after 
the  consecration,  the  consecrated  bread  disappear,  taken  away  by 
the  wind,  or  through  any  miracle;  or  dragged  away  by  an 
animal,  let  the  priest  take  a  new  bread,  consecrate  it,  and  continue 
his  mass." 

And  at  page  57  I  had  learned,  "  If  a  fly  or  a  spider  fall  into 
the  chalice,  after  the  consecration,  let  the  priest  take  and  eat  it, 
if  he  does  not  feel  an  insurmountable  repugnance;  but  if  he 
cannot  swallow  it,  let  him  wash  it  and  burn  it  and  throw  the 
ashes  into  the  "  sacrarium." 

5.  In  the  month  of  January,  1834,  I  heard  the  following 
fact  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Paquette,  curate  of  St.  Gervais,  at  a 
grand  dinner  which  he  had  given  to  the  neighbouring  priests: 

"  When  young,  I  was  the  vicar  of  a  curate  who  could  eat  as 
much  as  two  of  us,  and  drink  as  much  ?&four.  He  was  tall  and 
strong  and  he  has  left  the  dark  marks  of  his  hard  fists  on  the 
nose  of  more  than  one  of  his  beloved  sheep;  for  his  anger  was 
really  terrible  after  he  had  drank  his  bottle  of  wine. 

«'  One  day,  after  a  sumptuous  dinner,  he  was  called  to  carry 
the  good  god  (Le  bon  Dieu),  to  a  dying  man.  It  was  in  mid- 
winter. The  cold  was  intense.  The  wind  was  blowing  hard. 
There  were  at  least  five  or  six  feet  of  snow,  and  the  roads  were 
almost  impassable.  It  was  really  a  serious  matter  to  travel  nine 
miles  on  such  a  day,  but  there  was  no  help.  The  messenger  was 
one  of  the  first  marguilliers  (elders)  who  was  very  pressing, 
and  the  dying  man  was  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  the  place. 
The  curate,  after  a  few  grumblings,  drank  a  tumbler  of  good 
Jamaica  with  his  marguillier  as  a  preventative  against  the  cold, 
went  to  church,  took  the  good  god  (Le  Bon  Dieu),  and  threw 
himself  into  the  sleigh;  wrapped  as  well  as  possible  in  his  large 
buffalo  robes. 

"  Though  there  were  two  horses,  one  before  the  other,  to 
drag  the  sleigh,  the  journey  was  a  long  and  tedious  one,  which 


-TBfwWK. 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


«75 


was  made  still  worse  by  an  unlucky  circumstance.  They  were 
met  half-way  by  an  •^'■•er  traveller  coming  from  the  opposite 
direction.  The  ros  ;s  too  narrow  to  allow  the  two  sleighs 
and  horses  to  rcmai,"'.  easily  on  firm  ground  when  passing  by  each 
other,  and  it  would  have  required  a  good  deal  of  skill  and  patience 
in  driving  the  horses  to  prevent  them  from  falling  into  the  soft 
snow.  It  is  well  knc ,  n  that  when  once  horses  are  sunk  into 
five  or  six  feet  of  snow  the  more  they  struggle  the  deeper  they 
sink. 

The  marguillier,  who  was  carrying  the  "  good  god,"  with  the 
curate,  naturally  hoped  to  have  the  privilege  of  keeping  the 
middle  of  the  I'oad  and  escaping  the  danger  of  getting  his  horses 
wounded,  and  his  sleigh  broken.  He  cried  to  the  other  traveller 
in  a  high  tone  of  authority:  "Traveller!  let  me  have  the  road. 
Turn  your  horses  into  the  snow!  Make  haste,  I  am  in  a  hurry. 
I  carry  the  good  god ! " 

Unfortunately  that  traveller  was  a  heretic  who  cared  much 
more  for  his  horses  than  for  the  *  good  god.'     He  answered : 

"  Le  Diable  emporte  ton  Bon  Dieu  avant  que  je  ne  casse  le 
cou  de  mon  cheval !"  The  devil  take  your  god  before  I  consent 
to  break  the  neck  of  my  horse.  If  your  god  has  not  taught  you 
the  rules  of  law  and  of  common  sense,  I  will  give  you  a  free 
lecture  on  that  matter,"  and  jumping  out  of  his  sleigh  he  took  the 
reins  of  the  front  horse  of  the  marguillier  to  help  him  to  walk 
on  the  side  of  the  road,  and  keep  the  half  of  it  for  himself. 

But  the  marguillier,  who  was  naturally  a  very  impatient  and 
fearless  man,  had  drank  too  much  with  my  curate,  before  he  left 
the  parsonage,  to  keep  cool,  as  he  ought  to  have  done.  He  also 
jumped  out  of  his  sleigh,  ran  to  the  stranger,  took  his  cravat  in 
his  left  hand  and  raised  his  right  one  to  strike  him  in  the  face. 

Unfortunately  for  him,  the  heretic  seem  to  have  foreseen  all 
this.  He  had  left  his  overcoat  in  the  sleigh  and  was  more  ready 
for  the  conflict  than  his  assailant.  He  was  also  a  real  giant  in 
size  and  strength.  As  quick  as  lightning  his  right  and  left  fists 
fell  like  iron  masses  on  the  face  of  the  poor  marguillier,  and 
threw  him  on  his  back  in  the  soft  snow,  where  he  almost 
disappeared. 


176 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


B 


"Till  then  the  curate  had  been  a  silent  spectator ;  but  with 
the  sight  and  the  cries  of  his  friend,  whom  the  stranger  was 
pommelling  without  mercy,  made  him  lose  his  patience.  Taking 
the  little  silk  bag  which  contained  the  "  good  god"  from  about 
his  neck,  where  it  was  tied,  he  put  it  on  the  seat  of  the  sleigh,  and 
said :  "  Dear  good  god !  Please  remain  neutral ;  I  must  help 
m"y  marguillier!  Take  no  part  in  this  conflict,  and  I  will  rnnich 
that  infamous  Protestant  as  he  deserves." 

"  But  the  unfortunate  marguillier  was  entirely  put  Aors  de 
combat  before  the  curate  could  go  to  his  help.  His  face  was 
horribly  cut — three  teeth  were  broken — the  lower  jaw  dislocated, 
and  the  eyes  were  so  terribly  damaged  that  it  took  several  days 
before  he  could  see  anything. 

"  When  the  heretic  saw  the  priest  coming  to  renew  the  battle, 
he  threw  down  his  other  coat,  to  be  freer  in  his  movements. 
The  curate  had  not  been  so  wise.  Relying  too  much  on  his 
herculean  strength,  covered  with  his  heavy  overcoat,  on  which 
was  his  white  surplice,  he  threw  himself  on  the  stranger,  like 
a  big  rock  which  falls  from  the  mountain  and  rolls  upon  the  oak 
below. 

"  Both  of  these  combatants  were  real  giants,  and  the  first  blows 
must  have  been  terrible  on  both  sides.  But  the  "infamous 
heretic"  probably  had  not  drank  so  much  as  my  curate  before 
leaving  home,  or  perhaps  he  was  more  expert  in  the  exchange 
of  these  bloody  jokes.  The  battle  was  long  and  the  blood 
flowed  pretty  freely  on  both  sides.  The  cries  of  the  combatants 
might  have  been  heard  at  a  long  distance,  were  it  not  for  the 
roaring  noise  of  the  wind  which  at  that  instant  was  blowing  a 
hurricane. 

"  The  storm,  the  cries,  the  blows,  the  blood,  the  surplice  and 
the  overcoat  of  the  priest  torn  to  rags,  the  shirt  of  the  stranger 
reddened  with  gore  made  such  a  terrible  spectacle,  that  in  the 
end  the  horses  of  the  marguillier,  though  well  trained  animals, 
took  fright  and  threw  themselves  into  the  snow,  turned  their  backs 
to  the  storm  and  made  for  home.  They  dragged  the  fragments 
of  the  upset  sleigh  a  pretty  long  distance,  and  arrived  at  the  door  of 
their  stable  with  only  some  diminutive  parts  of  the  harness. 


i4i 


wmmmmmm 


iippnihni  ji^m 


H^Pfi? 


'jir^^ip'rir^ 


'  ^WF'WWf'IffPW^ 


STARTLING    CONSEQUENCES    OF    TRANSUBSTANTIATION.     1 77 

"  The  '  good  god '  had  evidently  heard  the  prayer  of  my  curate, 
and  he  had  remained  neutral ;  at  all  events  he  had  not  taken  the 
part  of  his  priest,  for  he  lost  the  day,  and  the  infamous  Protestant 
remained  master  of  the  battle-field. 

"  The  curate  had  to  help  his  marguillier  out  of  the  snow  in 
which  he  was  buried,  and  where  he  had  lain  like  a  slaughtered 
ox.  Both  had  to  walk,  or  rather  crawl,  nearly  half  a  niile  in 
snow  to  the  knees,  before  they  could  reach  the  nearest  farm- 
house, where  they  arrived  when  it  was  dark. 

"  But  the  worst  is  not  told.  You  remember  when  my  curate 
had  put  the  box  containing  the  '  good  god '  on  the  seat  of  the 
sleigh,  before  going  to  fight.  The  horses  had  dragged 
the  sleigh  a  certain  distance,  upset  and  smashed  it.  The  little 
silk  bag,  with  the  silver  box  and  its  precious  contents,  was  lost 
in  the  snow,  and  though  several  hundred  people  had  looked 
for  it,  several  days  at  different  times,  it  could  not  be  found.  It 
was  only  late  in  the  month  of  June,  that  a  little  boy,  seeing  some 
rags  in  the  mud  of  the  ditch,  along  the  highway,  lifted  them  and 
a  little  silver  box  fell  out.  Suspecting  that  it  was  what  the 
people  had  looked  for  so  many  days  during  the  last  winter,  he 
took  it  to  the  parsonage. 

"  I  was  there  when  it  was  opened ;  we  had  the  hope  that  the 
♦  good  god '  would  be  found  pretty  intact,  but  we  were  doomed 
to  be  disappointed.  Tke  good  god  was  entirely  melted  away. 
Le  Bon  Dieu  etaitfondu  !  " 

During  the  recital  of  that  spicy  story,  which  was  told  in  the 
most  amusing  and  comical  way,  the  priests  had  drunk  freely  and 
laughed  heartily.  But  when  the  conclusion  came :  "  Le  Bon 
Dieu  etait  fondue!" 

«*  The  good  god  was  melted  away ! "  There  was  a  burst  of 
laughter  such  as  I  never  heard — the  priests  striking  the  floor 
with  their  feet,  and  the  table  with  their  hands,  filled  the  house 
with  the  cries,  "  The  good  god  melted  away  1 " 

"  The  good  god  melted  away ! " 

"Le  Bon  Dieu  est  fondu!"  « Le  Bon  Dieu  est  fondu!'* 
Yes,  the  god  of  Rome,  dragged  away  by  a  drunken  priest,  had 
really  melted  away  in  the  muddy  ditch.     This  glorious  fact  was 


-'^l^ 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


itt  ly    12.2 
1^    12.0 


118 


IL25  HI  1.4 


1.6 


Sdences 
Corporalion 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRIIT 

WIUTIR,N.Y.  14510 

(71«)S72-4S03 


.** 


firAf 


4^' 


«)p..4Jmiwpipj|ii 


178 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


proclaimed  by  his  own  priests  in  the  midst  of  convulsive  laughter, 
and  at  tables  covered  with  scores  of  bottles  just  emptied  by  them ! 

6.  About  the  middle  of  March,  1839,  ^  ^^^  °"®  ^^  *^®  "^^s* 
unfortunate  days  of  my  Roman  Catholic  priestly  life.  At  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  a  poor  Irishman  had  come  in  haste 
from  beyond  the  high  mountains,  between  lake  Beauport  and  the 
river  Morency,  to  ask  me  to  go  and  anoint  a  dying  woman.  It 
took  me  ten  minutes  to  run  to  the  church,  put  the  "  good  god  "  in 
the  little  silver  box,  shut  the  whole  in  my  vest  pocket  and  jump 
into  the  Irishman's  rough  sleigh.  The  roads  were  exeeedingly 
bad,  and  we  had  to  go  very  slowly.  At  7  p.  m.  we  were  yet 
more  than  three  miles  from  the  sick  woman's  house.  It  was 
very  dark,  and  the  horse  was  so  exhausted  that  it  was  impossible 
to  go  any  further  through  the  gloomy  forest.  I  determined  to 
pass  the  night  at  a  poor  Irish  cabin  which  was  near  the  road.  I 
knocked  at  the  door,  asked  hospitality,  and  was  welcomed  with 
that  warm-hearted  demonstration  of  respect  which  the  Roman 
Catholic  Irishman  knows,  better  than  any  other  man,  how  to  pay 
to  his  priests. 

The  shanty,  twenty-four  feet  long  by  sixteen  wide,  was  built 
with  round  logs,  between  which  a  liberal  supply  of  clay,  instead 
of  mortar,  had  been  thrown,  to  prevent  the  wind  and  cold  from 
entering.  Six  fat,  though  not  absolutely  well-washed,  healthy 
boys  and  girls,  half -naked,  presented  themselves  around  their 
good  parents,  as  the  living  witnesses  that  this  cabin,  in  spite  of  its 
ugly  appearance,  was  really  a  happy  home  for  its  dwellers. 

Besides  the  eight  human  beings  sheltered  beneath  that  hos- 
pitable roof,  I  saw,  at  one  end,  a  magnificent  cow,  with  her  new- 
born calf,  and  two  fine  pigs.  These  last  two  boarders  were 
separated  from  the  rest  of  the  family  only  by  a  branch  partition 
two  or  three  feet  high. 

«'  Please  your  reverence,"  said  the  good  woman,  after  she  had 
prepared  her  supper,  excuse  our  poverty,  "  but  be  sure  that  we 
feel  happy  and  much  honored  to  have  you  in  our  humble  dwel- 
ling for  the  night.  My  only  regret  is  that  we  have  only  pota- 
toes, milk  and  butter  to  give  you  for  your  supper.  In  these 
backwoods,  tea,  sugar  and  wheat  flour  are  unknown  luxuries." 


STARTLING   CONSEQUENCES   OF   TRANSUBSTANTIATION.    179 


I  thanked  that  good  woman  for  her  hospitality,  and  caused 
her  to  rejoice  not  a  little  by  assuring  her  that  good  potatoes, 
fresh  butter  and  milk,  were  the  best  delicacies  which  could  be 
offered  to  me  in  any  place.  I  sat  at  the  table,  and  ate  one  of  the 
most  delicious  suppers  of  my  life.  The  potatoes  were  exceedingly 
well  cooked — the  butter,  cream  and  milk  of  the  best  quality,  and 
my  appetite  was  not  a  little  sharpened  by  the  long  journey  over 
the  steep  mountains. 

I  had  not  told  these  good  people,  nor  even  my  driver,  that 
I  had  "  Le  bon  Dieu,"  the  good  god,  with  me  in  my  vest  pocket. 
It  would  have  made  them  too  uneasy,  and  would  have  added  too 
much  to  my  other  difficulties.  When  the  time  of  sleeping  arrived 
I  went  to  bed  with  all  my  clothing,  and  I  slept  well ;  for  I  was 
very  tired  by  the  tedious  and  broken  roads  from  Beauport  to  these 
distant  mountains. 

Next  morning,  before  breakfast  and  the  dawn  of  day,  I  was 
up,  and  as  soon  as  we  had  a  glimpse  of  light  to  see  our  way,  I 
left  for  the  house  of  the  sick  woman  after  offering  a  silent  prayer, 

I  had  not  traveled  a  quarter  of  a  mile  when  I  put  my  hand 
into  my  vest  pocket,  and  to  my  indescribable  dismay  I  found  that 
the  little  silver  box,  containing  the  "good  god,"  was  missing. 
A  cold  sweat  ran  through  my  frame.  I  told  my  driver  to  stop 
and  turn  back  immediately,  that  I  had  lost  something  which 
might  be  found  in  the  bed  where  I  had  slept.  It  did  not  take 
five  minutes  to  retrace  our  way. 

On  opening  the  door  I  found  the  poor  woman  and  her  husband 
almost  beside  themselves,  and  distressed  beyond  measure.  They 
were  pale  and  trembling  as  criminals  who  expected  to  be  con- 
demned. 

"  Did     you  not    find    a  little  silver  box  after  I  left,"  I  said. 

"  O  my  God  1"  answered  the  desolate  woman,  "  Yes,  I  have 
found  it,  but  would  to  God  I  had  never  seen  it.     There  it  is.'' 

"  But  why  do  you  regret  finding  it,  when  I  am  so  happy  to 
find  it  here,  safe  in  your  hands  I "  I  replied. 

"  Ah !  your  reverence,  you  do  not  know  what  a  terrible 
misfortune  has  just  happened  to  me,  not  more  than  half  a  minute 
before  you  knocked  at  the  door." 


'W^^mmmimm^mm^. 


ippppnipiipi 


P^*l 


i8o 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


*«  What  misfortune  can  have  fallen  upon  you  in  so  short  a 
time,"  I  answered. 

"  Well,  please  your  reverence,  open  the  little  box  and  you 
will  understand  me." 

I  opened  it,  but  the  "  good  god  "  was  not  in  it  ! !  Looking 
in  the  face  of  the  poor  distressed  woman,  I  asked  her,  "  What 
does  this  mean  ?     It  is  empty ! " 

"  It  means,"  answered  she,  "  that  I  am  the  most  unfortunate 
of  women !  Not  more  than  five  minutes  after  you  had  left  the 
house,  I  went  to  your  bed  and  found  that  little  box.  Not 
knowing  what  it  was  I  showed  it  to  my  children  and  to  my 
husband.  I  asked  him  to  open  it,  but  he  refused  to  do  it.  I 
then  turned  it  on  every  side,  trying  to  guess  what  it  could  contain ; 
till  the  devil  tempted  me  so  much  that  I  determined  to  open  it. 
I  came  to  this  corner,  where  this  pale  lamp  is  used  to  remain 
on  that  little  shelf,  and  I  opened  it.  But,  O  «iy  God ;  I  do  not 
dare  to  tell  the  rest." 

At  these  words  she  fell  on  the  floor  in  a  fit  of  nervous  excite- 
ment— her  cries  were  piercing,  her  mouth  was  foaming.  She 
was  cruelly  tearing  her  hair  with  her  own  hands.  The  shrieks 
and  lamentations  of  the  children  were  so  distressing  that  I  could 
hardly  prevent  myself  from  crying  also. 

After  a  few  moments  of  the  most  agonizing  anxiety,  seeing 
that  the  poor  woman  was  becoming  calm,  I  addressed  myself 
to  the  husband,  and  said :  "  Please  give  me  the  explanation  of 
these  strange  things  ?  " 

He  could  hardly  speak  at  first,  but  as  I  was  very  pressing  he 
told  me  with  a  trembling  voice:  "Please  your  reverence;  look 
into  that  vessel  which  the  children  use,  and  you  will  perhaps 
understand  our  desolation!  When  my  wife  opened  the  little 
silver  box  she  did  not  observe  the  vessel  was  there,  just  beneath 
her  hands.  In  the  opening,  what  was  in  the  silver  box  fell  into 
that  vase,  and  sank!  We  were  all  filled  with  consternation 
when  you  knocked  at  the  door  and  entered." 

I  felt  struck  with  such  unspeakable  horror  at  the  thought 
that  the  body,  blood,  soul  and  divinity  of  my  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ,  was  there,  sunk  into  that  vase,  that  I  remained  speechless, 


?iw^'i^!^wm^'^- 


^iW«?|impr|!!ii!Mi'ii  I  '"I'J'Ppii 


STARTLING   CONSEQUENCES   OF    TRANSUBSTANTIATION.       l8l 


and  for  a  long  time  did  not  know  what  to  do.  At  first  it  came 
to  my  mind  to  plunge  my  hands  into  the  vase  and  try  to  get  my 
Saviour  out  of  that  sepulchre  of  ignominy.  But  I  could  not 
muster  courage  to  do  so. 

At  last  I  requested  the  poor  desolated  family  to  dig  a  hole 
three  feet  deep  in  the  ground,  and  deposit  it,  with  its  contents, 
and  I  left  the  house,  after  I  had  forbidden  them  from  ever  saying 
a  word  about  that  awful  calamity. 

7.  In  one  of  the  most  sacred  books  of  the  laws  and  regula- 
tions of  the  Church  of  Rome  (Missale  Romanism),  we  read, 
page  58,  "  If  the  priest  after  the  communion,  vomit,  and  that 
in  the  vomited  matter  the  consecrated  bread  appears;  let  him 
swallow  what  he  has  vomited.  But  if  he  feels  too  much 
repugnance  to  swallow  it,  let  him  separate  the  body  of 
Christ  (the  consecrated  bread),  from  the  vomited  matter, 
till  it  be  entirely  corrupted,  and  then  throw  it  into  the 
sacrarium." 

8.  When  a  priest  of  Rome,  I  was  bound,  with  all  the 
Roman  Catholics,  to  believe  that  Christ  had  taken  His  own 
body,  with  his  own  hands,  to  His  mouth!  and  that  he  had  eaten 
Himself,  not  in  a  spiritual,  but  in  a  substantial  material  way! 
After  eating  himself,  he  had  given  it  to  each  one  of  his  apostles, 
who  then  ate  him  also  ! ! 

9.  Before  closing  this  chapter  let  the  reader  allow  me  to 
ask  him,  if  the  world  in  its  darkest  ages  of  paganism,  has  ever 
witnessed  such  a  system  of  idolatry,  so  debasing,  impious, 
ridiculous  and  diabolical  in  its  consequences  as  the  Church  of 
Rome  teaches  in  the  dogma  of  transubstantiation  I 

When,  with  the  light  of  the  gospel  in  hand,  the  Christian 
goes  into  those  horrible  recesses  of  superstition,  folly  and  impiety, 
he  can  hardly  believe  what  his  eyes  see  and  his  ears  hear.  It 
seems  impossible  that  men  can  consent  to  worship  a  god  whom 
the  rats  can  eat!  A  god  who  can  be  dragged  away  and  lost  in 
a  muddy  ditch  by  a  drunken  priest!  A  god  who  can  be  eaten, 
vomited,  and  eaten  again  by  those  who  are  courageous  enough 
to  eat  again  what  they  have  vomited  !  ! 

The  religion  of  Rome  is  not  a  religion:  it  is  the  mockery, 


ri  il 


182 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE   CHURCH    OF   ROME. 


the  destruction,  the  ignominious  caricature  of  religion.  The 
Church  of  Rome,  as  a  public  fact,  is  nothing  but  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  awful  prophecy:  "Because  they  receive  not  the 
love  of  the  truth  that  they  might  be  saved,  God  shall  send  them 
strong  delusions  that  they  migh'.  believe  a  lie."  (2  Thess.  ii.  x. 
xi.) 


w^miwam^gfmm^^. 


Chapter  XIX. 


VIOASAOB,  AND  UFB  AT  ST.  OHABIiBS,  BIVIBBBB  BOTBB. 


ON  the  24th  September,  1833,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Casault,  secretary 
of  the  bishop  of  Quebec,  presented  to  me  the  official  letters 
which  named  me  the  vicar  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Perras,  arch-priest, 
and  curate  o£  St.  Charles,  Rivierre  Boyer,  and  I  was  soon  on 
my  way,  with  a  cheerful  heart,  to  fill  the  post  assigned  to  me 
by  my  superior. 

The  parish  of  St.  Charles  is  beautifully  situated  about  twenty 
miles  south-west  of  Quebec,  on  the  banks  of  a  river,  which  flows 
in  its  very  midst,  from  north  to  south.  Its  large  farm-houses 
and  bams,  neatly  white-washed  with  lime,  were  the  symbols  of 
peace  and  comfort.  The  vandal  axe  had  not  yet  destroyed  the 
cehtenary  forests  which  covered  the  country.  On  almost  every 
farm  a  splendid  grove  of  maples  had  been  reserved  as  the  witness 
of  the  intelligence  and  tas^e  of  the  people. 

I  had  often  heard  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Perras,  as  one  of  the  most 

learned,  pious  and  venerable  priests  of  Canada.     I  had  even  been 

told  that  several  of  the  governors  of  Quebec  had  chosen  him  for 

the  French  teacher  of  their  children.     When  I  arrived  he  was 

absent  on  a  sick  call,  but  his  sister  received  me  with  every  mark 

of  refined  politeness.     Under  the  burden  of  her  five  and  fifty 

years  she  had  kept  all  the  freshness  rnd  aimiability  of  youth. 

After  a  few  words  of  welcome  she  showed  me  my  study  and 

sleeping-room.     They  were  both  perfumed  with  the  fragrance 

of  two  magnificeni  bouquets  of  the  choicest  flowers,  on  the  top 

of  one  of  which  were  written  the  words:     "Welcome  to  the 

angel  whom  the  Lord  sends  to  us  as  his  messenger."     The  two 

rooms  were  the  perfection  of  neatness  and  comfort.     I  shut  the 

doors  and  fell  on  my  knees  to  thank  God  and  the  blessed  Virgin 

183 


ppippi^plipipf 


I 


184 


FIFTY   YSARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


for  having  given  me  such  a  home.  Ten  minutes  later  I  came 
back  to  the  large  parlor,  where  I  found  Miss  Perras  waiting  for 
me,  to  offer  me  a  glass  of  wine  and  some  excellent  "  pain  de 
savoie,"  as  it  was  the  universal  custom,  then,  to  do  in  every 
respectable  house.  She  then  told  me  how  her  brother,  the  curate, 
and  herself  were  happy  when  they  heard  that  I  was  to  come 
and  live  with  them.  She  had  known  my  mother  before  her 
marriage,  and  she  told  me  how  she  had  passed  several  happy 
days  in  her  company. 

She  could  not  speak  to  me  of  any  subject  more  interesting, 
than  my  mother;  for,  though  she  had  died  a  few  years  before, 
she  had  never  ceased  to  be  present  to  my  mind,  and  near  and 
dear  to  my  heart. 

Miss  Perras  had  not  spoken  long  when  the  curate  arrived. 
I  rose  to  meet  him,  but  it  is  impossible  to  adequately  express 
what  I  felt  at  that  moment.  The  Israelites  were  hardly  struck 
with  more  awe  when  they  saw  Moses  coming  down  from  Mount 
Sinai,  than  I  was  at  the  first  sight  I  had  of  that  venerable  man. 

Rev.  Mr.  Perras  was  then  about  sixty-five  years  old.  He 
was  a  tall  man — almost  a  giant.  No  army  officer,  no  king  ever 
bore  his  head  with  more  dignity.  But  his  beautiful  blue  eyes, 
which  were  the  embodiment  of  kindness,  tempered  the  dignity 
ot  his  mien.  His  hair,  which  was  beginning  to  whiten,  had  not 
yet  lost  its  golden  lustre.  It  seemed  as  if  silver  and  gold  were 
mixed  on  his  head  to  adorn  and  beautify  it.  There  was  on  his 
face  an  expression  of  peace,  calm,  piety  and  kindness,  which 
entirely  won  my  heart  and  my  respect.  When,  with  a  smile  on 
his  lips,  he  extended  his  hands  towards  me,  I  felt  beside  myself, 
"'I  fell  on  my  knees  and  said:  "Mr.  Perras,  God  sends  me  to 
you  that  you  may  be  my  teacher  and  my  father.  You  will  have 
to  guide  my  first  and  inexperienced  steps  in  the  holy  ministry. 
Do  bless  me  and  pray  that  I  may  be  a  good  priest  as  you  are 
yourself." 

That  unpremeditated  and  earnest  act  of  mine,  so  touched  the 
good  old  priest,  that  he  could  hardly  speak.  Leaning  towards 
me  he  raised  me  up  and  pressed  me  to  his  bosom,  and  with  a 
voice  trembling  with  emotion  he  said :     '"'  May  God  bless  you 


!?j|y>-.?^''''^''"-wwui,piipBipi|iiwpi«fiywff)i|ft?!ii('^^^ 


VICARAGE,   AND    LIFE    AT    ST.   CHARLES. 


185 


my  dear  sir,  and  may  he  also  be  Dicssed  for  havmg  cnosen  you 
to  help  me  to  carry  the  burden  of  the  holy  ministry  in  my  old 
age."  After  half-an-hour  of  the  most  interesting  conversation, 
he  showed  me  his  library,  which  was  very  large  and  composed 
of  the  best  books  which  a  priest  of  Rome  is  allowed  to  read ; 
and  he  very  kindly  put  it  at  my  service. 

Next  morning,  after  breakfast,  he  handed  me  a  large  and 
neat  sheet  of  paper,  headed  by  these  latin  words: 

"  ORDO    DUCIT    AD    DEUM." 

It  was  the  rule  of  life  which  he  had  imposed  upon  himself,  to 
guide  all  the  hours  of  the  day  in  such  a  way  that  not  a  moment 
could  be  given  to  idleness  or  vain  pastime. 

"  Would  you  be  kind  enough,"  he  said,  "  to  read  this  and 
tell  me  if  it  suits  your  views?  I  have  found  great  spiritual  and 
temporal  benefits  in  following  these  rules  of  life,  and  would  be 
very  happy  if  my  dear  young  coadjutor  would  unite  with  me 
in  walking  in  the  ways  of  an  orderly.  Christian  and  priestly  life. 

I  read  this  document  with  interest  and  pleasure,  and  handed 
it  back  to  him  saying :  "  I  will  be  very  happy,  with  the  help 
of  God,  to  follow,  with  you  the  wise  rules  set  down  here  for 
a  holy  and  priestly  life."  • 

Thinking  that  these  rules  might  be  interesting  to  the  reader, 
I  give  them  here  in  full: 


■'L 

"  ,1;:' 


I. 

Rising,       ..... 

5.30  a.  m. 

2. 

Prayer  and  meditation, 

6  to  6.30  a.  m. 

3. 

Mass,  hearing  confession  and  recitation  of 

brevarium,   .            .            .            • 

6.30  to  8  a.m. 

4- 

Breakfast,  ..... 

8  a.m. 

.S- 

Visitation  of  tlie  sick,  and  reading  tlie  lives 

of  the  saints,            ... 

8.30  to  10  a.  m. 

6. 

Study    of    philosophical,    historical,    or 

theological  books,    - 

II  a.m.  to  12. 

7- 

Dinner,      ..... 

12  to  12.30. 

8. 

Recreation  and  conversation. 

12.30  to  1.30. 

9- 

Recitation  of  vespers,       ... 

1.30  to  2  p.m 

10 

Study  of  history;  theology  or  philosophy 

2  to  4  p.  m. 

II. 

Visit  to  the  holy  sacrament  and  reading 

"  Imitation  of  Jesus  Christ," 

4  to  4.30  p.m. 

12. 

Hearing  cf  confessions,  or  visit  to  the 

sick,  or  study, 

4.30  to  6  p.  m. 

13- 

Supper,      ..... 

6  to  6.30  p.  m. 

i86 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


'pi 


14.  Recraation,  ....  6.30  to  8  p.  m. 

15.  Chaplet — reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 

and  prayer,  -  -  •  8  to  9  p.  m. 

16.  Going  to  bed,  •  -  9  p.  m. 

Such  was  our  daily  life  during  the  eight  months  which  it 
was  my  privilege  to  remain  with  the  venerable  Mr.  Perras, 
except  that  Thursdays  were  invariably  given  to  visit  some  of 
the  neighboring  curates,  and  the  Sabbath  days  spent  in  hearing 
confessions,  and  performing  the  public  services  of  the  church. 

The  conversation  of  Mr.  Perras  was  generally  exceedingly 
interesting.  I  never  heard  from  him  any  idle,  frivolous  talking, 
as  it  is  so  much  the  habit  among  the  priests.  He  was  well 
versed  in  the  literature,  philosophy,  history  and  theology  of 
Rome.  He  had  personally  known  almost  all  the  bishops  and 
priests  of  the  last  fifty  years,  and  his  memory  was  well  stored 
with  anecdotes  and  facts  concerning  the  clergy,  from  almost 
the  days  of  the  conquest  of  Canada.  I  could  write  many 
interesting  things,  were  I  to  publish  what  I  heard  from  him, 
concerning  the  doings  of  tlxe  clergy.  I  will  only  give  two  or 
three  of  the  facts  of  that  interesting  period  of  the  church  in 
Canada. 

.\  couple  of  mpnths  before  my  arrival  at  St.  Charles,  the 
vicar  who  preceded  me,  called  Lajus,  had  publicly  eloped 
with  one  of  his  beautiful  penitents,  who,  after  three  months 
of  public  scandal,  had  repented  and  come  back  to  her  heart- 
broken parents.  About  the  same  time  a  neighboring  curate, 
in  whom  I  had  great  confidence,  compromised  himself  also, 
with  one  of  his  fair  parishioners,  in  a  most  shameful,  though 
less  public  way.  These  two  scandals,  which  came  to  my 
knowledge  almost  at  the  same  time,  distressed  me  exceedingly, 
and  for  nearly  a  week  I  felt  so  overwhelmed  with  shame, 
that  I  dreaded  to  show  my  face  in  public,  and  I  almost  regretted 
that  I  ever  became  a  priest.  My  nights  were  sleepless;  the 
best  viands  of  the  table  had  lost  their  relish.  I  could  hardly  eat 
anything.  My  conversations  with  Mr.  Perras  had  lost  their 
charms.     I  even  could  hardly  talk  with  him  or  anybody  else. 

"  Are  you  sick,  my  young  friend  ?  "  said  he  to  me  one  day. 

"  No,  sir,  I  am  not  sick,  but  I  am  sad." 


VICAR  A  3B,  AND   LIFE    AT   ST.   CHARLES. 


187 


He  replied,  "Can  I  know  the  cause  of  your  sadness?  You 
used  to  be  so  cheerful  and  happy  since  you  came  here.  I 
must  bring  you  back  to  your  former  happy  frame  of  mind. 
Please  tell  me  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  I  am  an  old  man 
and  I  know  many  remedies  for  the  soul  as  well  as  for  the 
body.  Open  your  heart  to  me,  and  I  hope  soon  to  see  that  dark 
cloud  which  is  ov-or  you  pass  away." 

"  The  two  last  awful  scandals  given  by  the  priests,"  I 
answered,  "are  the  cause  of  my  sadness.  The  news  of  the 
fall  of  these  two  conferes  one  of  whom  seemed  to  me  so 
respectable,  has  fallen  upon  me  like  a  thunderbolt.  Though 
I  had  heard  something  of  that  nature  when  I  was  a  simple 
ecclesiastic  in  the  college,  I  had  not  the  least  idea  that  such 
was  the  life  of  so  many  priests.  The  fact  of  the  human  frailty 
of  so  many,  is  really  distressing.  How  can  one  hope  to  stand 
up  on  one's  feet  when  one  sees  such  strong  men  fall  by  one's 
side?  What  will  become  of  our  holy  church  in  Canada,  and 
all  over  the  world,  if  her  most  devoted  priests  are  so  weak 
and  have  so  little  self-respect,  and  so  little  fear  of  God  ? " 

"My  dear  young  friend,"  answered  Mr.  Perras.  "Our 
holy  church  is  infallible.  The  gates  of  hell  can  not  prevail 
against  her;  but  the  assurance  of  her  perpetuity  and  infallibility 
does  not  rest  on  any  human  foundation.  It  does  not  rest  on 
the  personal  holiness  of  her  priests;  but  it  rests  on  the  promises 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Her  perpetuity  and  infallibility  are  a  perpetual 
miracle.  It  requires  the  constant  working  of  Jesus  Christ  to 
keep  her  pure  and  holy,  in  spite  of  the  sins  and  scandals  of 
her  priests.  Even  the  clearest  proof  that  our  holy  church  has 
a  promis«  of  perpetuity,  and  infallibility  is  drawn  from  the  very 
sins  and  scandals  of  her  priest;  for  those  sins  and  scandals 
would  have  destroyed  her  long  ago,  if  Christ  was  not  in  the 
midst  to  save  and  sustain  her.  Just  as  the  ark  of  Noah  was 
miraculously  saved  by  the  mighty  hand  of  God,  when  the 
waters  of  the  deluge  would  otherwise  have  wrecked  it,  so  our 
holy  church  is  miraculously  prevented  from  perishing  in  the 
flood  of  iniquities  by  which  too  many  priests  have  deluged  the 
world.     By  the  great  mercy  and  power  of  God,  the  more  the 


■  't?:5''*r'55^f 


188 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OP    ROME. 


waters  of  thedeluge  were  flowing  on  the  earth,  the  more  the 
arkwas  raised  towanis  heaven  by  these  very  waters.  So  it 
is  with  our  holy  church.  The  very  sins  of  the  priests  make 
that  spotless  spouse  of  Jesus  Christ  fly  away  higher  and  higher 
towards  the  regions  of  holiness,  as  it  is  in  God.  Let,  therefore, 
your  faith  and  confidence  in  our  holy  church,  and  your  respect 
for  her,  remain  firm  and  unshaken  in  the  midst  of  all  these 
scandals.  Let  your  zeal  be  rekindled  for  her  glory  and  exten- 
sion, at  the  sight  of  the  unfortunate  conferes  who  yield  to  the 
attacks  of  the  enemy.  Just  as  the  valiant  soldier  makes  super- 
human efforts  to  save  the  flag,  when  he  sees  those  who  carried 
it  fall  on  the  battle-field.  Oh!  you  will  see  more  of  our  flag- 
bearers  slaughtered  before  you  reach  my  age.  But  be  not 
disheartened  or  shaken  by  that  sad  spectacle;  for  once  more 
our  holy  church  will  stand  forever,  in  spite  of  all  those  human 
miseries,  for  her  strength  and  her  infallibility  do  not  lie  in  men, 
but  in  Jesus  Christ,  whose  promises  will  stand  in  spite  of  all 
the  efforts  of  hell. 

« I  am  near  the  end  of  my  course,  ana  thanks  be  to  God,  my 
faith  in  our  holy  church  is  stronger  than  ever,  though  I  have 
seen  and  heard  many  things,  compared  with  which,  the  facts 
which  just  now  distress  you  are  mere  trifles.  In  order  the 
better  to  inure  you  to  the  conflict,  and  to  prepare  you  to  hear 
and  see  more  deplorable  things  than  what  is  now  troubling 
you,  I  think  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you  a  fact  which  I  got  from 
the  late  lord  bishop  Plessis.  I  have  never  revealed  it  to  any- 
body, but  my  interest  in  you  is  so  great  that  I  will  tell  it  to  yon, 
and  my  confidence  in  your  wisdom  is  so  absolute,  that  I  am  sure 
you  will  never  abuse  it.  What  I  will  reveal  to  you  i&  of  such 
a  nature  that  we  must  keep  it  among  ourselves,  and  never  let 
it  be  known  to  the  people,  for  it  would  diminish,  if  not  destroy 
their  respect  and  confidence  in  us,  respect  and  confidence,  with- 
out which,  it  would  become  almost  impossible  to  lead  them." 

"  I  have  already  told  you  that  the  late  venerable  bishop 
Plessis  was  my  personal  friend.  Our  intimacy  had  sprung  up 
when  we  were  studying  under  the  same  roof  in  the  seminary 
of  St.  Sulpice,  Montreal,  and  it  had  increased  year  after  year 


|illp||p|P|PfPPPPipupiHi|!i4iiU!i.».'iii^p^ 


VICARAGE,    AND    LIFE    AT    ST.    CHARLES. 


189 


till  the  last  hour  of  his  life.  Every  Kuinmur,  when  he  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  three  months  of  episcopal  visitation  of 
his  diocese,  he  used  to  come  and  spend  eight  or  ten  days  of 
ahsolute  rest  and  enjoyment  of  private  and  solitary  life  with  me 
in  this  parsonage.  The  two  rooms  you  occupy  were  his,  and 
he  told  mc  many  times  that  the  happiest  days  of  his  episcopal 
life  were  those  passed  in  this  solitude. 

"  One  day  he  had  come  from  his  three  months'  visit,  more 
worn  out  than  ever,  and  when  I  sat  down  with  him  in  this 
parlor,  I  was  almost  frightened  by  the  air  of  distress  which 
covered  his  face.  Instead  of  finding  him  the  loquacious,  ami- 
able and  cheerful  guest  I  used  to  have  in  him,  he  was  taciturn, 
cast  down,  distressed.  I  felt  really  uneasy,  for  the  first  time, 
in  his  presence,  but  as  it  was  the  last  hour  of  the  day,  I  supposed 
that  this  was  due  to  his  extreme  fatigue,  and  I  hoped  that  the 
rest  of  the  night  would  bring  about  such  a  change  in  my  ven- 
erable friend,  that  I  would  find  him,  the  next  morning,  what 
he  used  to  be,  the  most  amiable  and  interesting  of  men. 

"I  was,  myself,  o  npletely  worn  out.  I  had  traveled 
nearly  thirty  miles  that  day,  to  go  to  receive  him  at  St.  Thomas. 
The  heat  was  oppressive,  the  roads  very  bad,  and  the  dust  awful. 
I  was  in  need  of  rest,  and  I  was  hardly  in  my  bed  when  I  fell 
into  a  profound  sleep,  and  slept  till  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
I  was  then  suddenly  awakened  by  sobs  and  half  suppressed 
lamentations  and  prayeis,  which  were  evidently  coming  from 
the  bishop's  room.  Without  losing  a  moment,  I  went  and 
knocked  at  the  door,  inquiring  about  the  cause  of  these  sobs. 
Evidently  the  poor  bishop  had  not  suspected  that  I  could  hear 
him. 

" '  Sobs !  Sobs ! '  he  answered, '  What  do  you  mean  by  that. 
Please  go  back  to  your  room  and  sleep.  Do  not  trouble  your- 
self about  me,  I  am  well,'  and  he  absolutely  refused  to  open 
the  door  of  his  room.  The  remaining  hours  of  the  night,  of 
course,  were  sleepless  ones  for  me.  The  sobs  of  the  bishop 
were  more  suppressed,  but  he  could  not  suflliciently  suppress 
them  to  prevent  me  from  hearing  them.  The  next  morning 
his  eyes  were  reddened  with  weeping,  and  his  face  was  that 


190 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


of  one  who  had  suffered  intensely  all  the  night.  After  break- 
fast I  said  to  him :  "  My  loi  <1,  last  night  has  been  one  of 
desolation  to  your  lordship;  for  God's  sake,  and  in  the  name 
of  the  sacred  ties  of  friendship,  which  has  united  us  during 
so  many  years,  please  tell  me  what  is  the  cause  of  your  sorrow. 
It  will  become  less  the  very  moment  you  share  it  with  your 
friend." 

«  The  bishop  answered  me :  ♦  You  are  right  when  you 
think  that  I  am  under  the  burden  of  a  great  desolation;  but 
its  cause  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  I  cannot  reveal  it  even  to 
you,  my  dear  friend.  It  is  only  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
His  holy  mother,  that  I  must  go  to  unburden  my  heart.  If 
God  does  not  come  to  my  help,  it  is  sure  that  I  must  die  from 
it.  But  I  will  carry  with  me  into  my  grave,  the  awful  mystery 
which  kills  me.' 

"  In  vain,  during  the  rest  of  the  day,  I  did  all  that  I  could 
to  persuade  Monseigneur  Plessis  to  reveal  the  cause  of  his  grief. 
I  failed.  At  last,  through  respect  for  him,  I  withdrew  to  my 
own  room,  and  left  him  alone,  knowing  that  solitude  is  some- 
times the  best  friend  of  a  desolated  mind.  His  lordship,  that 
evening,  withdrew  to  his  sleeping  room  sooner  than  usual,  and 
I  retired  to  my  room  much  later.  But  sleep  was  out  of  the 
question  for  me  that  night,  for  his  desolation  seemed  to  be  so 
great,  and  his  tears  so  abundant,  that  when  he  bade  me  *  good- 
night,' I  was  in  fear  of  finding  my  venerable,  and  more 
than  ever  dear  friend,  dead  in  his  bed  the  next  morning.  I 
watched  him,  without  closing  my  eyes,  from  the  adjoining 
room,  from  ten  o'clock  till  the  next  morning.  Though  it  was 
evident  that  he  was  making  great  efforts  to  suppress  his  sobs, 
I  could  see  that  his  sorrow  was  still  more  intense  that  night, 
than  the  last  one,  and  my  mental  agony  was  not  much  less 
than  his,  during  those  distressing  hours. 

"But  I  formed  an  extreme  resolution,  which  I  put  into 
effect  the  very  moment  that  he  came  out  of  his  room  the  next 
morning,  to  salute  me. 

*"My  Lord,'  said  I,  'I  thought  till  the  night  before  last, 
that  you  honored  me  with  your  friendship,  but  I  see  to-day 


^ippllpplll^^ 


y '™"' 


VICARAGE,   AND    LIFE    AT    ST.   CHARLES. 


191 


that  I  was  mistaken.  You  do  not  consider  me  as  your  friend, 
for  if  you  would  look  upon  me  as  a  friend  worthy  of  your 
confidence,  you  would  unburden  your  heart  into  mine.  A 
true  friend  has  no  secret  from  a  true  friend.  What  is  the  use 
of  friendship  if  it  be  not  to  help  each  other  to  carry  the  burdens 
of  life!  I  found  myself  honored  by  your  presence  in  my  house, 
so  long  as.  I  considered  myself  as  your  own  friend.  But  now, 
that  I  see  I  have  lost  your  confidence,  please  allow  me  frankly 
to  say  to  your  lordship,  that  I  do  not  feel  the  same  at  your 
presence  here.  Besides,  it  seems  to  me  very  probable  that 
the  terrible  burden  which  you  want  to  carry  alone,  will  kill 
you,  and  that  very  soon,  and  I  do  not  at  all  like  the  idea  of  find- 
ing you  suddenly  dead  in  my  parsonage,  and  having  the  Cor- 
oner holding  his  inquest  upon  your  body,  and  making  the 
painful  inquiries  which  are  always  made  upon  one  suddenly 
taken  by  death,  particularly  when  he  belongs  to  the  highest 
ranks  of  society.  Then,  my  lord,  be  not  offended  if  I  respectfully 
request  your  lordship  to  find  another  lodging  as  soon  us  possible.' 

"My  words  fell  upon  the  bishop  like  a  thunderbolt.  He 
seemed  to  awaken  from  a  profound  sleep.  With  a  deep  sigh 
he  looked  in  my  face  with  his  eyes  rolling  in  tears,  and  said : 

"'You  are  right,  Perras,  I  ought  never  to  have  concealed 
my  sorrow  from  such  a  friend  as  you  have  always  been  for 
more  than  half  a  century  to  me.  But  you  are  the  only  one  to 
whom  I  can  reveal  it.  No  doubt  your  priestly  and  Christian 
heart  will  not  be  less  broken  than  mine ;  but  you  will  help  me 
with  your  prayers  and  wise  counsels  to  carry  it.  However, 
before  I  initiate  you  into  such  an  awful  mystery,  we  must  pray." 

"We  then  knelt  down,  and  we  said  together,  a  chaplet  to 
invoke  the  power  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  after  which  we  recited 
Psalm  li :  ♦  Miserere  mihi.'     Have  mercy  upon  me  O  Lord ! 

"Then,  sitting  by  me  on  this  sofa,  the  bishop  said:  'My 
dear  Mr.  Perras,  you  are  the  only  one  to  whom  I  could  reveal 
what  you  are  about  to  hear,  for  I  think  you  are  the  only  one 
who  can  hear  such  a  terrible  secret  without  revealing  it,  and 
because,  also,  you  are  the  only  friend  whose  advice  can  guide 
me  in  this  terrible  affliction. 


•  '■■■-I 


KiaO&K". 


192 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


" '  You  know  that  I  have  just  finished  the  visit  of  my  immense 
diocese  of  Quebec.  It  has  taken  me  several  years  of  hard  work 
and  fatigue,  to  see  by  my  own  eyes,  and  know  by  myself,  the 
gains  and  losses — in  a  word,  the  strength  and  life  of  our  holy 
church.  I  will  not  speak  to  you  of  the  people.  They  are,  as  a 
general  thing,  truly  religious  and  faithful  to  the  church.  But 
the  priests.  O  Great  God!  will  I  tell  you  what  they  arc?  My 
dear  Perras,  I  wo.ild  almost  die  with  joy,  if  God  would  tell  me 
that  I  am  mistaken.  But  alas!  I  am  not  mistaken.  The  sad,  the 
terrible  truth  is  this  (putting  his  right  hand  on  his  forehead,) 
"the  priests!  Ah!  with  the  exception  of  you  and  three  others,  are 
infidels  and  atheists!  O  my  God!  my  God!  what  will  become 
of  the  church,  in  the  hands  of  such  wicked  men!'  and  covering 
his  face  with  his  hands,  the  bishop  burst  into  tears,  and  for  one 
hour  could  not  say  a  word.     I  myself  remained  mute. 

.  At  first  I  regretted  having  pressed  the  bishop  to  reveal 
such  an  unexpected  mystery  of  iniquity.  But,  taking  counsel 
of  our  very  fathomless  humiliation  and  distress,  after  an  hour 
of  silence,  spent  in  pacing  the  walks  of  the  garden,  almost  un- 
able to  look  each  other  in  the  face,  I  said :  " '  My  lord,  what 
you  have  told  me  is  surely  the  saddest  thing  that  I  ever  heard; 
but  iallow  me  to  tell  you  that  your  sorrows  are  out  of  the  limits 
of  your  high  intelligence  and  your  profound  science.  If  you 
read  the  history  of  our  holy  church,  from  the  seventh  to  the 
fifteenth  century,  you  will  know  that  the  spotless  spouse  of  Christ 
has  seen  as  dark  days,  if  not  darker,  in  Italy,  France,  Spain  and 
Germany,  as  she  does  in  Canada,  and  though  the  saints  of  those 
days  deplored  the  errors  and  crimes  of  those  dark  ages,  they  have 
not  killed  themselves  with  their  vain  tears,  as  you  are  doing.' 

"  Taking  the  bishop  by  the  hand,  I  led  him  to  the  library, 
and  opened  the  pages  of  the  history  of  the  church,  by  Cardinals 
Baronius  and  Henry,  and  I  showed  him  the  names  of  more  than 
fifty  Popes  who  had  evidently  been  atheists  and  infidels.  I 
read  to  him  the  lives  of  Borgia,  Alexander  VI.  and  a  dozen 
others,  who  would  surely  and  justly  be  hanged  to-day  by  the 
executioner  of  Quebec,  were  they,  in  that  city,  committing  one 
half  of  the  public  crimes  of  adultery,  murder,  debauchery  of 


^^pppsppipp^ 


'ij 


VICARAGE,   AND    LIFE    AT    ST.   CHARLES. 


193 


every  kind,  which  they  committed  in  Rome,  Avignon,  Naples, 
etc.,  etc.  I  read  to  him  some  of  the  public  and  undeniable 
crimes  of  the  successors  of  the  apostles,  and  of  the  inferior 
clergy,  and  I  easily  and  clearly  proved  to  him  that  his  priests, 
though  infidels  and  atheists,  were  angels  of  pity,  modesty,  purity 
and  religion,  when  compared  with  a  Borgia,  who  publicly  lived 
as  a  married  man  with  his  own  daughter,  and  had  a  child  by  her. 
He  agreed  with  me  that  several  of  the  Alexanders,  the  Johns, 
the  Piuses  and  the  Leos,  were  sunk  much  deeper  in  the  abyss 
of  every  kind  of  iniquity  than  his  priests. 

"  Five  hours  passed  in  so  perusing  the  sad  but  irrefutable 
pages  of  the  history  of  our  holy  church,  wrought  a  marvellous 
and  beneficial  change  in  the  mind  of  Monseigneur  Plessis. 

"  My  conclusion  was,  that  if  our  holy  church  had  been  able 
to  resist  the  deadly  influence  of  such  scandals  during  so  many 
centuries  in  Europe,  she  would  pot  be  destroyed  in  Canada,  even 
by  the  legion  of  atheists  by  whom  she  is  served  to-day. 

"  The  bishop  acknowledged  that  my  conclusion  was  correct. 
He  thanked  me  for  the  good  I  had  done  him,  by  preventing 
him  from  despairing  of  the  future  of  our  holy  church  in  Canada, 
and  the  rest  of  the  days  which  he  spent  with  me,  he  was  almost 
as  cheerful  and  amiable  as  before. 

"  Now,  my  dear  young  friend,"  added  Mr.  Perras,  "  I  hope 
you  will  be  as  reasonable  and  logical  in  your  religion  as  bishop 
Plessis,  who  was  probably  the  greatest  man  Canada  has  ever 
had.  When  Satan  tries  to  shake  your  faith  by  the  scandals  you 
see,  remember  that  Stephen,  after  having  fought  with  his 
adversary,  the  Pope  Constantine  H.,  put  out  his  eyes  and 
condemned  him  to  die.  Remember  that  other  Pope,  who 
through  revenge  against  his  predecessor,  had  him  exhumed, 
brought  bis  dead  body  before  judges,  then  charged  him  with 
the  most  horrible  crimes,  which  he  proved  by  the  testimony 
of  scores  of  cyc-witnesses,  got  him  (the  dead  Pope),  to  be 
condemned  to  be  beheaded  and  dragged  with  ropes  through 
the  muddy  streets  of  Rome,  and  thrown  into  the  river  Tiber* 
Yes,  when  your  mind  is  oppressed  by  the  secret  crimes  of  the 
priests,  which  you  will  know,  either  through  the  confessional 


^-itf-MMfti-'tf'''  ^"*^"-^iffli  ikit  Hii.fcfllTniiiirtit.il<i«iiSBj 


d^^Ai!L^-^—  ■'■■ 


194 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


V  I 


or  by  public  rumor,  remember  that  more  than  twelve  Popes 
have  been  raised  to  that  high  and  holy  dignity  by  the  rich  and 
Influential  prostitutes  of  Rome,  with  whom  they  were  publicly 
living  in  the  most  scandalous  way.  Remember  that  young  bas- 
tard, John  XI,  the  son  of  Pope  Serguis,  who  was  consecrated 
Pope,  when  only  twelve  years  old,  by  the  influence  of  his  pros- 
titute mother,  Marosian,  but  who  was  so  horribly  profligate  that 
he  was  deposed  by  the  people  and  the  clergy  of  Rome. 

"  Well,  if  our  holy  church  has  been  able  to  pass  through  such 
storms  without  perishing,  is  it  not  a  living  proof  that  Christ  is  her 
pilot,  that  she  is  imperishable  and  infallible  because  St.  Peter  is 
her  foundation,  '  Tu  es  Petrus  et  super  banc  petram  edificabo 
Ecclesiam  meam,  et  portae  inferi  non  prcvalcbunt  adversus  cam.' " 
•  Oh,  my  God !  Shall  I  confess,  to  my  confusion,  what 

my  thoughts  were  during  that  conversation,  or  rather  that 
lecture  of  my  curate,  which  lasted  more  than  an  hour!  Yes, 
to  thy  eternal  glory,  and  to  my  eternal  shame,  I  must  say  the 
truth.  When  the  priest  was  exhibiting  to  me  the  horrible 
unmentionable  crimes  of  so  many  of  our  Popes,  to  calm  my 
fears  and  strengthen  my  shaken  faith,  a  mysterious  voice  was 
repeating  to  the  ears  of  my  soul,  the  dear  Saviour's  words: 
"  A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit,  neither  can  a 
corrupt  tree  bring  forth  good  fruit.  Every  tree  that  bringeth 
not  good  fruit  is  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire.  Where- 
fore by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them,"  and  in  spite  of  my- 
self the  voice  of  my  conscience  cried  in  thundering  tones  that 
a  church,  whose  head  and  members  were  so  horribly  corrupt, 
could  not,  by  any  means,  be  the  church  of  Christ. 

But  the  most  sacred  and  imperative  law  of  my  church, 
which  I  had  promised  by  oaths,  was,  that  I  would  never  obey 
the  voice  of  my  conscience,  nor  follow  the  dictates  of  my 
private  judgement,  when  they  were  in  opposition  to  the  teach- 
ings of  my  church.  Too  honest  to  admit  the  conclusions  of 
Mr.  Perras,  which  were  evidently  the  conclusions  of  my  church, 
I  was  too  cowardly  and  too  mean  to  bravely  express  my  own  mind, 
and  repeat  the  words  of  the  Son  of  God :  "  By  their  fruits  ye 
shall  know  them!     A  good  tree  cannot  bring  forth  evil  fruit!" 


tf^?«?!Hf«f«S? 


EW!S5?j«i«5i?^p^;jjpi^5^^ 


Chapter  XX. 


PAFnraAir  and  thb  patbiots,  in  isss-the  bttbnino  of 

"LB  OANADIBN"  B7  THB  OTTBATB  OV  ST.  OHABIjES. 


THE  name  of  Louis  Joseph  Papineau  will  be  forever  dear  to 
the  French  Canadians;  for  whatever  may  be  the  political 
party  to  which  one  belongs  in  Canada,  he  cannot  deny  that  it 
is  to  the  ardent  patriotism,  the  indomitable  energy,  and  the 
remarkable  eloquence  of  that  great  patriot,  that  Canada  is  in- 
debted for  the  greater  part  of  the  political  reforms  which  promise 
in  a  near  future  to  raise  the  country  of  my  birth  to  the  rank  of 
a  great  and  free  nation. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  speak  of  the  political  parties  which 
divided  the  people  of  Canada  into  two  camps  in  1833.  The 
long  and  trying  abuses  under  which  our  conquered  race  was 
groaning,  and  which  at  last  brought  about  the  bloody  insurrec- 
tions of  1837  and  1838,  are  matters  of  history,  which  do  not 
pertain  to  the  plea  of  this  work.  I  will  speak  of  Papineau,  and 
the  brilliant  galaxy  of  talented  young  men  by  whom  he  was 
surrounded  and  supported,  only  in  connexion  with  their  difficul- 
ties with  the  clergy  and  the  Church  of  Rome. 

Papineau,  Lafontaine,  Bedard,  Cartier  and  others,  though  born 
in  the  Church  of  Rome,  were  only  nominal  Romanists.  I  have 
been  personally  acquainted  with  every  one  of  them,  and  I  know 
they  were  not  in  the  habit  of  confessing.  Several  times  I  invited 
them  to  fulfil  that  duty,  which  I  considered,  then,  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  be  saved.  They  invariably  answered  me  with 
jests  which  distressed  me ;  for  I  could  see  that  they  did  not 
believe  in  the  eflScacy  of  auricular  confession.  These  men  were 
honest  and  earnest  in  their  efforts  to  raise  their  countrymen  from 
the  humiliating  and  inferior  position  which  they  occupied  compared 

'9S 


196 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


with  the  conquering  race.  •  They  well  understood  that  the  first 
thing  to  be  done,  in  order  to  put  the  French  Canadians  on  a 
level  with  their  British  compatriots,  was  to  give  good  schools 
to  the  people;  and  they  bravely  set  themselves  to  show  the 
necessity  of  having  a  good  system  of  education,  for  the  country 
as  well  as  for  the  city.  But  at  the  very  first  attempt  they 
found  an  insurmountable  barrier  to  their  patriotic  views  in  the 
clergy.  The  priests  had  everywhere  the  good  common  sense 
to  understand  that  their  absolute  power  over  the  people  was 
due  to  its  complete  ignorance.  They  felt  that  that  power 
would  decrease  in  the  same  proportion  that  light  and  education 
would  spread  among  the  masses.  Hence  the  almost  insur- 
mountable obstacles  put  by  the  clergy  before  the  patriots,  to 
prevent  them  from  reforming  the  system  of  education.  The 
only  source  of  education,  then  in  Canada,  with  the  exception 
of  the  colleges  of  Quebec,  Montreal  and  Nicolet,  consisted  in 
one  or  two  schools  in  the  principal  parishes,  entirely  under  the 
control  of  the  priests,  and  kept  by  their  most  devoted  servants, 
while  the  new  parishes  had  none  at  all.  The  greater  part  of 
these  teachers  knew  very  little  more,  and  required  nothing 
more  from  their  pupils,  than  the  reading  of  the  A,  B,  C,  and 
their  little  catechism.  When  once  admitted  to  the  first  com- 
munion the  A,  B,  C,  and  the  litiie  catechism  wei^e  soon  forgotten, 
and  95  in  100  of  the  French  Canadian  people  were  not  even 
able  to  sign  their  names!  In  many  parishes, 'the  curate,  with 
his  school  teacher,  the  notary,  and  a  half-dozen  of  others,  were 
the  only  persons  who  could  read  or  write  a  letter.  Papineau 
and  his  patriotic  friends  understood  that  the  French  Canadian 
people  were  doomed  to  remain  an  inferior  race  in  their  own 
country,  if  they  were  left  in  that  shameful  state  of  ignorance. 
They  did  not  conceal  their  indignation  at  the  obstacles  placed 
by  the  clergy  to  prevent  them  from  amending  the  system  of 
education.  Several  eloquent  speeches  were  made  by  Papineauj 
who  was  their  "  Parliament  Speaker,"  in  answer  to  the  clergy. 
The  curates,  in  their  pulpits,  as  well  as  by  the  press,  tried  to 
show  that  Canada  had  the  best  possible  system  of  education — 
that  the  people  were  happy — that  too  much  education  would 


^^'^■ 


PAPINKAU    AND    THE    PATRIOTS    IN    1833. 


197 


bring  into  Canada  the  bitter  fruits  which  had  grown  in  France, 
— infidelity,  revolution,  riots,  bloodshed;  that  the  people  were 
too  poor  to  pay  the  heavy  taxes  which  would  be  imposed  for 
the  new  system  of  education.  In  one  of  his  addresses,  Papineau 
answered  this  last  argument,  showing  the  immense  sums  of 
money,  foolishly  given  by  those  so-called  poor  people,  to  gild 
the  ceilings  of  the  church  (as  was  the  usage  then.)  He  made 
a  calculation  of  the  tithes  paid  to  the  priests;  of  the  costly  images 
and  statues  of  saints,  w  hich  were  to  be  seen  then,  around  all 
the  interior  of  the  churches,  and  he  boldly  said  that  the  priests 
would  do  better  to  induce  the  people  to  establish  good  schools, 
and  pay  respectable  teachers,  than  to  lavish  their  money  on 
objects  which  were  of  so  little  benefit. 

That  address,  which  was  reproduced  by  the  only  French 
paper  of  Quebec,  "  Le  Canadien,"  fell  upon  the  clergy  like  a 
hurricane  upon  a  rotten  house,  shaking  it  to  its  foundation. 
Everywhere  Papineau  and  his  party  were  denounced  as  infidels, 
more  dangerous  than  Protestants,  and  plans  w^ere  immediately 
laid  down  to  prevent  the  people  from  reading  *'  Le  Canadien," 
the  only  French  paper  they  could  receive.  Not  more  than 
half-a-dozen  were  receiving  it  in  St.  Charles;  but  they  used 
to  read  it  to  their  neighbours,  who  gathered  on  Sabbath  after- 
noons to  hear  its  contents.  We  at  first  tried,  through  the  con- 
fessional, to  persuade  the  subscribers  to  reject  it,  under  the 
pretext  that  it  was  a  bad  paper;  that  it  spoke  against  the  priests 
and  would  finally  destroy  our  holy  religion.  But,  to  our  great 
dismay,  our  efforts  failed.  The  curates  then  had  recourse  to 
a  more  efficacious  way  of  preserving  the  faith  of  their  people. 

The  postmaster  of  St.  Charles  was,  then,  a  man  whom  Mr. 
Perras  had  got  educated  at  his  own  expense  in  the  seminary 
of  Quebec.  His  name  was  Chabot.  That  man  was  a  perfect 
machine  in  the  hands  of  his  benefactoi*.  Mr.  Perras  forbade 
him  to  deliver  any  more  of  the  numbers  of  that  journal  to  the 
subscribers,  when  there  would  be  anything  unfavorable  to  the 
clergy  in  its  columns.  "Give  them  to  me,"  said  he,  "that  I 
may  burn  them,  and  when  the  people  come  to  get  them,  give 
them  such  evasive  answers,  that  they  may  believe  that  it  is  the 


198 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME 


' 


editor's  fault,  or  of  some  other  post-offices,  if  they  have  not 
received  it.  From  that  day,  every  time  there  was  any  censure 
of  the  clergy,  the  poor  paper  was  consigned  to  the  flames.  One 
evening,  when  Mr.  Perras  had,  in  my  presence,  thrown  a  bundle 
of  these  papers  into  the  stove,  I  told  him :  "  Please  allow  me 
to  express  to  you  my  surprise  at  this  act.  Have  we  really  the 
right  to  deprive  the  subscribers  of  that  paper,  of  their  property  I 
That  paper  is  theirs,  they  have  paid  for  it.  How  can  we  take 
upon  ourselves  to  destroy  it  without  their  permission!  Besides, 
you  know  the  old  proverb:  Les  pierres  farlcnt.  (Stones 
speak.)  If  it  were  known  by  our  people  that  we  destroy  their 
papers,  would  not  the  consequences  be  very  serious?  Now, 
Mr.  Perras,  you  know  my  sincere  respect  for  you,  and  I  hope 
I  do  not  go  against  that  respect  by  asking  you  to  tell  me  by 
what  right  or  authority  you  do  this?  I  would  not  put  this 
question  Jo  you,  if  you  were  the  only  one  who  does  it.  But  I 
know  several  others  who  do  just  the  same  thing.  I  will,  pro- 
bably, be  obliged,  when  a  curate,  to  act  in  the  same  manner, 
and  I  wish  to  know  on  what  grounds  I  shall  be  justifled  in 
acting  as  you  do." 

"Are  we  not  the  spiritual  fathers  of  our-. people,"  answered 
Mr.  Perras. 

I  replied,  "  Yes  sir,  we  are  surely  the  spiritual  fathers  of 
our  people."  "  Then,"  rejoined  Mr.  Perras,  "  we  have  in 
in  spirituul  matters,  all  the  rights  and  duties  which  temporal 
fathers  have,  in  temporal  things,  towards  their  children.  If 
a  father  sees  a  sharp  knife  in  the  hands  of  his  beloved  but  irt- 
experienced  child,  and  if  he  has  good  reason  to  fear  that  the 
dear  child  may  wound  himself,  nay,  destroy  his  own  life  with 
that  knife,  is  it  not  his  duty,  before  God  and  man,  to  take  it 
from  his  hands,  and  prevent  him  from  touching  it  any  more?" 

"Yes,"  r  answered,  "but  allow  me  to  drav/  your  attention 
to  a  little  diflference  which  I  see  between  the  corporal  and  the 
spiritual  children  of  your  comparison.  In  the  case  you  bring 
forward,  of  a  father  who  takes  away  the  knife  from  the  hands 
of  a  young  and  inexperienced  child,  that  knife  has,  very  probably, 
been  bought  by   the   father.     It  has  been  paid  for  with  that 


^^^^■r-""'';'^'¥^M'/«PP.*iW!{Vf:'''  ■     ■■■  *  '»^ 


PAPINEAU    AND   THE    PATRIOTS    IN    1 833. 


199 


father's  money.  It  is,  then,  the  father's  knife.  But  the  papers 
of  your  spiritual  children,  which  you  have  thrown  into  your 
stove,  have  been  paid  for  by  them,  and  not  by  you.  They  are 
theirs,  then,  before  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  and  they  are  not 
yours." 

I  saw  that  my  answer  had  cut  the  good  old  priest  to  the 
quick,  and  he  became  more  nervous  than  I  had  ever  seen  him. 
"I  see  that  you  are  young,"  answered  he;  you  have  not  yet 
had  time  to  meditate  on  the  great  an  broad  principles  of  our 
holy  church. '  I  confess  there  is  a  difference  in  the  rights  of  the 
two  children  to  which  T  had  not  paid  attention,  and  which,  at 
first  sight,  may  seem  to  diminish  the  strength  of  my  argument. 
But  I  have,  here,  an  argument  which  will  satisfy  you,  I  hope. 
Some  weeks  ago  I  wrote  to  our  venerable  bishop  Panet  about 
my  intention  of  burning  that  miserable  and  impious  paper,  "  Le 
Canadien,"  to  prevent  it  from  poisoning  the  minds  of  our  people 
against  us,  and  he  has  approved  me,  adding  the  advice,  to  be 
very  prudent,  and  to  act  so  secretly  that  there  would  be  no 
danger  in  being  detected.  Here  is  the  letter  of  the  holy  bishop, 
you  may  read  it  if  you  like." 

"  I  thank  you,"  I  replied  "  I  believe  that  what  you  say  in 
reference  to  that  letter  is  correct.  But  suppose  that  our  good 
bishop  has  made  a  mistake  in  advising  you  to  burn  those  papers, 
would  you  not  have  some  reasons  to  regret  that  burnings  should 
you,  sooner  or  later,  detect  that  mistake?" 

"  A  reason  of  regretting  to  follow  the  advice  of  my  superiors  I 
Never!  Never!  I  fear,  my  dear  young  friend,  that  you  do  not 
sufficiently  understand  the  duties  of  an  inferior,  and  the  sacred 
rights  of  superiors  in  our  holy  church.  Have  you  not  been  told 
by  your  superiors  in  the  college  of  Nicolet,  that  there  can  be  no 
sin  in  an  inferior,  who  obeys  the  orders  or  counsels  of  his 
legitimate  superiors?" 

"  Yes  sir,"  I  answered,  "  The  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon  has  told 
us  that,  in  the  college  of  Nicolet." 

"  But,"  rejoined  Mr.  Perras,  "  Your  last  question  makes  me 
fear  that  you  have  forgotten  what  you  have  learned  there.  My 
dear  young  friend,  do  not  forget  that  it  was  the  want  of  respect 


aoo 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


m 


to  their  ecclesiastical  superiors,  which  caused  the  apostacy  of 
Luther  and  Calvin,  and  damned  so  many  millions  of  heretics 
who  have  followed  them.  But  in  order  to  bring  your  rebellious 
mind  under  the  holy  yoke  of  a  perfect  submission  to  your 
superiors,  I  will  show  you,  by  our  greatest  and  most  approved 
theologian,  that  I  can  burn  these  papers,  without  doing  any- 
thing wrong  before  God." 

He  then  went  to  his  library,  and  brought  me  a  volume  of 
Liguori,  from  which  he  read  to  mc  the  following  Latin  words: 
Docct  Sanchez,  No.  19. — Parato  aliquem  occidere  licite  posse 
suaderi  ut  ab  eo  furetur,  vel  ut  fornicatur  (Page  419.)  "  It 
is  allowed  to  commit  a  sin  of  a  lesser  degree,  in  order  to  prevent 
one  of  a  graver  nature."  With  an  air  of  triumph  he  said,  '*  Do 
you  seo  now  that  I  am  absolutely  justifiable  in  destroying  these 
pestilential  papers.  According  to  those  principles  of  our  holy 
Church,  you  know  well  that  even  a  woman  is  allowed  to  commit 
the  sin  of  adultery  with  a  man  who  threatens  to  kill  her,  or  him- 
self, if  she  rebukes  him;  because  murder  and  suicide  are  greater 
crimes,  and  more  irremediable  than  adultery.  So  the  burning 
of  those  papers,  though  a  sin,  if  done  through  malice,  or  without 
legitimate  reasons,  ceases  to  be  a  sin;  it  is  a  holy  action  the 
moment  I  do  it,  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  our  holy  religion, 
and  to  save  immortal  souls." 

I  must  confess,  to  my  shame,  that  the  degrading  principles 
of  absolute  submission  of  the  inferior  to  the  superiors,  which 
flattens  everything  to  the  ground  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  had 
so  completely  wrought  their  deadly  work  on  me,  that  it  was  my 
wish  to  attain  to  that  supreme  perfection  of  the  priest  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  to  become  like  a  stick  in  the  hands  of  my 
superiors — like  a  corpse  in  their  presence.  But  my  God  was 
stronger  than  his  unfaithful  and  blind  servant,  and  he  never 
allowed  me  to  go  down  to  the  bottom  of  that  abyss  of  folly 
and  impiety.  In  spite  of  myself,  I  had  left  in  me  sufficient 
manhood  to  express  my  doubts  about  that  awful  doctrine  of  my 
Church. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  revolt  against  my  superiors,"  I  answered, 
"and  I  hope  God  will  prevent  me  from  falling  into  the  abyss 


PAPINBAU    AND   THE    PATRIOTS    IN    1833. 


aoi 


where  Luther  and  Calvin  lost  themselves.  I  only  respectfully 
request  you  to  tell  me,  if  you  would  not  regret  the  burning  of 
these  papers,  in  case  you  would  know  that  Bishop  Panct  made 
a  mistake  in  granting  you  the  power  of  destroying  a  property 
which  is  neither  yours  nor  his — a  property  over  which  neither 
of  you  has  any  control  ? " 

It  was  the  first  time  that  I  was  not  entirely  of  the  same  mind 
with  Mr.  Perras.  Till  then,  I  had  not  been  brave,  honest  or 
independent  enough  to  oppose  his  views  and  his  ipse  dixit, 
though  often  tempted  to  do  so.  The  desire  of  living  in  peace 
with  him ;  the  sincere  respect  which  his  many  virtues  and  ven- 
erable age  commanded  in  me;  the  natural  timidity,  not  to  say 
cowardice,  of  a  young,  inexperienced  man,  in  the  presence  of  a 
learned  and  experienced  priest,  had  kept  me,  till  then,  in  perfect 
submission  to  the  views  of  my  aged  curate.  But  it  seemed  im- 
possible to  yield  any  longer,  and  to  bow  my  conscience  before 
principles,  which  seemed  to  me  then,  as  I  am  sure  they  are  now, 
subversive  of  everything  which  is  good  and  holy  among  men. 
I  took  the  big  Bible,  which  was  on  the  table,  and  I  opened  it 
at  the  history  of  Susanna,  and  I  answered:  "My  dear  Mr. 
Perras,  God  has  chosen  you  to  be  my  teacher,  and  I  have  learned 
many  things,  since  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  be  with  you. 
But  I  have  much  more  to  learn,  before  I  know  all  that  your 
books  and  your  long  experience  have  taught  you.  I  hope  you 
will  not  find  fault  with  me,  if  I  honestly  tell  you  that  in  spite 
of  myself,  there  is  a  doubt  in  my  mind  about  this  doctrine  of 
our  theologians,"  and  I  said:  "Is  there  anything  more  sublime, 
in  the  whole  Bible,  than  that  feeble  woman,  Susanna,  in  the 
hands  of  those  two  infamous  men?  With  a  diabolical  impudence 
and  malice,  they  threaten  to  destroy  her,  and  to  take  her  before 
a  tribunal  which  will  sui'ely  condemn  her  to  the  most  ignoble 
death,  if  she  does  not  consent  to  satisfy  their  criminal  desires. 
She  is  just  in  the  position  alluded  to  by  Liguori.  What  will 
she  do  ?  Will  she  be  guided  by  the  principles  of  our  theologians  ? 
Will  she  consent  to  become  an  adulteress  in  order  to  prevent 
those  two  men  from  perjuring  themselves,  and  becoming 
murderers,  by  causing  her  to  be  stoned  to  death,  as  was  required 


i:±^^^**jJ^— '^  -'■-  ■ 


aoa 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


by  the  law  of  the  Jews?  No!  She  raises  her  eyes  and  her  soul 
towards  the  God  whom  she  loves  and  fears  more  than  anything 
in  the  world,  and  she  says :  <  I  am  straitened  on  every  side,  for  if 
I  do  this  thing  it  is  death  unto  me;  and  if  I  do  it  not,  I  cannot 
escape  your  hands.  It  is  better  for  me  to  fall  into  your  hands, 
and  not  to  do  it,  than  to  sin  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.'  Has  not 
God  Almighty  himself  shown  that  he  approved  of  that  heroic 
resolution  of  Susanna,  to  die  rather  than  commit  adultery.  Does 
He  not  show  that  He  planted,  Himself,  in  that  noble  soul,  the 
principle  that  it  is  better  to  die  than  break  the  laws  of  God 
when  he  brought  his  prophet  Daniel,  and  gave  him  a  super- 
natural wisdom  to  save  the  life  of  Susanna?  If  that  woman 
had  been  guided  by  the  principles  of  Liguori,  which,  I  confess 
to  you  with  regret,  are  the  principles  accepted  everywhere  in 
our  Church  (principles  which  have  guided  you  in  the  burning  of 
"Le  Canadien,")  she  would  have  consented  to  the  desires  of 
those, infamous  men.  Nay,  if  she  had  been  interrogated  by  her 
husband,  or  by  the  judges  on  that  action,  she  would  have  been 
allowed  to  swear  before  God  and  men,  that  she  was  not  guilty 
of  it.  Now,  my  dear  Mr.  Perras,  do  you  not  find  that  there  is 
some  clashing  between  the  Word  of  God,  as  taught  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  the  teachings  of  our  Church,  through  the 
theologians  ? " 

Never  have  I  seen  such  a  sudden  change  in  the  face  and 
manners  of  a  man,  as  I  saw  in  that  hour.  That  Mr.  Perras, 
who  had,  till  then,  spoken  with  so  much  kindness  and  dignity, 
completely  lost  his  temper.  Instead  of  answering  me,  he  abruptly 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  began  to  pace  the  room  with  a  quick  step. 
After  some  time,  he  told  me:  "  Mr.  Chiniquy,  you  forget  that 
when  you  were  ordained  a  priest,  you  swore  that  you  would 
never  int.  -pret  the  Holy  Scriptures  according  to  your  own  fallible 
private  judgement;  you  solemnly  promised  that  you  would  take 
them  only  according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy 
Fathers  speaking  to  you  through  your  superiors.  Has  not 
Ligouri  been  approved  by  the  Popes,  by  all  the  bishops  of  the 
Church?  We  have  then,  here,  the  true  doctrine  which  must 
guide  us.     But  instead  of  submitting  yourself  with  humility,  as 


y^ 


W'^wpnplpplli^fffpf^lplp^^ 


PAPINKAU    AND    THE    PATRIOTS    IN    1833. 


203 


it  becomes  a  young  and  inexperienced  priest,  you  boldly  appeal 
to  the  Scriptures,  against  the  decisions  of  Popes  and  bishops; 
against  the  voice  of  all  your  superiors,  sf>eaking  to  you  through 
Liguori.  Where  will  that  boldness  end?  Ah  I  I  tremble  for 
you,  if  you  do  not  speedily  changes  you  are  on  the  high  road 
to  heresy!" 

These  last  words  had  hardly  fallen  from  his  lips,  when  the 
clock  struck  9  p.m  He  abruptly  stopped  speaking,  and  said: 
"  This  is  the  hour  of  prayer."     We  knelt  and  prayed. 

I  need  not  say  that  that  night  was  a  sleepless  one  to  me.  I 
wept  and  prayed  all  through  its  long  dark  hours.  I  felt  that 
I  had  lost,  and  forever,  the  high  position  I  had  in  the  heart  of 
my  old  friend,  and  that  I  had  probably  compromised  myself, 
forever,  in  the  eyes  of  my  superiors,  who  were  the  absolute 
masters  of  my  destinies.  I  condemned  myself  for  that  in- 
opportune appeal  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  against  the  ifse  dixit  of 
my  superiors.  I  asked  God  destroy  in  me,  that  irresistible 
tendency,  by  which  I  was  constantly  going  to  the  Word  of  God 
to  know  the  truth,  instead  of  remaining  at  the  feet  of  my 
superiors,  with  the  rest  of  the  clergy,  as  the  only  fountain  of 
knowledge  and  light. 

But  thanks  be  to  God  that  blasphemous  prayer  was  never  to 
be  granted. 


? 


i 

\ 


Chapter  XXL 


OBAND  DZmTEB  OF  THE   PBIESTS-THE  MANIAC  SISTER  OP 

Bev.  MB.  PEBBAS. 


iifl 

il 

■ 

m 
in 

'  jH 

^^fe^' 

^ 

i'>v  ^  i^H  , 

^B  " 

■M 

m 

IT  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  to 
give  the  title  of  arch-priest  to  one  of  the  most  respectable 
and  able  priests,  among  twelve  or  fifteen  others,  by  whom  he 
was  surrounded.  That  title  was  the  token  of  some  superior 
power,  which  was  granted  to  him  over  his  confreres,  who,  in 
consequence,  should  consult  him  in  certain  difficult  matters. 

As  a  general  thing,  those  priests  lived  in  the  most  cordial 
and  fraternal  unity,  and,  to  make  the  bond  of  that  union  stronger 
and  more  pleasant,  they  were,  in  turn,  in  the  habit  of  giving  a 
grand  dinner  every  Thursday. 

In  1834  those  dinners  were  really  siate  avoirs.  Several 
days  in  advance,  preparations  were  made  oh  a  grand  scale,  to 
collect  everything  that  could  please  the  taste  of  the  guests.  The 
best  wines  were  purchased.  The  fattest  turkeys,  chickens,  lambs, 
or  sucking  pigs  were  hunted  up.  The  most  delicate  pastries 
were  brought  from  the  city,  or  made  at  home,  at  any  cost.  The 
rarest  and  most  costly  fruits  and  desserts  were  ordered.  There 
was  a  stransre  emulation  among  those  curates,  who  w;oula  surpass 
his  neighbor^.  Several  extra  hands  were  engaged,  some  days 
before,  to  help  the  ordinary  servants  to  prepare  the  "  Grand 
Dinner." 

The  second  Thursday  of  May,  1834,  was  Mr.  Perras'  turn, 
and  at  twelve  o'clock  noon,  we  were  fifteen  priests  seated  around 
the  table. 

I  must  here  render  homage  to  the  sobriety  and  perfect  moral 
habits  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Perras.  Though  he  took  his  social  glass 
of  wine,  as  it  was  the  universal  usage,  at  that  time,  I  never  saw 


'i^f^i^f^S^^^^W^^^^^^TWf'^Ww^ 


GRAND    DINNER    OF    THE    PRIESTS. 


205 


him  drink  more  than  a  couple  of  glasses  at  the  same  meal.  I 
wish  I  could  say  the  same  thing  of  all  those  who  were  at  his 
table  that  day. 

Never  did  I  see,  before  nor  after,  a  table  covered  with  so 
many  tempting  and  delicate  viands.  The  good  curate  had  sur- 
passed himself,  and  I  would  hardly  be  believed,  were  I  to  give 
the  number  of  dishes  and  covers,  flates  et  entreplates,  which 
loaded  the  table.  I  will  only  mention  a  splendid  salmon,  which 
was  the  first  brought  to  Quebec  that  year,  for  which  Mr.  Amiot, 
the  purveyor  for  the  priests  around  the  capital,  had  paid  twelve 
dollars. 

There  was  only  one  lady  at  that  dinner.  Miss  Pcrras,  sister 
of  the  curate.  However,  she  was  not  at  all  embarrased  by 
finding  herself  alone  among  those  jolly  celebataires,  and  she 
looked  like  a  queen  at  the  head  of  the  table.  Her  sweet  and 
watchful  eyes  were  everywhere  to  see  the  vv^ants  of  her  guests. 
She  had  an  amiable  word  for  every  one  o£  them.  With  the 
utmost  grace  she  pressed  the  Rev.  Mi*.  A.  to  try  that  wing  of 
tui'key — she  was  so  gently  remonstrating  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  B. 
for  his  not  eating  more,  and  she  was  so  eloquent  in  requesting 
them  all  to  taste  of  this  dish,  or  of  that;  which  was  quite  a  new 
thing  in  Canada.  And  her  young  chickens!  who  could  refuse 
to  accept  one  of  them,  after  she  had  told  their  story:  liow,  three 
months  before,  in  view  of  this  happy  day,  she  had  so  cajoled  the 
big  black  hen  to  hatch  over  sixteen  eggs  in  the  kitchen;  what 
a  world  of  trouble  she  had,  when  the  little  dog  was  coming  in, 
and  she  (the  hen)  was  rushing  at  him!  how,  many  times,  she 
had  to  stop  the  combatants,  and  force  them  to  live  in  peace! 
and  what  desolation  swept  over  her  mind,  when,  in  a  dark  night, 
the  rats  had  dragged  into  their  holes,  three  of  her  newly-hatched 
chickens!  how  she  had  got  a  cat  to  destroy  the  rats;  and,  how 
in  escaping  Scylla,  she  was  thrown  on  Charybdis,  when  three 
days  after,  the  cat  made  his  dinner  of  two  of  her  dear  little 
chickens;  for  which  crime,  committed  in  open  day,  before 
several  witnesses  the  sentence  of  death  was  passed  and  executed, 
without  benefit  of  clergy. 

Now  where  would  they  find  young  chickens  in  the  month 


-1 


2o6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


I' 

is 


m 


of  May,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Quebec,  when  tlie  snow  had 
scarcely  disappeared? 

These  stories,  given  with  an  art  which  no  pen  can  reproduce, 
were  not  finished  before  tlie  delicate  cliickens  had  disappeared 
in  the  hungry  mouths  of  the  cheerful  guests. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  features  of  these  dinners  was  the 
levity,  the  absolute  want  of  seriousness  and  gravity.  Not  a 
word  was  said  in  my  presence,  there,  which  could  indicate  that 
these  men  had  anything  else  to  do  in  this  world  but  to  eat  and 
drink,  tell  and  hear  merry  stories,  laugh  and  lead  a  jolly  life! 

I  was  the  youngest  of  those  jiriests.  Only  a  few  months 
before,  I  was  in  the  Seminary  of  Nicolet,  learning  from  my 
grave  old  superior,  lessons  of  priestly  life,  very  different  from 
what  I  had  there  under  my  eyes.  I  had  not  yet  forgotten  the 
austere  preaching  of  self-denial,  mortification,  austerity  and 
crucifixion  of  the  flesh,  which  were  to  fill  up  the  days  of  a 
priest ! 

Though,  at  first,  i  was  pleased  with  all  I  saw,  heard  and 
tasted;  -though  I  heartily  laughed  with  the  rest  of  the  guests, 
at  their  ion  mots^  there  spicy  stories  about  there  fair  penitents, 
or  at  the  funny  caricatures  they  drew  of  each  other,  as  well  ns 
of  absent  ones,  I  felt,  by  turns,  uneasy.  Now  and  then  the 
lessons  of  priestly  life,  received  from  the  lips  of  my  venerable 
and  dear  Mr.  Leprohon,  were  knocking  hard  at  the  door  of  my 
conscience.  Some  words  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  which,  more 
than  others,  had  adhered  to  my  memory,  wei-e  also  mi'!  .ng  a 
strange  noise  in  my  soul.  My  own  common  sense  was  telling 
me,  that  this  was  not  quite  the  way  Christ  taught  his  disciples 
to  live. 

I  made  a  great  effort  to  stifle  those  troublesome  voices. 
Sometimes  I  succeeded,  and  then  I  became  cheerful :  but  a 
moment  after  I  was  overpowered  by  them,  and  I  felt  chilled, 
as  if  I  had  perceived  on  the  walls  of  the  festive  room,  the  finger 
of  my  angry  God,  writing  "mene,  mene,  tekel  upharsin." 
Then  all  my  cheerfulness  vanished,  and  I  felt  so  miserable  that, 
in  spite  of  all  my  efforts  to  look  happy,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Paquette, 
curate  of  St.  Gcrvais,  observed  it  on  my  face.     That  priest  was 


pr   -'pp^'^-^^^^^^^^^i^. 


'  'T9f^pm^im!v!lf;' 


GRAND    DINNER   OF    THE    PRIESTS. 


2C7 


probably  the  one  who  most  enjoyed  everything  of  that  feast. 
Under  the  snowy  mantle  of  sixty-five  years,  he  had  kept  the 
warm  heart  and  the  jovialty  of  youth.  He  was  considered  one 
of  our  most  wealthy  curates,  and  he  richly  deserved  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  the  most  epicurean  of  them  all.  He  was  a  perfect 
cook,  and  with  his  chaplet  or  his  breviarium  in  hand,  he  used 
to  pass  a  great  part  of  the  day  in  his  kitchen,  giving  orders 
about  broiling  this  beefsteak,  or  preparing  this  fricassee,  and  that 
gravy  a  la  Francaise.  He  was  loved  by  all  his  confreres,  but 
particularly  by  the  young  priests,  who  were  the  objects  of  his 
constant  attentions.  He  had  always  been  exceedingly  kind  to 
me,  and  when  in  his  neighborhood,  I  dare  say  that  my  most 
pleasant  hours  were  those  passed  in  his  parsonage. 

Looking  at  me  in  the  very  moment  when  my  whole  in- 
tellectual being  was,  in  spite  of  myself,  under  the  darkest  cloud, 
he  said:  "My  dear  little  Father  Chiniquy,  are  you  falling  into 
the  hands  of  some  blue  devils,  when  we  are  all  so  happy  ?  You 
were  so  cheerful  half-an-hour  ago!  What 'is  the  matter  with 
you  now?  Are  you  sick?  You  look  as  grave  and  anxious  as 
Jonah,  when  in  the  big  whale's  stomach!  What  is  the  matter 
with  you?  Has  any  of  your  fair  penitents  left  you,  to  go  to 
confess  to  another,  lately?" 

At  these  funny  questions,  the  dining-room  was  shaken  with 
the  convulsive  laughter  of  the  priests.  I  wished  I  could  join  in 
with  the  rest  of  my  confreres;  for  it  seemed  to  me  very  clear 
that  I  was  making  a  fool  of  myself  by  this  singularity  of 
demeanor.  But  there  was  no  help  for  it:  for  a  moment  before 
I  had  seen  that  the  servant  girls  had  blushed;  they  had  been 
scandalized  by  a  very  improper  word  from  the  lips  of  a  young 
priest  about  one  of  his  young  female  penitents;  a  word  which 
he  would,  surely,  never  have  uttered,  had  he  not  drank  too  much 
wine.  I  answered :  "  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  kind 
interest,  I  find  myself  much  honored  to  be  here  in  your  midst ;  but 
as  the  brightest  days  are  not  without  clouds,  so  it  is  with  us  all  some- 
times. I  am  young,  and  without  experience ;  I  have  not  yet  learned 
to  look  at  certain  things  in  their  proper  light.  When  older,  I  hope 
I  shall  be  wiser,  and  not  make  an  ass  of  myself  as  I  do  to-day." 


-■***j»n,?i.^Uiit-^jiui;^l.-tv4.'^\;i»-'y 


3o8 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OK    ROME. 


t  "Tah!  Tahl  Tah!"  said  old  Mr.  Paquette,  "this  is  not  the 
hour  of  dark  clouds  and  blue  devils.  Be  cheerful,  as  it  behooves 
your  age.  There  will  be  hours  enough  in  the  rest  of  your  life 
for  sadness  and  sombre  thoughts.  This  is  the  hour  for  laugh- 
ing and  being  merry.  Sad  thoughts  for  to-morrow."  And 
appealing  to  all,  he  asked,  "  Is  not  this  correct,  gentlemen  ?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  unanimously  rejoined  all  the  guests. 

"  Now,"  said  the  old  priest,  "  you  see  that  the  verdict  of  the 
jury  is  unanimously  in  my  favor  and  against  you.  Give  up 
those  airs  of  sadness,  which  do  not  answer  in  the  presence  of 
those  bottles  of  champagne.  Your  gravity  is  an  anachronism 
when  we  have  such  good  wines  before  us.  Tell  me  the  reason 
of  your  grief,  and  I  pledge  myself  to  console  you,  and  make 
you  happy  as  you  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  dinner." 

"  I  would  have  liked  better  that  you  should  have  continued 
to  enjoy  this  pleasant  hour  without  noticing  me,"  I  answered. 
"  Please  excuse  me  if  I  do  not  trouble  you  with  the  causes  of 
my  personal  folly." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Mr.  Paquette,  "  I  see  it,  the  cause  of 
your  trouble  h  that  we  have  not  yet  drank  together  a  single 
glass  of  sherry.  Fill  your  glass  with  that  wine,  and  it  will 
surely  drown  the  blue  devil  which  I  see  at  its  bottom." 

"  With  pleasure,"  I  said,  "  I  feel  much  honored  to  drink  with 
you,"  and  I  put  some  drops  of  wine  into  my  glass.  Oh!  oh  I 
what  do  I  see  you  doing  there?  Only  a  few  drops  in  your 
glass!  This  will  not  even  wet  the  cloven  feet  of  the  blue  devil 
which  is  tormenting  you.  It  requires  a  full  glass,  an  over-flow- 
ing glass  to  drown  and  finish  him.  Fill,  then,  your  glass  with 
that  precious  wine, — the  best  I  ever  tasted  in  my  whole  life. 

"  But  I  cannot  drink  more  than  those  few  drops,"  I  said. 

"  Why  not?"  he  replied. 

"Because,  eight  days  before  her  death,  my  mother  wrote 
me  a  letter,  requesting  me  to  promise  her  that  I  would  never 
drink  more  than  two  glasses  of  wine  at  the  same  meal.  I 
gave  her  that  promise  in  my  answer,  and  the  very  day  she  got 
my  pledge,  she  left  this  world  to  convey  it,  written  on  her  heart, 
into  heaven,  to  the  feet  of  her  God  I " 


GRAND   DINNER   OF    THE    PRIESTS. 


209 


«' Keep  that 'sacred  pledge,"  answered  the  old  curate;  "but 
tell  me  why  you  are  so  sad  when  we  are  so  happy  ? " 

"  You  already  know  part  of  my  reasons — if  I  had  drank  as 
much  wine  as  my  neighbor,  the  vicar  of  St.  Gervais,  I  would 
probably  have  filled  the  room  with  my  shouts  of  joy  as  he  does; 
but  you  see  now  that  the  hands  of  my  deceased,  though  always 
dear  mother,  are  on  my  glass  to  prevent  me  from  filling  it  any 
more,  for  I  have  already  drank  two  glasses  of  wine." 

"  But  your  sadness,  in  such  a  circumstance  is  so  strange,  that 
we  would  all   .ke  to  know  its  cause." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  all  the  priests.  You  know  that  we  like  you, 
and  we  deeply  feel  for  you.  Please  tell  us  the  reason  of  this 
sadness." 

I  then  answered,  "  It  would  be  better  for  me  to  keep  my 
own  secret:  for  I  know  I  will  make  a  fool  of  myself  here:  but 
as  you  are  unanimous  in  requesting  me  to  give  you  the 
reasons  of  the  mental  agony  through  which  I  am  just  passing, 
you  will  have  them. 

"  You  well  know  that,  through  very  singular  circumstances, 
I  have  been  prevented,  till  this  day,  from  attending  any  of  your 
•rrand  dinners.  Twice  I  had  to  go  to  Quebec  on  these  occasions, 
sometimes  I  was  not  well  enough  to  be  present — several  times  I 
was  called  to  visit  some  dying  person,  and  at  other  times  the 
weather,  or  the  roads  were  too  bad  to  travel ;  this,  then  is  the 
first  grand  dinner,  attended  by  you  all,  which  I  have  the  honor  of 
attending. 

"  But  before  going  any  further,  I  must  tell  you  that,  during 
the  eight  months  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  sit  at  Rev.  Mr. 
Perras'  table,  I  have  never  seen  anything  which  coi'.id  make  me 
suspect  that  my  eyes  would  see,  and  my  ears  would  hear  such 
things  in  this  parsonage,  as  have  just  taken  place.  Sobriety, 
moderation,  truly  evangelical  temperance  in  drink  and  food  were 
the  invariable  rule.  Never  a  word  was  said  which  could  make 
our  poor  servant  girls,  or  the  angels  of  God  blush.  Would 
to  God  that  I  had  not  been  here  to-day!  For  I  tell  you, 
honestly,  that  I  am  scandalized  by  the  epicurean  table  which 
is  before  us;  by  the  enormous  quantity  of  delicate  viands  and 


■^^ 


^> 


2IO 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


the  incredible  number  of  bottles  of  most  costly  wines,  emptied 
at  this  dinner." 

"  However,  I  hope  I  am  mistaken  in  my  appreciation  of 
what  I  have  seen  and  heard — I  hope  your  are  all  right  and 
that  I  am  wrong.  I  am  the  youngest  of  you  all.  It  is  not  my 
business  to  teach  you,  but  it  is  my  duty  to  be  taught  by  you. 

"  Now,  I  have  given  you  my  mind,  because  you  so  pressingly 
requested  me  to  do  it,  as  honestly  as  human  language  will  allow 
me  to  do.  I  have  the  right,  I  hope,  to  request  you  to  tell  me, 
as  honestly,  if  I  am,  and  in  what  I  am  wrong  or  right!" 

"Oh!  ho!  my  dear  Chiniquy,"  replied  the  old  curate,  "you 
hold  the  stick  by  the  wrong  end.  Are  we  not  the  children  of 
God?" 

"  Yes  sir,"  I  answered,  "  we  are  the  children  of  God." 

"  Now,  does  not  a  loving  father  give  what  he  considers  the 
best  part  of  his  goods  to  his  beloved  children  ?  " 

"  Yes  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  Is  not  that  loving  father  pleased  when  he  sees  his  beloved 
children  eat  and  drink  the  good  things  he  has  prepared  for  them  ?" 

"  Yes  sir,"  was  my  answer. 

" Then,"  rejoined  the  logical  priest,  "the  more  we,  the  be- 
loved  children  of  God,  eat  of  these  delicate  viands,  and  drink  of 
those  precious  wines,  which  our  heavenly  Father  puts  into  our 
hands,  the  more  he  is  pleased  with  us.  The  more  we,  the  most 
beloved  ones  of  God,  are  merry  and  cheerful,  the  more  he  is 
himself  pleased  and  rejoiced  in  his  heavenly  kingdom. 

"  But  if  God  our  Father  is  so  pleased  with  what  we  have 
eaten  and  drunk  to-day,  wrhy  are  you  so  sad  ?  " 

This  masterpiece  of  argumentation  was  received  by  all 
(except  Mr.  Perras),  w^ith  convulsive  cries  of  approbation,  and 
repeated  "  Bravo  I  bravo!" 

I  was  too  mean  and  too  cowardly  to  say  what  I  felt.  I  tried 
to  conceal  my  increased  sadness  under  the  forced  smiles  of  my 
lips,  and  I  followed  the  whole  party,  who  left  the  table,  and 
went  to  the  parlor  to  drink  a  cup  of  coffee.  It  was  then  half- 
p».5t  oii.e  p.m.     At  two  o'clock,  the  whole  party  went  to  the 

—b,  where,  after  kneeling  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before 


GRAND    DINNER    OF    THE    PRIESTS. 


211 


their  wafer  God,  they  fell  on  their  knees  to  the  feet  of  each 
other,  to  confess  their  sins,  and  get  their  pardon,  in  the  absolution 
of  their  confessors! 

At  three  p.  m.  they  were  all  gone,  and  I  remained  alone  with 
my  venerable  old  curate  Perras.  After  a  few  moments  of  silence, 
I  said  to  him :  "  My  dear  Mr.  Perras,  I  have  no  words  to 
express  to  you  my  regret  for  what  I  have  said  at  your  table.  , 
I  ^eg  your  pardon  for  every  word  of  that  unfortunate  and 
unbecoming  conversation,  into  which  I  was  dragged  in  spite  of 
myself;  you  know  it.  It  does  not  do  for  a  young  priest,  as  I 
am,  to  criticise  those  whom  God  has  put  so  much  above  him  by 
their  science,  their  age  and  their  virtues.  But  I  was  forced  to 
give  my  mind,  and  I  have  given  it.  When  I  requested  Mr. 
Paquette  to  tell  me  in  what  I  might  be  wrong,  I  had  not  the 
least  idea  that  we  would  hear,  from  the  lips  of  one  of  our  veterans 
in  the  priesthood,  the  blasphemous  jokes  he  has  uttered.  Epicu- 
rus himself  would  have  blushed,  had  he  been  among  us,  in 
hearing  the  name  of  God  connected  with  such  deplorable  and 
awful  impieties." 

Mr.  Perras  answered  me:  "  Far  from  being  displeased  with 
what  I  have  heard  from  you  at  this  dinner,  I  must  tell  you  that 
you  have  gained  much  in  my  esteern  by  it.  I  am,  myself, 
ashamed  of  that  dinner.  We  priests  are  the  victims,  like  the 
rest  of  the  world,  of  the  fashions,  vanities,  pride  and  lust  of  that 
world  against  which  we  are  sent  to  preach.  The  expenditure 
we  make  at  those  dinners  is  surely  a  crime,  in  the  face  of  the 
misery  of  the  people  by  whom  we  are  surrounded.  This  is  the 
last  dinner  I  give  with  such  foolish  extravagance.  The  next  time 
my  neighbors  will  meet  here,  I  will  not  expose  them  to  stagger 
on  their  legs,  as  the  greater  part  of  them  did  when  they  rose 
from  the  table.  The  brave  words  you  have  uttered  have  done 
me  good.  They  will  do  them  good  also;  for  though  they  had 
all  eaten  and  drunk  too  much,  they  were  not  so  intoxicated  as 
not  to  remember  what  you  have  said." 

Then,  pressing  my  hand  in  his,  he  said,  "  I  thank  you  my 
good  little  Father  Chiniquy  for  the  short  but  excellent  sermon 
you  have  given  us.     It  will  not  be  lost.     You  have  drawn  my 


^^^mmmmm 


212 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


tears  when  you  haye 'shown  us  your  saintly  mother  going  to  the 
feet  of  God  in  heaven,  with  your  sacred  promise  written  in  her 
heart.  Oh!  you  must  have  had  a  good  mother!  I  knew  her 
when  she  was  very  young.  She  was  then,  already,  a  very 
remarkable  girl,  for  her  wisdom  and  the  dignity  of  her  manners." 

Then  he  left  me  alone  in  the  parlor,  and  he  went  to  visit  n 
sick  man  in  one  of  the  neighboring  houses. 

When  alone  I  fell  on  my  knees,  to  pray  and  weep.  My 
soul  was  filled  with  emotions  which  it  is  impossible  to  express. 
The  remembrance  of  my  beloved  mother  whose  blessed  name 
had  fallen  from  my  lips  when  her  sacred  memory  filled  my 
mind  with  the  light  and  strength  I  needed  in  that  hour  of  trial — 
the  gluttony  and  drunkenness  of  those  priests,  whom  I  was 
accustomed  to  respect  and  esteem  so  much — their  scandalous 
conversation — their  lewd  expressions — and  more  than  all,  their 
confessions  to  each  other  after  two  such  hours  of  profanity  and 
drinking,  were  more  than  I  could  endure.  I  could  not  contain 
myself,  I  wept  over  myself,  for  I  felt  also  the  burden  of  my 
sins,  and  I  did  not  find  myself  much  better  than  the  rest,  though 
I  had  not  eaten  or  drunk  quite  so  much  as  several  of  them — I 
wept  over  my  friends,  whom  I  had  seen  so  weak ;  for  they  were 
my  friends.  I  loved  them,  and  I  knew  they  loved  me.  I  wept 
over  my  church,  which  was  served  by  such  poor,  sinful  priests. 
Yes !  I  wept  there,  when  on  my  knees,  to  my  heart's  content, 
and  it  did  me  good.  But  my  God  had  another  trial  in  store  for 
his  poor  unfaithful  servant. 

I  had  not  been  ten  minutes  alone,  sitting  in  my  study,  when 
I  heard  strange  cries,  and  such  a  noise  as  if  a  murderer  were  :it 
work  to  strike  his  victim.  A  door  had  evidently  been  broken  open, 
up  stairs,  and  some  one  was  running  down  stairs  as  if  one  was 
wanting  to  break  down  everything.  The  cries  of  "  Murder, 
murder!"  reached  my  ears,  and  the  cries  of  "Oh!  my  God!  my 
God!  where  is  Mr.  Perras?"  filled  the  air. 

I  quickly  ran  to  the  parlor  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and 
there  I  found  myself  face  to  face  with  a  woman  absolutely  naked! 
Her  long  black  hair  was  flowing  on  her  shoulders;  her  face  was 
pale  as  death — her  dark  eyes  fixed  in  their  sockets.     She  stretched 


GRAND    DINNER    OF    THE    PRIESTS. 


213 


her  hands  towards  me  with  a  horrible  shriek,  and  before  I  could 
move  a  step,  terrified,  and  almost  paralyzed  as  I  was,  she  seized 
my  two  arms  with  her  hands,  with  such  a  terrible  force  as  if 
my  arms  had  been  grasped  in  a  vise.  My  bones  were  cracking 
under  her  grasp,  and  my  flesh  was  torn  by  her  nails.  I  tried  to 
escape,  but  it  was  impossible.  I  soon  found  myself  as  if  nailed 
to  the  wall,  unable  to  move  any  further.  I  cried  then  to  the 
utm^t  compass  of  my  voice  for  help.  But  the  living  spectre 
cried  still  louder  :  "  You  have  nothing  to  fear.  Be  quiet.  I  am 
sent  by  God  Almighty  and  the  blessed  virgin  Mary,  to  give  you 
a  message.  The  priests  whom  I  have  known,  without  a  single 
exception,  are  a  band  of  vipers :  they  destroy  their  female  peni- 
tents through  auricular  confession.  They  have  destroyed  me, 
and  killed  my  female  child!  Do  not  follow  their  example!" 
Then  she  began  to  sing,  with  a  beautiful  voice,  to  a  most  touch- 
ing tune,  a  kind  of  poem  she  had  composed  herself,  which  I 
secretly  got  afterwards  from  one  of  her  servant  maids,  the 
translation  of  which  is  as  follows : 

'  Satan's  priests  have  defiled  mj  heart! 
Damned  my  soul!  murdered  my  child  1 

O  my  child !  my  darling  child ! 
From  thy  place  in  heaven,  dost  thou  see 

Thy  guilty  mother's  tears? 
Canst  thou  come  and  press  me  in  thine  arms? 

My  child !  my  darling  child ! 
Will  never  thy  smiling  face  console  me?" 

When  she  was  singing  these  words,  big  tears  were  rolling 

down  her  pale  cheeks,  and  the  tone  of  her  voice  was  so  sad  that 

she  could  have  melted  a  heart  of  stone.     She  had  not  finished 

her  song  when  I   cried  to  the  girl :  "  I   am  fainting,  for  God's 

sake  bring  me  some  water!"     The  water  was  only  passed  to  my 

lips,  I  could    not  drink.     I  was  choked,  and  petrified   in    the 

presence  of  that  living  phantom !     I  could  not  dare  to  touch  her 

in  any  way  with  my  hands.      I  felt  horrified  and   paralyzed  at 

the  sight  of  that  livid,  pale,  cadaverous,  naked  spectre.     The 

poor  servant  girl   had  tried  in  vain,  at  my  request,  to  drag  her 

away  from  me.     She  had  struck  her  with  terror,  by  crying,  "  If 

you  touch  me,  I  will  instantly  strangle  you ! " 


/ 


%: 


CANADA. 


^ 


^t!AMe!i. 


214 


fIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


"Where  is  Mr.  Perras?  Where  is  Mr.  Perras  and  the 
other  servants  ?  For  Gocl's  sake  call  them,"  1  cried  out  to  the 
servant  girl,  who  was  trembling  and  beside  herself. 

"  Miss. Perras  is  running  to  the  church  after  the  curate,"  she 
answered,  and  I  do  not  know  where  the  other  girl  is  gone." 

In  that  instant  Mr.  Perras  entered,  rushed  toward  his  sister, 
and  said,  "Are  you  not  ashamed  to  present  yourself  iHikcd 
before  such  a  gentleman  ?  "  and  with  his  strong  arms  he  tried 
to  force  her  to  give  me  up. 

Turning  her  face  towards  him,  with  tigress  eyes,  she  cried 
out,  "  Wretched  brother!  what  have  you  done  with  my  child? 
I  see  her  blood  on  your  hands ! " 

When  she  was  struggling  with  her  brother,  I  made  a  sudden 
and  extreme  effort  to  get  out  of  her  grasp;  and  this  time  I  suc- 
ceeded: but  seeing  that  she  wanted  to  throw  herself  again 
upon  me,  I  jumped  through  a  window  which  was  opened. 

Quick  as  lightning  she  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  her  brother, 
and  jumped  also  through  the  window  to  run  after  me.  She 
would,  surely,  have  overtaken  me;  for  I  had  not  run  two  rods, 
when  I  fell  headlong,  with  my  feet  entangled  in  my  long,  black, 
priestly  robe.  Providentially,  two  strong  men,  attracted  by  my 
cries,  came  to  my  rescue.  They  wrapped  her  in  a  blanket,  taken 
there  by  her  sister,  and  brought  her  back  into  her  upper  chambers, 
where  she  remained  safely  locked,  under  the  guard  of  two 
strong  servant  maids. 

The  history  of  that  woman  is  sad  indeed.  When  in  her 
priest-brother's  house,  when  young  and  of  great  beauty,  she  was 
seduced  by  her  father  confessor,  and  became  mother  of  a  female 
child,  which  she  loved  with  a  real  mother's  heart.  She  deter- 
mined to  keep  it  and  bring  it  up.  But  this  did  not  meet  the 
views  of  the  curate.  One  night,  when  the  mother  was  sleeping, 
the  child  had  been  taken  awjiy  from  her.  The  awakening  of 
the  unfortunate  mother  was  terrible.  When  she  understood 
that  she  could  never  see  her  child  any  more,  she  filled  the  par- 
sonage with  her  cries  and  lamentations,  and,  at  first,  refused  to 
take  any  food,  in  order  that  she  might  die.  But  she  soon  became 
a  maniac. 


GRAND   DINNER    OF    THE    PRIESTS. 


315 


Mr.  Perras,  too  much  uttached  to  his  sister  to  send  her  to  a 
lunatic  asylum,  resolved  to  keep  her  in  his  own  parsonage,  which 
was  very  large.  A  room  in  its  upper  part  had  been  fixed  in 
such  a  way  that  her  cries  could  not  be  heard,  and  where  she 
would  have  all  the  comfort  possible  in  her  sad  circumstances. 
Two  servant  maids  were  engaged  to  take  care  of  her.  All  this 
was  so  well  arranged,  that  I  had  been  eight  months  in  that  par- 
sonage, without  even  suspecting  that  there  was  such  an  unfortu- 
nate being  under  the  same  roof  with  me.  It  appears  that  occa- 
sionally, for  many  days,  her  mind  was  perfectly  lucid,  when  she 
passed  her  time  in  praying,  and  singing  a  kind  of  poem  which 
she  had  composed  herself,  and  which  she  sang  while  holding  me 
in  her  grasp.  In  her  best  moments  she  had  fostered  an  invin- 
cible hatred  of  the  priests  whom  she  had  known.  Hearing  her 
attendants  often  speak  of  me,  she  had,  several  times,  ex- 
pressed the  desire  to  see  me,  which,  of  course,  had  been  denied 
her.  Before  she  had  broken  her  door,  and  escaped  from  the 
hands  of  her  keeper,  she  had  passed  several  days  in  saying  that 
she  had  received  from  God  a  message  for  me  which  she  would 
deliver,  even  if  she  had  to  pass  on  the  dead  bodies  of  all  in  the 
house. 

Unfortunate   victim  of  auricular  confession!     How   many 
others  could  sing  the  sad  words  of  thy  song, 

"  Satan's  priests  have  defiled  my  heart, 
Damned  my  touU  murdered  my  child  I" 


Chapter  XXII. 


Z  AX  APPOINTXD  TIOAB  OV  THB  OXTBATa  OV  OHABLBS. 
BOUBOH-THB  PXUTT,  liTVXS  AND  DEATHS  OF  FATHBB8 
BBDABD  AKD  FBBBAS. 


'T^HE  grand  dinner  previously  described  had  its  natural  results. 
•*•  Several  of  the  guests  were  hardly  at  home,  when  they 
complained  of  various  kinds  of  sickness,  and  none  was  so 
severely  punished  as  my  friend  Paquette,  the  curate  of  St.  Ger- 
vais.  He  came  very  near  dying,  and  for  several  weeks  was 
unable  to  work.  He  requested  the  bishop  of  Quebec  to  allow 
me  to  go  to  his  help,  which  I  did  to  the  end  of  May,  when  I 
received  the  following  letter : 

Charlbsbourgii,  May  25th,  1834. 
Rev.  Mr.  C.  Chiniquy: 

My  Dear  Sir:  My  Lord  Panel  has  again  chosen  me,  this  year,  to 
accompany  him  In  his  episcopal  visit.  I  have  consented,  witli  the  condi- 
tion that  you  should  take  my  place,  at  the  head  of  my  dear  parish,  during 
my  absence.  For  I  will  have  no  anxiety  when  I  know  that  my  people  are 
In  the  hands  of  a  priest  who,  though  so  young,  has  raised  himself  so  high 
In  the  esteem  of  all  those  who  know  him. 

Please  come  as  soon  as  possible  to  meet  me  here,  that  I  may  tell  you 
many  things  which  will  make  your  ministry  more  easy  and  blessed  in 
Charlesbourgh. ' 

His  Lordship  has  promised  me  that  when  you  pass  through  Quebec,  he 
will  give  you  all  the  powers  you  want  to  administer  my  parish,  as  if  you 
were  Its  curate  during  my  absence. 

Your  devoted  brother-priest,  and  friend  ii'.  the   .ove  and 
heart  of  Jesus  and  Mary, 

ANTOINE  BEDARD. 

I  felt  absolutely  confounded  by  that  letter.     I  was  so  young 
and  so  deficient  in  the  qualities  required  for  the  high  position  to 

ai6 


FATHERS    BBDARD   AND    PERRAS. 


917 


which  I  was  so  unexpectedly  called.  I  know  it  was  against  the 
usages  to  put  a  young  and  untried  priest  in  such  a  repponsible 
post.  It  seemed  evident  to  me  that  my  friends  and  my  superiors 
had  strangely  exaggerated  to  themselves  my  feeble  capacity. 

In  my  answer  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bedard,  I  respectfully  remon- 
strated against  such  a  choice.  But  a  letter  received  from  the 
bishop  himself,  ordering  me  to  go  to  Charlesbourgh,  without 
delay,  to  administer  that  pariah  during  tli«;  absence  of  its  pastor, 
soon  forced  me  to  consider  that  sudden  and  unmerited  elevation 
as  a  most  dangerous,  though  providential  trial,  of  my  young 
ministry.  Nothing  remained  to  be  done  by  me  but  to  accept 
the  task  in  trembling,  and  with  a  desire  to  do  my  duty.  My 
heart,  however,  fainted  within  me,  and  I  shed  bitter  tears  of 
anxiety.  When  entering  into  that  parish  for  the  first  time,  I 
saw  its  magnitude  and  importance.  It  seemed,  then,  more  than 
ever  evident  to  me  that  the  good  Mr.  Bedard,  and  my  venerable 
superiors,  had  made  a  sad  mistake  in  putting  such  a  heavy  bur- 
den on  my  young  and  feeble  shoulders.  I  was  hardly  24  years 
old,  and  had  not  more  than  nine  months'  experience  of  the 
ministry. 

Charlesbourgh  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  important 
parishes  of  Canada.  Its  position,  so  near  Quebec,  at  the  feet  of 
the  Laurentide  Mountains,  is  peculiarly  beautiful.  It  has  an 
almost  complete  command  of  the  city,  and  of  its  magnificent 
port,  where  not  less  than  900  ships  then  received  their  precious 
cargoes  of  lumber.  On  our  left,  numberless  ranges  of  white 
houses  extended  as  far  as  the  Falls  of  Montmorency.  At  our 
feet  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence,  dashing  its  rapid  waters  on  the 
bc£utiful  "  Isle  d'Orleans."  To  the  right  the  parishes  of  Loi:ette, 
St.  Foy,  St.  Roch,  etc.,  with  their  high  church  steeples,  reflected 
the  sun's  glorious  beams :  and  beyond,  the  impregnable  citadel 
of  Quebec,  with  its  tortuous  ranges  of  black  walls,  its  numerous 
cannon  and  its  high  towers,  like  fearless  sentinels,  presented  a 
spectacle  of  remarkable  grandeur. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Bedard  welcomed  me  on  my  arrival  with 
words  of  such  kindness  that  my  heart  was  melted  and  my  mind 
confounded.     He  was  a  man  about  65  years  of   age,  short  in 


2l8 


FIFTY    YEAUS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


stature,  with  u  well-formed  breast,  large  shoulders,  bright  eyes, 
and  a  face  where  the  traits  of  indomitable  energy  were  coupled 
with  an  expression  of  unsurpassed  kindness. 

One  could  not  look  on  that  honest  face  without  saying  to 
himself:  "I  am  with  a  really  good  and  upright  man!"  Mr. 
Bc(l;ird  is  one  of  the  few  priests  in  whom  I  have  found  a  true 
honest  faith  in  the  Church  of  Rome.  With  an  irreproachable 
character,  he  believed  with  a  child's  faith  all  the  absurdities 
which  the  Church  of  Rome  teaches,  and  he  lived  according  to 
his  honest  and  sincere  faith. 

Though  the  actions  of  our  daily  lives  were  not  subjected  to 
a  regular  and  inexorable  rule  in  Charlesbourgh's  as  in  St. 
Charles'  parsonage,  there  was  yet  far  more  life  and  earnestness 
in  the  performance  of  oiir  ministerial  duties. 

There  was  less  reading  of  learned,  theological,  philosoph- 
ical and  historical  books,  but  much  more  real  labor  in  Mr. 
Bedard's  that  in  Mr.  Perras'  parish:  there  was  more  of  the  old 
French  aristocracy  in  the  latter  priest,  and  more  of  the  good 
religiou-i  Canadian  habitant  in  the  former.  Though  both  could 
be  considered  as  men  of  the  most  exalted  faith  and  piety  in  the 
Church  of  Rome,  their  piety  was  of  a  different  character.  In 
Mr.  Perras'  religion  there  was  real  calmness  and  serenity,  while 
the  religion  of  Mr.  Beda»'d  had  more  of  the  flash  of  lightning 
and  the  noise  of  thunder.  The  private  religious  conversations 
with  the  curate  of  St.  Charles  were  admirable,  but  he  could  not 
speak  common  sense  for  ten  minutes  when  preaching  from  his 
pulpit.  Only  once  did  he  preach  while  I  was  his  vicar,  and  then 
he  was  not  half  through  his  sermon  before  the  greater  part  of 
his  auditors  were  soundly  sleeping.  But  who  could  hear  the 
sermons  of  Rev.  Mr.  Bedard  without  feeling  his  heart  moved 
and  his  soul  filled  with  terror  ?  I  never  heard  anything  more 
thrilling  than  his  words  when  speaking  of  the  judgments  of  God 
and  the  jiuuishment  of  the  wicked.  Mr.  Perras  never  fasted, 
except  on  the  days  appointed  by  the  church:  Mr.  Bedard  con- 
demned himself  to  fast  besides  twice  every  week.  The  former 
never  drank,  to  my  knowledge,  a  single  glass  of  rum  or  any 
other  strong  drink,  except  his  two  glasses  of  wine  at  dinner;  but 


FATHERS    BEPARD    AND    PERRAS. 


219 


the  latter  never  failed  to  drink  full  glasses  of  rum  three  times  a 
day,  besides  two  or  three  glasses  of  wine  at  dinner.  Mr.  Perras 
slept  the  whole  night  as  a  guiltless  child:  Mr.  Bedard,  almost 
every  night  when  I  was  with  him,  rose  up,  and  lashed  himself 
in  the  most  merciless  manner  with  leather  thongs,  at  the  end  of 
which  were  small  pieces  of  lead.  When  inflicting  upon  himself 
those  terrible  punishments,  he  used  to  recite,  by  heart,  the  fifty- 
first  Psalm,  in  Latin,  "  Miseriere  mihi  Deus  sccundam  magnam 
misericordiam  tuam"  (Have  mercy  upon  mc,  O  Lord,  according 
to  thy  loving-kindness);  and  though  he  seemed  to  be  xmcon- 
scious  of  it,  he  prayed  with  such  a  loud  voice,  that  I  heard  every 
word  he  uttered;  he  also  struck  his  flesh  with  such  violence, 
that  I  could  count  all  the  blows  he  administered. 

One  day  I  respectfully  remonstrated  against  such  a  cruel 
self -infliction  as  ruining  his  health  and  breaking  his  constitution: 
"Cher  petit  Frerc"  (dear  little  brother),  he  answered,  " Our 
health  and  constitution  cannot  be  impaired  -by  such  penances, 
but  they  are  easily  and  commonly  ruined  by  our  sins.  I  am  one 
of  the  healthiest  men  of  my  parish,  though  T  have  inflicted  upon 
myself  those  salutary  and  too  well-merited  chastisements  for 
many  years.  Though  I  am  old,  I  am  still  a  great  sinner.  I 
have  an  implacable  and  indomitable  enemy  in  my  depraved 
heart,  which  I  cannot  subdue  except  by  punishing  my  flesh. 
If  I  do  not  do  those  penances  for  my  numberless  transgressions, 
who  will  do  penance  for  me?  If  do  not  pay  the  debts  I  owe  to 
the  justice  of  God,  who  will  pay  them  for  mc  ? " 

"  But,"  I  answered,  «  Has  not  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  paid 
our  debts  on  Calvary?  Has  he  not  saved  and  redeemed  us  all 
by  his  death  on  the  cross  ?  Why,  then,  should  you  or  I  pay 
again  to  the  justice  of  God  that  which  has  been  so  perfectly  and 
absolutely  paid  by  our  Saviour?" 

"  Ah !  my  dear  yonng  friend,"  quickly  replied  Mr.  Bedard, 
"  that  doctrine  you  hold  is  Protestant,  which  has  been  condemned 
by  the  Holy  Council  of  Trent.  Christ  has  paid  our  debts  cer- 
tainly;  but  not  in  sach  an  absolute  way  that  there  is  nothing 
more  to  be  paid  by  us.  Have  you  never  paid  attention  to  what 
St.  Paul  says  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians.     I  nil  up  that 


220 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


which  is  behind  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  in  my  flesli  for  his 
body's  sake,  which  is  the  Church.  Though  Christ  could  have 
entirely  and  absolutely  paid  our  debts,  if  it  had  been  his  will,  it 
is  evident  that  such  was  not  his  holy  will — he  left  something 
behind  which  Paul,  you,  I,  and  every  one  of  his  disciples,  should 
take  and  suffer  in  our  flesh  for  his  Church.  When  we  have 
taken  and  accomplished  in  our  flesh  what  Christ  has  left  behind, 
then  the  surplus  of  our  merits  goes  to  the  treasury  of  the  Church. 
For  instance,  when  a  saint  has  accomplished  in  his  flesh  what 
Christ  has  left  behind  for  his  perfect  sanctification,  if  he  accom- 
plishes more  than  the  justice  of  God  requires,  that  surplus  of 
merits  not  being  of  any  use  to  him,  is  put  by  God  into  the  grand 
and  common  treasure,  where  it  makes  a  fund  of  merits  of  infinite 
value,  from  which  the  Pope  and  the  bishops  draw  the  indul- 
gences which  they  scatter  all  over  the  world  as  a  dew  from 
heaven.  By  the  mercy  of  God,  the  penances  which  I  impose 
upon  myself,  and  the  pains  I  suffer  from  these  flagellations, 
purify  my  guilty  soul,  and  raising  me  up  from  this  polluting 
world,  they  bring  me  nearer  and  nearer  to  my  God  every  day. 
I  am  not  yet  a  saint,  unfortunately,  but  if  by  the  mercy  of  God, 
and  my  penances  united  to  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  I  arrive  at 
the  happy  day  when  all  my  debts  shall  be  paid,  and  my  sins 
cleansed  away,  then  if  I  continue  those  penances  and  acquire 
new  merits,  more  than  I  need,  and  if  I  pay  more  debts  than  I 
owe  to  the  justice  of  God,  this  surplus  of  merits  which  I  shall 
have  acquired  will  go  to  the  rich  treasure  of  the  Church,  from 
which  she  will  draw  merits  to  enr'ch  the  multitude  of  good  souls 
who  cannot  do  enough  for  themselves  to  pay  their  own  debts, 
and  to  reach  that  point  of  holiness  which  will  deserve  a  crown  in 
heaven.  Then  the  more  we  do  penance  and  inflict  pains  on  our 
bodies,  by  our  fastings  and  floggings,  the  more  we  feel  happy  in 
the  assurance  of  thus  raising  ourselves  more  and  more  above  the 
dust  of  this  sinful  world,  of  approaching  more  and  more  to  that 
state  of  holiness  of  which  our  Saviour  spoke  when  he  said: 
♦  Be  holy  as  I  am  holy  myself.'  We  feel  an  unspeakable  joy 
when  we  know  that  by  those  self-inflicted  punishments  we 
acquire  incalculable  merits,  which  enrich  not  only  ourselves,  but 


FATHERS    BEDARD    AND    PERRAS. 


221 


our  holy  Church,  by  filling  her  treasures  for  the  benefit  and  sal- 
vation of  the  souls  for  which  Christ  died  on  Calvary." 

When  Mr.  Bedard  was  feeding  my  soul  with  these  husks,  he 
was  speaking  with  great  animation  and  sincerity.  Like  myself 
he  was  far  away  from  the  good  Father's  house.  He  had  never 
tasted  of  the  bread  of  the  children.  Neither  of  us  knew  anything 
of  the  sweetness  of  that  bread.  We  had  to  accept  those  husks 
as  our  only  food,  though  it  did  not  remove  our  hunger. 

I  answered  him:  "What  you  tell  me  here  is  what  I  find  in 
all  our  ascetic  books  and  theological  treatises,  and  in  the  lives  of 
all  our  saints.  I  can  hardly  reconcile  that  doctrine  with  what  I 
read  this  morning  in  the  2d  chapter  of  Ephesians.  Here  is  the 
verse  in  my  New  Testament:  'But  God  who  is  rich  in  mercy, 
for  his  great  love  wherewith  he  loved  us,  even  when  we  were 
dead  in  sins,  he  has  quickened  us  together  with  Christ.  By  grace 
ye  are  saved ;  for  by  grace  are  ye  saved,  through  faith,  and  not 
of  ourselves,  it  is  this  gift  of  God ;  not  of  works,  lest  any  man 
should  boast.' 

"  Now,  my  dear  and  venerable  Mr.  Bedard,  allow  me  re- 
spectfully to  ask,  how  is  it  possible  that  your  salvation  is  only  by 
grace,  if  you  have  to  purchase  it  every  day  by  tearing  your 
flesh  and  lashing  your  body  in  such  a  fearful  manner?  Is  it  not 
a  strange  favor — a  very  singular  grace — which  reddens  your 
skin  with  your  blood,  and  bruises  your  flesh  every  night  ?" 

"  Dear  little  brother,"  answered  Mr.  Bedard,  ♦'  when  Mr.  Per- 
ras  spoke  to  me,  in  the  presence  of  the  bishop,  with  such  de- 
served eulogium  of  your  piety,  he  did  not  conceal  that  you  had 
a  very  dangerous  defect,  which  was  to  spend  too  much  time  in 
reading  the  Bible,  in  preference  to  every  other  of  our  holy  books. 
He  told  us  more  than  this.  He  said  that  you  had  a  fatal  ten- 
dency to  interpret  the  Holy  Scriptures  too  much  according  to 
your  own  mind,  and  in  a  sense  which  is  rather  more  Protestant 
than  Catholic.  I  am  sorry  to  see  that  the  curate  of  St.  Charles 
was  but  too  correct  in  what  he  told  us  of  you.  But,  as  he  added 
that,  though  your  reading  too  much  the  Holy  Scriptures  brought 
some  clouds  in  your  mind,  yet  when  you  were  with  him,  you 
always  ended  by  yielding  to  the  sense  given  by  our  holy  Church. 


222 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


This  did  not  prevent  me  from  desiring  to  have  you  in  my  place 
during  my  absence,  and  I  hope  I  will  not  regret  it,  for  we  are 
sure  that  our  dear  young  Chiniquy  will  never  be  a  traitor  to  our 
holy  Church." 

These  words,  which  were  given  with  a  great  solemnity, 
mixed  with  the  good  manners  of  the  most  sincere  kindness, 
went  through  my  soul  as  a  two-edged  sword.  I  felt  an  inex- 
pressible confusion  and  regret,  and,  biting  my  lips,  I  said:  "I 
have  sworn  never  to  interpret  the  Holy  Scriptures  except 
according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  and 
with  the  help  of  God,  I  will  fulfil  my  promise.  I  regret  ex- 
ceedingly to  have  differed  for  a  moment  from  you.  You  are 
my  superior  by  your  age,  your  science  and  your  piety.  Please 
pardon  me  that  momentary  deviation  from  my  duty,  and  pray 
that  I  may  be  as  you  are — a  faithful  and  a  fearless  soldier  of  our 
holy  Church  to  the  end." 

At  that  moment  the  niece  of  the  curate  came  to  tell  us  that 
the  dinner  was  ready.  We  went  to  the  modest,  though  exceed- 
ingly well-spread  table,  and  to  my  great  pleasure  that  painful 
conversation  was  dropped.  We  had  not  sat  at  the  table  five 
minutes,  when  a  poor  man  knocked  at  the  door  and  asked  a 
piece  of  bread  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  and  Mary.  Mr.  Bedard 
rose  from  the  table,  went  to  the  poor  stranger,  and  said :  "  Come, 
my  friend,  sit  between  me  and  our  dear  little  Father  Chiniquy. 
Our  Saviour  was  the  friend  of  the  poor :  he  was  the  father  of 
the  widow  and  the  orphan,  and  we,  his  priests,  must  walk  after 
him.  Be  not  troubled;  make  yourself  at  home.  Though  I  am 
the  curate  of  Charlesbourgh,  I  am  your  brother.  It  may  be 
that  in  heaven  you  will  sit  on  a  higher  throne  than  mine,  if  you 
love  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  and  his  holy  mother  Mary,  more 
than  I  do." 

With  these  words,  the  best  things  that  were  on  the  table 
were  put  by  the  good  old  priest  in  the  plate  of  the  poor  stranger, 
who  with  some  hesitation  finished  by  doing  honor  to  the  excel- 
lent  viands. 

After  this,  I  need  not  say  that  Mr.  Bedard  was  charitable  to 
the  poor :  he  always  treated  them  as  his  best  friends.     So  also 


FATHERS    BEDARD    AND    PERRAS. 


223. 


was  my  former  curate  of  St.  Charles;  and,  though  his  charity 
was  not  so  demonstrative  and  fraternal  as  that  of  Mr.  Bedard,  I 
had  yet  never  seen  a  poor  man  go  out  of  the  parsonage  of  St. 
Charles  whose  breast  ought  not  to  have  been  filled  with  grati- 
tude and  joy. 

Mr.  Bedard  was  as  exact  as  Mr.  Perras  in  confessing, once, 
and  sometimes  twice,  every  week ;  and,  rather  than  fail  in  that 
humiliating  act,  they  both,  in  the  absence  of  their  common  con- 
fessors, and  much  against  my  feelings,  several  times  humbly 
knelt  at  my  youthful  feet  to  confess  to  me. 

Those  two  remarkable  men  had  the  same  views  about  the 
immorality  and  the  want  of  religion  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
priests.  Both  have  told  me,  in  their  confidential  conversations, 
things  about  the  secret  lives  of  the  clergy  which  would  not  be 
believed  were  I  to  publish  them ;  and  both  repeatedly  said  that 
auricular  confession  was  the  daily  source  of  imspeakable  depra- 
vities between  the  confessors  and  their  female  as  well  as  male 
penitents ;  but  neither  of  them  had  sufficient  light  to  conclude 
from  those  deeds  of  depravity  that  auricular  confession  was  a 
diabolical  institution.  They  both  sincerely  believed  as  I  did  then, 
that  the  institution  was  good,  necessary  and  divine,  and  that  it 
was  a  source  of  perdition  to  so  many  priests  only  on  account 
of  their  want  of  faith  and  piety;  and  principally  from  tlieir 
neglect  of  prayers  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

They  did  not  give  me  those  terrible  details  with  a  spirit  of 
criticism  against  our  weak  brethren.  Their  intention  was  to 
warn  me  against  the  dangers,  which  were  as  great  for  me  as  for 
others.  They  both  invariably  finished  those  confidences  by  in- 
viting me  more  and  more  to  pray  constantly  to  the  mother  of 
God,  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  and  to  watch  over  myself,  and 
avoid  remaining  alone  with  a  female  penitent;  advising  me 
also  to  treat  my  own  body  as  my  most  dangerous  enemy,  by  re- 
ducing it  into  subjection  to  the  law,  and  crucifying  it  day  and 
night. 

Mr.  Bedard  had  accompanied  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  in  his 
episcopal  visits  during  many  years,  and  had  seen  with  his  eyes 
the   unmentionable  plague,  which  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  de- 


,224 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


vouring  the  very  vitals  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  He  very  sel- 
dom spoke  to  me  of  those  things  without  shedding  tears  of  com- 
passion over  the  guilty  priests.  My  heart  and  my  soul  were 
also  filled  with  an  unspeakable  sadness  when  hearing  the  details 
of  such  iniquities.  I  also  felt  struck  with  terror  lest  I  might 
perish  myself,  and  fall  into  the  same  bottomless  abyss. 

One  day  I  told  him  what  Mr.  Perras  had  revealed  to  me 
about  the  distress  of  Bishop  Plessis,  when  he  had  found  that 
only  three  priests  betides  Mr.  Perras  believed  in  God,  in  his 
immense  diocese.  I  asked  him  if  there  was  not  some  exaggera- 
tion in  this  report.  He  answered,  after  a  profound  sigh:  "My 
dear  young  friend:  the  angel  could  not  find  ten  just  men  in 
Sodom — my  fear  is  that  they  would  not  find  more  among  the 
priests!  The  more  you  advance  in  age,  the  more  you  will  see 
that  awful  truth — Ah!  let  those  who  stand  fear,  lest  they  fall  I" 

After  these  last  v/ord«  le  ,t  into  tears,  and  went  to  church 
to  pray  at  the  feet  of  his  wafer  god ! 

The  revelations  whicJi  I  received  from  those  worthy  priests 
did  not  in  any  way  shake  m}  "aitli  211  my  Church.  She  even 
became  dearer  to  me;  just  as  a  dear  mother  gains  in  (he  affection 
and  devotedness  of  a  dutiful  son  as  her  trials  and  aflHictions  in- 
crease. It  seemed  to  me  that  after  this  knowledge  it  was  my 
duty  to  do  more  than  I  had  ever  done  to  show  my  unreserved 
devotedness,  respect  and  love  to  my  holy  and  dear  mother,  the 
Church  of  Rome,  out  of  which  (I  sincerely  believed  then)  there 
was  no  salvation.  These  revelations  became  to  me,  in  the 
good  providence  of  God,  like  the  light-houses  raised  on  the  hid- 
den and  dreadful  rocks  of  the  sea,  to  warn  the  pilot  during  the 
dark  hours  of  the  night  to  keep  at  a  distance,  if  he  does  not 
want  to  perish. 

Though  these  two  priests  professed  to  have  a  most  profound 
love  and  respect  for  the  Holy  Scriptures,  they  gave  very  little 
time  to  their  study,  and  both  several  times  rebuked  me  for  pass- 
ing too  many  hours  in  their  perusal;  and  repeatedly  warned  me 
against  the  habit  of  constantly  appealing  to  them  against  certain 
practices  and  teachings  of  our  theologians.  As  good  Roman 
Catholic  priests  they  had  no  right  to  go  to  the  Holy  Scriptures 


"TSTrTT- 


FATHERS  BEDARD  AND  PERRAS. 


335 


alone  to  knov«r  what  "the  Lord  saithl  "  The  traditions  of  the 
Church  were  their  fountain  of  science  and  light!  Both  of  them 
often  distressed  me  with  the  facility  with  which  they  buried  out 
view,  under  the  dark  clouds  of  their  traditions,  the  clearest  texts 
of  Holy  Scriptures  which  I  used  to  quote  in  defence  of  my  posi- 
tions in  our  conversations  and  debates. 

They  both,  with  an  equal  zeal,  and  unfortunately  with  too 
much  success,  persuaded  me  that  it  was  right  for  the  Church  to 
ask  mc  to  swear  that  I  would  never  interpret  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, except  according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy 
Fathers.  But  wh(,n  I  shewed  them  that  the  Holy  Fathers  had 
never  been  unanimous  in  anything  except  in  differing  from  one 
another  on  almost  every  subject  they  had  treated ;  when  I  dem- 
onstrated by  our  Church  historians  that  some  Holy  Fathers  had 
very  different  views  from  ours  on  many  subjects,  they  never 
answered  my  questions  except  hj  silencing  me  by  the  text :  "  I£ 
he  does  not  hear  the  Church  let  him  be  as  a  heathen  or  a  publi- 
can," and  by  giving  me  long  lectures  on  the  danger  of  pride  and 
self-confidence. 

Mr.  Bedard  had  nfiany  opportunities  of  giving  me  his  views 
about  the  submission  which  an  inferior  owes  to  his  superiors. 
He  was  of  one  mind  with  Mr.  Perras  and  all  the  theolgians  who 
had  treated  that  subject.  They  both  taught  me  that  the  inferior 
must  blindly  obey  his  superior,  just  as  the  stick  must  obey  the 
hand  which  holds  it;  assuring  me  at  the  same  time  that  the  in- 
ferior was  not  responsible  for  the  errors  he  commits  when  obey- 
ing his  legitimate  superior. 

Mr.  Bedard  and  Mr.  Perras  had  a  great  love  for  their 
Saviour,  Jesus;  but  the  Jesus  Christ  whom  they  loved  and 
respected  and  adored  was  not  the  Christ  of  the  Gospel,  but  the 
Christ  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

Mr.  Perras  and  Mr.  Bedard  had  a  great  fear,  as  well  as  a 
sincere  love  for  their  God,  while  yet  they  professed  to  make 
him  every  morning  by  the  act  of  consecration.  They  also  most 
sincerely  believed  and  preached  that  idolatry  was  one  of  the 
greatest  crimes  a  man  could  commit,  but  they  themselver  were 
every  day  worshipping  an  idol  of  their  own  creating.     They 


226 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


were  forced  by  their  Church  to  renew  the  awful  iniquity  of 
Aaron,  with  this  difference  only,  that  while  Aaron  made  his 
gods  of  melted  gold,  and  molded  them  into  the  figure  of  a  calf, 
they  made  theirs  with  flour,  baked  between  two  heated  and  well 
polished  irons,  and  in  the  form  of  a  crucified  man. 

When  Aaron  spoke  of  his  golden  calf  to  the  people,  he  said : 
"  These  are  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which  broughf  thee  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt."  So  likewise  Mr.  Bedard  and  Mr.  Perras, 
showing  the  wafer  to  the  deluded  people,  said :  "  Ecce  agnus 
Dei  qui  tollit  peccata  mundil"  ("Behold  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world!") 

These  two  sincere  and  honest  priests  placed  the  utmost  con- 
fidence also  in  relics  and  scapularies.  I  have  heard  both  say  that 
no  fatal  accident  could  happen  to  one  who  had  a  scapularon  his 
breast — no  sudden  death  would  overtake  a  man  who  was  faith- 
ful in  keeping  those  blessed  scapularies  about  his  person.  Both 
of  them,  nevertheless,  died  suddenly,  and  that  too  of  the  saddest 
of  deaths.  Mr.  Bedard  dropped  dead  on  the  19th  of  May,  1837, 
at  a  great  dinner  given  to  his  friends.  He  was  in  the  act  of 
swallowing  a  glass  of  that  drink  of  which  God  says:  "Look 
not  upon  the  wine  when  it  is  red,  when  it  giveth  its  color  in  the 
cup,  when  it  moveth  itself  aright.  At  the  last  it  biteth  like  a 
serpent  and  stingeth  like  an  adder." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Perras,  sad  to  say,  became  a  lunatic  in  1845, 
and  died  the  29th  of  July,  1847,  in  a  fit  of  delirium. 


Chapter  XXIII. 


THE  OHOLEBA  UOBBTTS  OF  1834-ADUIBABIiE  OOT7BAOB  AKB 
SEZiF-DENIAXi  07  THB  PBIBSTS  OF  BOMB  DXTBINQ  THAT 
EPIDEMIC. 


I  HAD  not  been  more  than  three  weeks  the  administrator  of 
the  parish  of  Charlesbourgh,  when  the  terrible  words, 
« The  cholera  morbus  is  in  Quebec ! "  sent  a  thrill  of  terror 
from  one  end  to  the  other  of  Canada. 

The  cities  of  Quebec  and  Montreal,  with  many  surrounding 
country  places,  had  been  decimated  in  1832  by  the  same  terrible 
scourge.  Thousands  upon  thousands  had  fallen  its  victims; 
families  in  every  I'ank  of  society  had  disappeared;  for  the  most 
skillful  physicians  of  both  Europe  and  America  had  been  unable 
to  stop  its  march  and  ravages.  But  the  year  1833  had  passed 
without  hearing  almost  of  a  single  case  of  that  fatal  disease :  we 
had  all  the  hope  that  the  justice  of  God  was  satisfied,  and  that 
He  would  no  more  visit  us  with  that  horrible  plague.  In  this, 
however,  we  were  to  be  sadly  disappointed. 

Charlesbourgh  is  a  kind  of  suburb  of  Quebec,  the  greatest 
part  of  its  inhabitants  had  to  go  within  its  walls  to  sell  their 
goods  several  times  every  week.  It  was  evident  that  we  were 
to  be  among  the  first  visited  by  that  messenger  of  a  just,  but 
angry  God.  I  will  never  forget  the  hour  after  I  had  heard: 
"  The  cholera  is  in  Quebec!"  It  was,  indeed,  a  most  solemn 
hour  to  me.  At  a  glance,  I  measured  the  bottomless  abyss 
which  was  dug  under  my  feet.  We  had  no  physicians,  and 
there  was  no  possibility  of  having  any  one — for  they  were  to 
have  more  woi'k  than  they  could  do  in  Quebec.  I  saw  that  I 
would  have  to  be  both  the  body  and  the  soul -physician  of  the 
numberless  victims  of  this  terrible  disease. 

aa7 


; ) 


228 


■»■: 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


The  tortures  of  the  dying,  the  cries  of  the  widows  and  of  the 
orphans,  the  almost  uiihcarahle  stench  of  the  houses  attacked  hy 
the  scourjfe,  the  dcsohitiou  and  the  paralyzing  fears  of  the  whole 
people,  the  fatherless  and  motherless  orphans  hy  whom  I  was 
to  be  surrounded,  the  starving  poor  for  whom  I  would  have  to 
provide  food  and  clothing  when  every  kind  of  work  and  indus- 
try was  stopped;  but  above  all,  the  crowds  of  penitents  whom 
the  terrors  of  an  imixMuHng  deaith  would  drag  to  my  feet  U* 
make  their  confessions,  that  I  might  forgive  their  sins,  passed 
through  my  mind  as  so  many  spectres.  I  fell  on  my  knees, 
with  a  heart  beating  with  emotions  that  no  pen  can  describe, 
and  prostrating  myself  before  my  too  justly  angry  God,  I  cried 
for  mercy:  with  torrents  of  tears  I  asked  Him  to  take  away  ni',- 
life  as  a  sacrifice  for  m}'  people,  but  to  spare  them:  raising  my 
eyes  towards  a  beautiful  statue  of  Mary,  whom  I  believed  to  be 
then  the  Mother  of  God,  I  supplicated  her  to  appease  the  wrath 
of  her  Son. 

I  was  still  on  my  knees,  when  several  knocks  at  the  door 
told  me  that  some  one  wanted  to  speak  to  me — a  young  woman 
was  there,  bathed  in  tears  and  pale  as  death,  who  said  to  me: 
"  My  father  has  just  returned  from  Quebec,  and  is  dying  from 
the  cholera — please  come  quick  to  hear  his  confession  before  he 
expires!" 

No  tongue  will  ever  be  able  to  tell  half  of  the  horrors  which 
strike  the  eyes  and  the  mind  the  first  time  one  enters  the  house 
of  a  man  struggling  in  the  agonies  of  death  from  cholera.  The 
other  diseases  seem  to  attack  only  one  part  of  the  body  at  once, 
but  the  cholera  is  like  a  furious  tiger  whose  sharp  teeth  and  nails 
tear  his  victim  from  head  to  feet  without  sparing  any  part.  The 
hands  and  the  feet,  the  legs  and  the  arms,  the  stom.ich,  the 
breast  and  the  bowels  are  at  once  tortured.  I  had  never  seen 
anything  so  terrific  as  the  fixed  eyes  of  that  first  victim  whom  I 
had  to  prepare  for  death.  He  was  already  almost  as  cold  as  a 
piece  of  ice.  He  was  vomiting  and  ejecting  an  incredible 
quantity  of  a  watery  and  blackish  matter,  which  filled  the  house 
with  an  unbearable  smell.  With  a  feeble  voice  he  requested 
me  to  hear  the  confession  of  his  sins,  and  I  ordered  the  family 


THE    CHOLERA    MORBUS   OK    1 834. 


229 


to  withdraw  and  leave  me  alone,  that  they  might  not  hear  the 
sad  story  of  his  transgressions.  But  he  had  not  said  five  words 
before  he  cried  out:  "Oh  my  God!  what  horrible  cramps  in  my 
leg  1  For  God's  sake,  rub  it."  And  when  I  had  given  up  hear- 
ing his  confession  to  rub  the  leg,  he  cried  again:  "Oh!  what 
horrible  cramps  in  my  arms! — in  my  feet! — in  my  shoulders! — 
in  my  stomach ! "  And  to  the  utmost  of  my  capacity  and  my 
strength,  I  rubbed  his  arms,  his  feet,  his  shoulders,  his  breast, 
till  I  felt  so  exhausted  and  covered  with  perspiration,  that  I 
feared  I  should  faint.  During  that  time  the  fetid  matter  ejected 
from  his  stomach,  besmeared  me  almost  from  head  to  foot.  I 
called  for  help,  and  two  strong  men  continued  with  me  to  rub 
the  poor  dying  man. 

It  seemed  evident  that  he  could  not  live  very  long:  his  suf- 
ferings looked  so  terrible  and  unbearable!  I  administered  him 
the  sacrament  of  extreme-unction.  But  I  did  not  leave  the  house 
after  that  ceremony,  as  it  is  the  custom  of  the  priests.  It  was 
the  first  time  that  I  had  met  face  to  face  with  that  giant  which 
had  covered  so  many  nations  with  desolation  and  ruin,  caused  so 
many  torrents  of  tears  to  flow.  I  had  heard*  so  much  of  him! 
I  knew  that,  till  then,  nothing  had  been  able  to  stop  his  forward 
march!  He  had  scornfully  gone  through  the  obstacles  which 
the  most  powerful  nations  had  placed  before  him  to  retard  his 
progress.  He  had  mocked  the  art  and  the  science  of  the  most 
skillful  physicians  all  over  the  world !  In  a  single  step,  he .  had 
trone  from  Moscow  to  Paris! — and  in  another  month  he  had 
cro9=£d  the  bottomless  seas  which  the  hands  of  the  Almighty 
have  spread  between  Europe  and  America!  That  king  of 
terrors,  after  piling  in  their  graves,  by  millions,  the  rich  and 
the  poor,  the  old  and  the  young,  whom  he  had  met  on  his  march 
through  Asia,  Africa,  Europe  and  America,  was  now  before 
nic!  Nay,  he  was  torturing,  before  my  eyes,  the  first  victim  he 
had  chosen  among  my  people!  But  the  more  I  felt  powerless 
in  the  presence  of  that  mighty  giant,  the  more  I  wanted  to  see 
him  face  to  face.  I  had  as  a  secret  pleasure,  a  holy  prtde,  in 
daring  him.  I  wanted  to  tell  him :  "  I  do  not  fear  you !  You 
mercilessly  attack  my  people,  but  with  the  help  of  God,  in  the 


•  Q 


% 


w 


230 


FIFTY    YKAHS    IN    THE    CUVUCU    OK    HOMK. 


I^ili  I 


II 


^11! 


strciifTth  of  the  One  who  died  on  Calvary  for  me,  and  who  told 
me  ihat  nothinjjj  is  more  sweet  and  {glorious  than  to  give  my 
life  for  my  friends,  I  will  meet  and  fight  you  everywhere  when 
yon  attack  ;iiiy  one  of  those  sheep  who  are  dearer  to  me  than 
my  own  life! " 

Standing  hy  the  bedside  of  the  dying  man,  whilst  I  rubbed 
his  limbs  to  alleviate  his  tortures,  I  exhorted  him  to  repent.  Qut 
I  closely  watched  that  hand  to  hand  battle — that  merciless  and 
unequal  struggle  between  the  giant  and  his  poor  victim.  His 
agony  was  long  and  terrible,  for  lie  was  a  mail  of  great  bodily 
strength.  But  after  several  hours  of  the  most  frightful  pains, 
he  quietly  breathed  his  last.  The  house  was  crowded  with  the 
neighbors  and  relations,  who,  forgetful  of  the  danger  of  catch- 
ing the  disease,  had  come  to  see  him.  We  all  knelt  and  prayed 
for  the  departed  soul,  after  which  I  gave  them  a  few  words 
about  the  necessity  of  giving  up  their  sins  and  keeping  them- 
selves ready  to  die  and  go  at  the  Master's  call. 

I  then  left  that  desolated  house  with  fcclirtgs  of  distress 
which  no  pen  can  portray.  When  I  got  back  to  the  parsonage, 
after  praying  and  weeping  alone  in  my  closet,  I  took  a  bath,  and 
washed  myself  with  vinegar  and  a  mixture  of  camphor,  as  a 
preventive  against  the  epidemic.  The  rest  of  the  da} ,  till  ten  at 
night,  was  spent  in  hearing  the  confessions  of  a  great  number  of 
people  whom  the  fear  of  death  had  dragged  around  my  con- 
fessional box  that  I  might  forgive  their  sins.  This  hearing  of 
confession  was  iiitmuptcd  only  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when  I 
was  called  to  the  cemetery  to  bury  the  first  victim  of  the  cholera 
in  Charlesbourgh.  A  great  number  of  people  had  accompanied 
the  corpse  to  his  last  resting-place :  the  night  was  beautiful,  the 
atmosphere  balmy,  and  the  moon  and  stars  had  never  .appeared 
to  me  so  bright.  The  stillness  of  the  night  was  broken  only  by 
the  sobs  of  the  relations  and  friends  of  the  deceased.  It  was  one 
of  the  best  opportunities  God  had  ever  given  me  of  exhorting 
the  people  to  repentance.  I  took  for  my  text:  "  Therefore,  be 
ye  also  ready ;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of 
Man  cometh."  The  spectacle  of  that  grave,  filled  by  a  man 
who,  twenty-four  hours  before,  was  full  of  health  and  life  in 


ii 


THE    CHOLERA    MORBUS    OK     1S34. 


•53' 


the  midst  of  his  happy  family,  wa»  speaiiing  more  eloquently 
than  the  words  of  my  lips,  to  show  that  we  must  be  always 
ready.  And  never  any  people  entered  the  threshold  of  their 
homes  with  more  solemn  thoughts  than  those  to  whom  I  spoke, 
that  night,  in  the  midst  of  the  graveyard. 

The  history  of  that  day  is  the  history  of  the  forty  days  which 
followed — for  not  a  single  one  of  them  passed  without  my  being 
called  to  visit  a  victim  of  the  cholera — more  than  one  hundred 

p'e  were  attacked  by  the  terrible  disease,  nearly  forty  of 
whom  died! 

I  cannot  sufficiently  thank  my  merciful  God  for  having  pro- 
tected me  in  such  a  marvellous  way  that  I  had  not  a  single  hour 
of  disease  during  those  two  months  of  hard  labors  and  sore  trials. 
I  had  to  visit  the  sick  not  only  as  a  priest,  but  as  jjhysician  also ; 
for  seeing,  at  first,  the  absolute  impossibility  of  persuading  any 
physician  from  Quebec  to  give  up  their  rich  city  patients  for 
our  more  humble  farmers,  I  felt  it  was  my  duty  to  make  myself 
as  expert  as  I  could  in  the  art  of  helping  the  victims  of  that  cruel 
and  loathsome  disease:  I  studied  the  best  authors  on  that  sub 
ject,  consulted  the  most  skillful  physicians,  got  a  little  pharmacy 
which  woidd  have  done  honor  to  an  old  physician,  and  I  gave 
"  care  and  my  medicine  gratis.    Very  soon  the  good  people  of 

irlesbourgh  put  as  much,  if  not  more  confidence,  in  my 
....jical  care,  as  in  any  other  of  the  best  physicians  of  the  coun- 
try. More  than  once,  I  had  to  rub  the  limbs  of  so  many  patients 
in  the  same  day,  that  the  skin  of  my  hands  was  taken  away, 
and  several  times  the  blood  come  out  from  the  wounds.  Dr. 
Painchaud,  one  of  the  ablest  physicians  of  Quebec,  who  was 
my  personal  friend,  told  me  after,  that  it  was  a  most  extraordi- 
nary thing  that  I  had  not  fallen  a  victim  to  that  disease. 

I  would  never  have  mentioned  what  I  did,  in  those  never-to- 
be-forgotten  days  of  the  cholera  of  1834,  when  one  of  the  most 
horrible  epidemics  which  the  world  has  ever  seen  spread  desola- 
tion and  death  almost  r/1  over  Canada,  if  I  had  been  alone  to 
work  as  I  did;  but  I  am  happy  and  proud  to  say  that,  without  a 
single  exception,  the  French  Canadian  priests,  whose  parishes 
were  attacked   by  that  pestilence,  did  the  same.     I  could   name 


Ill 


lll 


232 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


hundreds  of  them  who,  during  several  months,  also,  day  after 
day  and  night  after  night,  bravely  met  and  fought  the  enemy, 
^nd  fearlessly  presented  their  breast  to  its  blows.  I  could  even 
name  scores  of  them  who  heroically  fell  and  died  when'  facing 
the  foe  on  that  battlefield! 

We  must  be  honest  and  true  towards  the  Roman  Catholic 
priests  of  Canada.  Few  men,  if  even  any,  have  shown  more 
courage  and  self-denial  in  the  hour  of  danger  than  they  did.  I 
have  seen  them  at  work  during  the  two  memorable  years  of 
1832  and  1834,  with  a  courage  and  self-denial  worthy  of  the 
admiration  of  heaven  and  earth.  Though  they  knew  well  that 
the  most  horrible  tortures  and  death  might  be  the  price  of  their 
devotedress,  I  have  not  known  a  single  one  of  them  who  ever 
shrank  before  the  danger.  At  the  first  appeal,  in  the  midst  of 
the  darkest  and  stormiest  nights,  as  .well  as  in  the  light  of  the 
brightest  days,  they  were  always  ready  to  leave  their  warm  and 
comfortable  beds  to  run  to  the  rescue  of  the  sick  and  dying. 

But,  shall  we  conclude  from  that,  as  the  priests  of  Rome 
want  us  to  do,  that  their  religion  is  the  true  and  divine  religion 
of  Christ?  Must  we  believe  that  because  the  priests  are  brave, 
admirably  brave,  and  die  the  death  of  heroes  on  the  battlefields, 
they  are  the  true,  the  only  priests  of  Christ,  the  successors  of  the 
apostles — the  ministers  of  the  religion  out  of  which  there  is  no 
salvation?     No! 

Was  it  because  his  religion  was  the  divine  and  only  true  one 
that  the  millionaire  Stephen  Gerard,  when  in  1793  Philadelphia 
was  decimated  by  a  most  frightful  epidemic,  went  from  house  to 
house,  visiting  the  sick,  serving,  washing  them  with  his  own 
-^  hands,  and  even  helping  to  put  them  into  their  coflUns?  I  ask  it 
again,  is  it  because  his  religion  was  the  divine  religion  of  Jesus 
that  that  remarkable  man,  during  several  months,  lived  among 
the  dying  and  the  dead,  to  help  them,  when  his  immense  fortune 
allowed  him  to  put  a  whole  world  between  him  and  the  danger? 
No;  for  every  one  knows  that  Stephen  Gerard  was  a  deist,  who 
did  not  believe  in  Christ. 

Was  it  because  they  followed  the  true  religion  that,  in  the 
last   war   between   Russia   and   Turkey,  a  whole  regiment   of 


THE   CHOLERA    MORBUS   OF    1S34. 


233 


Ttirks  heroically  ran  to  a  sure  death  to  obey  the  order  of  their   . 
general,  who  commanded  them  to  charge  bayonets  on  a  Russian 
battery,  which  was  pouring  upon  them  a  real  hail  of  bullets  and 
canisters?     No!  surely  no! 

These  TurHs  were  brave,  fearless,  heroic  soldiers,  but  noth- 
ing more.  So  the  priests  of  the  Pope,  who  expose  themselves 
ilk  the  hour  of  danger,  are  brave,  fearless,  heroic  soldiers  of  the 
Pope — but  they  are  nothing  more. 

Was  it  because  they  were  good  Christians  that  the  soldiers 
of  a  French  regiment,  at  Austerlitz,  consented  to  be  slaughtered 
to  the  last,  at  the  head  of  a  bridge  where  Napoleon  had  ordered 
them  to  remain,  with  these  celebrated  words:  "Soldiers!  stand 
there^  and  fight  to  the  last;  you  will  all  be  killed,  but  you  will 
save  the  army,  and  we  will  gain  the  day !  " 

Those  soldiers  were  admirably  well  disciplined — they  loved 
their  flag  more  than  their  lives — they  knew  only  one  thing  in  the 
world :  "  Obey  the  command  of  Napoleon ! "  They  fought  like 
giants  and  died  like  heroes.  So  the  priests  are  a  well  disciplined 
band  of  soldiers;  they  are  trained  to  love  their  church  more 
than  their  own  life;  they  also  know  only  one  thing:  "Obey 
your  superior,  the  Pope!"  they  fight  the  battle  of  their 
church  like  giants,  and  they  die  like  heroes! 

Who  has  not  read  the  history  of  the  renowned  French  man- 
of-war,  the  "Tonnant?"  When  she  had  lost  her  masts,  and  was 
so  crippled  by  the  red  bullets  of  the  English  fleet  that  there  was 
no  possibility  of  escape,  what  did  the  soldiers  and  maritiers  of 
that  ship  answer  to  the  cries  of  "  Surrender!"  which  came  from 
the  English  admiral?     "We  die,  but  do  not  surrender! "' 

They  all  went  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  perished  rather 
than  see  their  nroud  banners  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  foe! 

Is  it  because  those  French  warriors  were  good  Christians 
tliat  they  preferred  to  die  rather  than  give  up  their  flag?  No! 
But  they  knew  that  the  eyes  of  their  country,  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  world  were  upon  them.  Life  became  to  them  a  trifle:  it 
became  nothing  when  placed  in  the  balance  against  what  they 
considered  their  honor,  and  the  honor  of  their  fair  and  noble 
country ; — nay,  life  became  an  undesirable  thing,  when  it  was 


234 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


weighted  against  the  glory  of  dying  at  the  post  of  duty  and 
honor. 

So  it  is  with  the  priest  of  Rome.  He  knows  that  the  eyes 
of  his  people,  and  of  his  superiors — the  eyes  of  his  whole  chuich 
are  upon  him.  He  knows  that  if  he  shrinks  in  the  hour  of 
danger,  he  will  forever  lose  their  confidence  and  their  esteem ; 
that  he  will  lose  his  position  and  live  the  life  of  a  degraded  man ! 
Death  seems  preferable  to  such  a  life. 

Besides,  it  is  not  only  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  that  we  read: 
«  This  is  my  commandment,  that  ye  love  one  another,  as  I  have 
loved  you."  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a  man 
lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends."  Our  great  God  has  written 
these  words  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  children  of  Adam.  He 
has  written  them  in  the  very  heart  of  humanity.  These  words 
are  engraven  in  the  hearts  of  the  Turks  of  Constantinople,  as 
well  as  in  the  hearts  of  the  priests  of  Canada.  They  are  engraven 
in  the  hearts  oi  the  Esquimaux  of  the  icy  regions  of  Greenland, 
as  well  as  in  the  hearts  of  the  refined  citizens  of  Paris. 

Hence,  in  the  midst  of  the  wreck  of  almost  all  the  other 
virtues,  we  find  a  spark  of  that  sacred  fire,  kept  alive,  everywhere. 
For  again,  God  Almighty  himself  has  breathed  that  spark  of  fire 
and  life  into  the  heart  of  man  when  he  made  him  in  his  own 
image.  We  find  that  spark  of  holy  and  inextinguishable  fire  of 
love  and  life  even  among  the  most  depraved  nations.  For  that 
nation  must  infallibly  perish  and  disappear  the  day  it  has  lost  it 
entirely.  This  is  the  reason  why,  even  among  the  degraded 
idolaters  of  ancient  and  modern  times,  we  find  acts  of  admirable 
devotcdness  and  self-sacrifice.  Read  the  history  of  the  Iroquois, 
written  by  the  Jesuit  Father,  Charlevoix,  and  you  will  see 
how  the  savages  of  our  forests  often  raised  themselves  to 
the  very  stature  of  giants  at  the  approach  of  death,  when  the 
honor  of  their  nations,  or  the  interests  of  their  friends,  or  their 
own  reputation  was  at  stake.  No  men  have  ever  carried  the 
contempt  of  pnin  and  death  so  far,  perhaps,  as  the  heathen  Iro- 
quois of  this  continent. 

Yes!  let  the  people  of  Canada  read  the  histor}'  of  "La 
Nouvelle  France,"  and  they  will  cease  from  presenting  to  us  the 


THE   CHOLERA    MORBUS    IN    1 834. 


235 


courage  of  their  priests  as  an  indication  of  the  divinity  of  their 
religion.  For  there  they  will  see  that  the  worshippers  of  the 
wooden  gods  of  the  forests  have  equalled,  if  not  surpassed,  in 
courage  and  self-denial  in  the  face  of  death,  the  courage  and 
self-denial  of  the  priests  of  the  wafer  god  of  Rome. 


Chapter  XXIV. 


Z  AM  KAKBD  A  VIOAB  07  ST.  BOOH,  QT7BBB0  OITT-THB  BEV. 
MB.  TBTU-TBBTUUUAN-eSKBBAI.  OABOO-THB  SBAL 
SKINS. 


IN  the  beginning  of  September,  1834,  the  Bishop  Synaie 
gave  me  the  enviable  position  of  one  of  the  vicars  of  St.  Roch 
Quebec,  where  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tetu  had  been  curate  for  about  a 
year.  He  was  one  of  the  seventeen  children  of  Mr.  Francis 
Tetu,  one  of  the  most  respectable  and  wealthy  farmers  of  St. 
Thomas.  Such  was  the  amiability  of  character  of  my  new 
curate,  that  I  never  saw  him  in  bad  humor  a  single  time  during 
the  four  years  that  it  was  my  fortune  to  work  under  him  in  that 
parish.  And  although  in  my  daily  intercourse  with  him  I  some- 
times unintentionally  sorely  tried  his  patience,  I  never  heard  an 
unkind  word  proceed  from  his  lips. 

He  was  a  fine-looking  man,  tall  and  well-built,  large  fore- 
head, blue  eyes,  a  remarkably  fine  nose  and  rosy  lips,  only  a 
little  too  feminine.  His  skin  was  very  white  for  a  rrMin,  but  his 
fine  short  whiskers,  which  he  knew  so  well  how  to  trim,  gave 
to  his  whole  mien  a  manly  and  pleasant  appearance. 

He  was  the  finest  penman  I  ever  saw ;  and  by  far  the  most 
skillful  skater  of  the  country.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  agility 
and  perfection  with  which  he  used  to  write  his  name  on  the  ice 
with  his  skates.  He  was  also  fond  of  fast  horses,  and  knew,  to 
perfection,  how  to  handle  the  most  unmanageable  steeds  of  Que- 
bec. He  really  looked  like  Phaeton  when,  in  a  light  and  beau- 
tiful buggy,  he  held  the  reins  of  the  fiery  coursers  which  the 
rich  bourgeois  of  the  city  liked  to  trust  to  him  once  or  twice  a 

week,  that  he  might  take  a  ride  with  one  of  his  vicars  to  the 

236 


NAMED    VICAR    OK    ST.    ROCH. 


237 


T— THE  BEV. 
)-THB    SEAL 


iishop  Synaie 
•s  of  St.  Roch, 
ite  for  about  a 
f  Mr.  Francis 
Earmers  of  St. 
r  of  my  new 
le  time  during 
ler  him  in  that 
■h  him  I  some- 
lever  heard  an 

ilt,  large  f  ore- 
sy  lips,  only  a 
a  m«n,  but  his 
r  to  trim,  gave 
:e. 

)y  far  the  most 
jass  the  agility 
lame  on  the  ice 
s,  and  knew,  to 
steeds  of  Que- 
light  and  beau- 
-sers  which  the 
once  or  twice  a 
is  vicars  to  the 


surrounding  country.     Mr.  Tetu  was  also  fond  of  fine  cigars 
and  choice  chewing  tobacco.     Like  the  late  Pope  Pius  IX.,  he 
also  constantly   used   the   snuff-box.     He  would  have  been  a 
pretty  good  preacher,  had  he  not  been  born  with  a  natural  hor- 
ror of  books.     I  very  seldom  saw  in  his  hands  any  other  books 
than  his  breviary,  and  some  treatises  on  the  catechism :  a  book 
in  his  hands  had  almost  the  effect  of  opium  on  one's  brains,  it 
put  him  to  sleep.     One  day,  when    I    had  finished  reading  a 
volume  of  Tertullian,  he  felt  much  mterested  in  what  I   said  of 
the  eloquence  and   learning  of   that  celebrated  Father  of  the 
Church,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  read  it.     I  smilingly  asked 
him  if  he  were  more  than  usual  in  need  of  sleep.     He  seriously 
answered  me  that  he  really  wanted  to  read  that  work,  and  that 
he  wished  to  begin  its  study  just  then.     I  lent  him  the  volume, 
and  he  went  immediately  to  his  room  in  order  to  enrich  his  mind 
with  the  treasures  of  eloquence  and  wisdom  of  that  celebrated 
writer  of  the  primitive  church.   Half  an  hour  after,  suspecting 
what  would  occur,  I  went  down  to  his  room,  arjd  noiselessly 
0(jening  the  door,  I  found  my  dear  Mr.  Tetu  sleeping  on  his 
soft  sofa,  and  snoring  to  his  heart's  content,  while  Tertullian 
was  lying  on  the  floor!     I  ran  to  the  rooms  of  the  other  vicars, 
and  told  them :  "  Come  and  see  how  our  good  curate  is  study- 
ing Tertullian  ? " 

There  is  no  need  to  say  that  we  had  a  hearty  laugh  at  his 
expense.  Unfortunately,  the  noise  we  made  awoke  him,  and 
we  then  asked  him:  "What  do  you  think  of  Tertullian?  " 

He  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  answered,  "Weill  wellf  what  is 
the  matter?  Are  you  not  four  very  wicked  men  to  laugh  at  the 
human  frailties  of  your  curate  ? "  We  for  a  while  called  him 
Father  Tertullian. 

Another  day  he  requested  me  to  give  him  some  English 
lessons.  For,  though  my  knowledge  oi  English  was  then  very 
limited,  1  was  the  only  one  of  five  priests  who  understood  and 
could  speak  a  few  words  in  that  language?  I  answered  him 
that  It  would  be  as  pleasant  as  it  was  easy  for  me  to  teach  the 
little  1  knew  of  it,  and  I  advised  him  to  subscribe  for  the  "  Que- 
bec Gazette,"   that  I    might   profit   by   the  interesting    matter 


asS 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


which  that  paper  used  to  give  to  its  readers;  and  at  the  same 
time  I  should  teach  him  to  read  and  understand  its  contents. 

The  third  time  that  I  went  to  his  room  to  give  him  his  lesson, 
he  gravely  asked  me :  "  Have  you  ever  seen  '  General  Cargo  ? ' " 

I  was  at  first  puzzled  by  that  question,  and  answered  him: 
"  I  never  heard  that  there  was  any  military  officer  by  the  name 
of  '  General  Cargo.'  How  do  you  know  that  there  is  such  a 
general  in  the  world  ?  " 

He  quickly  answered :  "  There  is  surely  a  ♦  General  Cargo ' 
somewhere  in  England  or  America,  and  he  must  be  very  rich; 
for  see  the  large  number  of  ships  which  bear  his  name,  and 
have  entered  the  port  of  Quebec,  these  last  few  days!  " 

Seeing  the  strange  mistake,  and  finding  his  ignorance  so 
w^"'Jerful,  I  burst  into  a  fit  of  uncontrollable  laughter.  I  could 
not  answer  a  word,  but  cried  at  the  top  of  my  voice :  "  General 
Cargo!  General  Cargo !  " 

The  poor  curate,  stunned  by  my  laughing,  looked  at  me 
in  amazement.  But,  unable  to  understand  its  cause,  he  asked 
me :  "  Why  do  you  laugh  ? "  But  the  more  stupefied  he  was, 
the  more  I  laughed,  unable  to  say  anything  but  "  General  Car- 
go! General  Cargo!" 

The  three  other  vicars,  hearing  the  noise,  hastily  came  from 
their  rooms  to  learn  its  cause,  and  get  a  good  laugh  also.  But  I 
was  so  completely  beside  myself  with  laughing,  that  I  could  not 
answer  their  questions  in  any  other  way  than  by  crying, 
"General  Cargo!  General  Cargo!" 

The  puzzled  curate  tried  then  to  give  them  some  explana- 
tions of  that  mystery,  saying  with  the  greatest  naivete :  « I  can- 
not see  why  our  little  Father  Chiniquy  is  laughing  so  convul- 
sively. I  put  to  him  a  very  simple  question,  when  he  entered 
my  room  to  give  me  my  English  lesson.  I  simply  asked  him  if 
he  had  ever  seen  '  General  Cargo,'  who  has  sent  so  many  ships 
to  our  port  these  last  few  days,  and  added  that  that  general  must 
be  very  rich,  since  he  has  so  many  ships  on  the  sea!"  The 
three  vicars  saw  the  point,  and  without  being  able  to  answer 
him  a  word,  they  burst  also  into  such  fits  of  laughter,  that  the 
poor  curate  felt  more  than  ever  puzzled. 


NAMED    VICAR   OF    ST.    ROCH. 


239 


"  Are  you  crazy  ?  "  he  said.  "  What  makes  you  laugh  so 
when  I  put  to  you  such  a  fimple  question  ?  Do  you  not  know 
anything  about  that  '  General  Cargo,'  who  surely  must  live 
somewhere,  and  be  very  rich,  since  he  sends  so  many  vessels  to 
our  port  that  they  fill  nearly  two  columns  of  the  "  Quebec 
Gazette?" 

These  remarks  of  the  poor  curate  brought  such  a  new  storm 
of  irrepressible  laughter  from  us  all  as  we  never  experienced  in 
our  whole  lives.  It  took  us  some  time  to  sufficiently  master  our 
feelings  to  tell  him  that  *  General  Cargo '  was  not  the  name  of 
any  individual,  but  only  the  technical  words  to  say  that  the  ships 
were  laden  with  general  goods. 

The  nfext  morning  the  young  and  jovial  vicars  gave  the  story 
to  their  friends,  and  the  people  of  Quebec  had  a  hearty  laugh 
at  the  expense  of  our  friend.  From  that  time  we  called  our 
good  curate  by  the  name  of  "  General  Cargo,"  and  he  was  so 
good-natured  that  he  joined  with  us  in  joking  at  his  own  expense. 
It  would  require  too  much  space  were  I  to  publish  all  the  comic 
blunders  of  that  good  man,  and  so  I  shall  give  only  one  more. 

On  one  of  the  coldest  days  of  January,  1835,  a  merchant  of 
seal  skins  came  to  the  parsonage  with  some  of  the  best  specimens 
of  his  merchandise,  that  we  might  buy  them  to  make  overcoats. 
For  in  those  days  the  overcoats  of  buffalo  or  raccoon  skins  were 
not  yet  thought  of.  Our  richest  men  used  to  have  beaver  over- 
coats, but  the  rest  of  the  people  had  to  be  contented  with  Canada 
seal  skins;, a  beaver  overcoat  could  not  be  h«d  for  less  than  $200. 
Mr.  Tetu  was  anxious  to  buy  the  skins;  his  only  difficulty 
was  the  high  price  asked  by  the  merchant.  For  nearly  an  hour 
he  had  turned  over  and  over  again  the  beautiful  skins,  and  had 
spent  all  his  eloquence  on  trying  to  bring  down  their  price,  when 
the  sexton  arrived,  and  told  him,  respectfully  i  "  Mr.  le  Cure, 
there  are  a  couple  of  people  waiting  for  you  with  a  child  to  be 
baptized."  "  Very  well,"  said  the  curate,  "  I  will  go  immedi- 
ately;" and  addressing  the  merchant,  he  said:  "Please  wait  a 
moment;  I  will  not  be  long  absent." 

In  two  minutes   after,  the  curate  had  donned  the  surplice, 
and  was  going  at  full  speed  through  the  prayers  and  ceremonies 


il) 


240 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


m 


jj  t 


of  Baptism.  For,  to  be  fair  and  true  towards  Mr.  Tetu  (and  I 
might  say  the  same  thing  of  the  greatest  part  of  the  priests  I 
have  known)  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  he  was  very  exact 
in  all  his  ministerial  duties;  yet  he  was  in  this  case  going  through 
them  by  steam,  if  not  by  electricity.  He  was  soon  at  the  end. 
But,  after  the  sacrament  was  administered,  we  were  enjoined, 
then,  to  repeat  an  exhortation  to  the  godfathers  and  godmothers, 
from  the  ritual  which  we  all  knew  by  heart,  and  which  began 
with  these  words:  "Godfathers  and  godmothers:  you  have 
brought  a  sinner  to  the  church,  but  you  will  take  back  a  saint!" 

As  the  vestry  was  full  of  people  who  had  come  to  confess, 
Mr.  Tetu  thought  that  it  was  his  duty  to  speak  with  more 
emphasis  than  usual,  in  order  to  have  his  instructions  heard  and 
felt  by  every  one.  But,  instead  of  saying,  "  Godfather  and  god- 
mother, you  have  brought  a  sinner  to  the  church,  you  will  take 
back  a  saint!"  he,  with  great  force  and  unction,  said:  "God- 
father and  godmother,  you  have  brought  a  sinner  to  the  church, 
you  will  take  back  a  seal  skin  I " 

No  words  can  describe  the  uncontrollable  burst  and  roar  of 
laughter  among  the  crowd,  when  they  heard  that  the  baptized 
child  was  just  changed  into  a  "  seal  skin."  Unable  to  contain 
themselves,  or  do  any  serious  thing,  they  left  the  vestry  to  go 
home  and  laugh  to  ther  heart's  content. 

But  the  most  comic  part  of  this  blunder  was  the  sang 
froid  and  the  calmness  with  which  Mr.  Tetu,  turning  towards 
me,  asked :  "  Will  yo^  be  kind  enough  to  tell  me  the  cause  of 
that  indecent  and  universal  laughing  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
solemn  action  as  the  baptism  of  this  child  ?  " 

I  tried  to  tell  him  his  blunder:  but  for  some  time  it  was 
impossible  to  express  myself.  My  laughing  propensities  were 
so  much  excited,  and  the  convulsive  laughter  of  the  whole  mul- 
titude made  such  a  noise,  that  he  would  not  have  heard  me 
had  I  been  able  to  answer  him.  It  was  only  when  the  greatest 
part  of  the  crowd  had  left  that  I  could  reveal  to  Mr.  Tetu  that 
he  had  changed  the  baptized  baby  into  a  "seal  skin!"  He 
heartily  laughed  at  his  own  blunder,  and  calmly  went  back 
to  buy  his  seal  skins.     The  next  day  the  story  went  from  house 


^TO!^P?!frT'^?'^^ 


NAMED    VICAR    OF   ST.    ROCH. 


341 


and  roar  of 
the  baptized 
le  to  contain 
vestry  to  go 


to  house  in  Quebec,  and  caused   everywhere  such  a  laugh  as 
they  had  not  had  since  the  birth  of  "  General  Cargo." 

That  priest  was  a  good  type  of  the  greatest  part  of  the 
priests  of  Canada.  Fine  fellows — social  and  jovial  gentlemen 
— as  fond  of  smoking  their  cigars  as  of  chewing  their  tobacco 
and  using  their  snufF;  fond  of  fast  horses;  repeating  the  pray- 
ers of  their  breviary  and  going  through  the  performance  of 
their  ministerial  duties  with  as  much  speed  as  possible.  With  a 
good  number  of  books  in  their  libraries,  but  knowing  nothing  of 
them  but  the  titles.  Possessing  the  Bible,  but  ignorant  of  its 
contents ;  believing  that  they  had  the  light,  when  they  were  in 
awful  darkness;  preaching  the  most  monstrous  doctrines  as 
the  gospel  of  truth;  considering  themselves  the  only  true 
Christians  in  the  world,  when  they  worshipped  the  most  con- 
temptible idols  made  with  hands.  Absolutely  ignorant  of  the 
Word  of  God,  while  they  proclaimed  and  believed  themselves 
to  be  the  lights  of  the  world.  Unfortunate,  blind  men,  lead* 
ing  the  blind  into  the  ditch  1 


:l    \D 


fl 


m 

ml 


Chapter  XXV. 

SIMONT  -  STRANGE  AND  SACBILEOIOUS  TRAFFIC  IN  THE 
SO-CALLED  BODY  AND  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST  -  ENORMOUS 
SUMS  OF  MONET  MADE  BY  THE  SALE  OF  MASSES-THE 
SOCIETY  OF  THREE  MASSES  ABOLISHED  AND  THE  SOCIETY 
OF  ONE  MASS  ESTABLISHED. 

IN  one  of  the  pleasant  hours  which  we  used  invariably  to  pass 
after  dinner,  in  the  comfortable  parlor  of  our  parsonage,  one 
of  the  vicars,  Mr.  Louis  Parent,  said  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tetu: 
« I  have  handed  this  morning  more  than  one  hundred  dollars  to 
the  bishop,  as  the  price  of  the  masses  which  my  pious  penitents 
have  requested  me  to  celebrate,  the  greatest  part  of  them  for  the 
souls  in  purgatory.  Every  week,  I  have  to  do  the  same  thing, 
just  as  each  of  you,  and  every  one  of  the  hinidreds  of  priests  in 
Canada  have  to  do.  Now,  I  would  like  to  know  how  the 
bishops  can  dispose  of  all  these  masses,  and  what  they  do  with 
the  large  sums  of  money  which  go  into  their  hands  from  every 
part  of  the  country  to  have  masses  said.  This  question  vexes 
me,  and  I  would  like  to  know  your  mind  about  it." 

The  good  curate  answered  in  a  joking  manner,  as  usual: 
"  If  the  masses  paid  into  our  hands,  which  go  to  the  bishop,  are 
all  celebrated,  purgatory  must  be  emptied  twice  a  day.  For  I 
have  calculated  that  the  sums  given  for  those  masses  in  Canada 
cannot  be  less  than  $4,000  every  day,  and,  as  there  are  three 
times  as  many  Catholics  in  the  United  States  as  here,  and  as 
those  Irish  Catholics  are  more  devoted  to  the  souls  in  purgatory 
than  the  Canadians,  there  is  no  exaggeration  in  sayin  g  that  they 
give  as  much  as  our  people;  $16,000  at  least  will  thus  be  given 
every  day  in  these  two  countries  to  throw  cold  water  on  the 

burning  flames  of  that  fiery  prison.     Now,  these  $16,000  given 

342 


hi  i: 


■Iipppllpppiiiplfip*^''r^^ 


SIMONY. 


243 


every  day,  multiplied  by  the  365  days  of  the  year,  make  the 
handsome  sum  of  $5,840,000  paid  for  that  object  in  low  masses, 
every  year.     But,  as  we  all  know,  that  more  than  twice  as  much 
is  paid  for  high  masses  than  for  the  low,  it  is  evident  that  more 
than  $10,000,000  arc   expended   to  help  the  souls  of  purgatory 
end  their  tortures  every  twelve  months,  in  North  America  alone. 
If  those  millions  of  dollars  do  not  benefit  the  good   soiiis  in  pur- 
gatory, they  at  all  events  are  of  some  benefit  to  our  pious  bishops 
and   holy  popes,  in  whose  hands  the  greatest  part  must  remain 
till  the  day  of  judgment.     For  there  is  not  a  sutHcient  number  of 
priests  in  the  world  to  say  all  the  masses  which  are  paid   fur  by 
the  people.     I  do  not  know  any  more  than  you  do  about  what 
the  bishops  do  with   those   millions  of  dollars;  they  keep  that 
among   their    secret  good   works.     But  it  is  evident  there  is  a 
serious   mystery  here.     I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  Yankee 
and  the  Canadian  bishops  swallow  those  huge  piles  of  dollars  as 
sweet  oranges;  or  that  they  arc  a  band  of  big  swindlers,  who 
employ  smaller  ones,  called  Revs.  Tetu,  Baillargeon,  Chiniquy, 
Parent,  etc.,  to  fill  their  treasures.     But,  if  you   want  to   know 
my  mind  on  that  delicate  subject,  I  will  tell  you  that  the  least 
we  think  and  speak  of  it,  the  better  it  is  for  us.     Every  time  my 
thoughts  turn  to  those  streams   of  money  which  day  and  night 
flow  from  the  small  purses  of  our  pious  and  unsuspecting  people 
into  our  hands,  and  from  ours  into  those  of  the  bishops,  I  feel  as 
if  I  were  choking.     If  I  am  at  the  table  I  can  neither  eat  nor 
drink,  and  if  in  my  bed  at  night,  I  cannot  sleep.     But  as  I  like 
to  eat,  drink  and  sleep,  I  reject  those  thoughts  as  much  as  possible, 
and  I  advise  you  to  do  the  same  thing." 

,  The  other  vicars  seemed  inclined,  with  Mr.  Parent,  to  accept 
that  conclusion ;  but,  as  I  had  not  said  a  single  word,  they  re- 
quested mc  to  give  them  my  views  on  that  vexatious  subject, 
which  I  did  in  the  following  brief  words: 

"  There  are  many  things  in  our  holy  church  which  look  like 
dark  spots;  but  I  hope  that  this  is  due  only  to  our  ignorance. 
No  doubt  these  very  things  would  look  as  white  as  snow,  were 
we  to  see  and  know  them  just  as  they  are.  Our  holy  bishops, 
with   the  majority  of  the  catholic  priests  of  the  United  States 


:i&lMii^- 


:■  .a,  'fciii/  *s.'.  i.'if:iVii.U*r,-' 


^l^lppp^ 


244 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


and  Canada,  cannot  be  that  band  of  thieves  and  swindlers  whose 
phantoms  chill  the  blood  of  our  worthy  curate.  So  lonj;  as  we 
do  not  know  what  the  bishops  do  with  those  numberless  masses 
paid  into  their  hands,  I  prefer  to  believe  that  they  act  as  honest 


men. 


I  had  hardly  said  these  few  words,  when  I  was  called  to 
visit  a  sick  parishioner,  and  the  conversation  was  ended. 

Eight  days  later,  I  was  alone  in  my  room,  reading  the 
"L'ami  de  la  religion  et  du  Roi,"  a  paper  which  I  received  from 
Paris,  edited  by  Picot.  My  curiosity  was  not  a  little  excited, 
when  I  read,  at  the  he.ad  of  ft  page, in  large  letters:  "Admirable 
Piety  of  the  French  Canadian  People."  The  reading  of  that 
page  made  me  shed  tears  of  shame,  and  shook  my  faith  to  its 
foundation.  Unable  to  contain  myself,  I  ran  to  the  rooms  of 
the  curate  and  the  vicars,  and  said  to  them  :  "  A  few  days  ago 
we  tried,  but  in  vain,  to  find  what  becomes  of  the  large  sums  of 
money  which  pass  from  the  people,  through  our  hands,  into 
those  of  the  bishop,  to  say  msisses;  but  here  is  the  answer,  I 
have  the  key  to  that  mystery,  which  is  worthy  of  the  darkest 
ages  of  the  Church.  I  wish  I  were  dead,  rather  than  see  with 
my  own  eyes  such  abominations."  We  then  read  that  long 
chapter,  the  substance  of  which  was  that  the  venerable  bishops 
of  Quebec  had  sent  not  less  than  one  hundred  thousand  francs, 
at  different  times,  to  the  priests  of  Paris,  that  they  might  say 
four  hundred  thousand  masses  at  five  cents  each!  Here  we  had 
the  sad  evidence  that  our  bishops  had  taken  four  hundred  thou- 
sand francs  from  our  poor  people,  under  the  pretext  of  saving 
the  souls  from  purgatory !  That  article  fell  upon  us  a  thunder- 
bolt. For  a  long  time  we  looked  at  each  other  without  being 
able  to  utter  a  single  word ;  our  tongues  were  as  paralyzed  by 
our  shame:  we  felt  as  vile  criminals  when  detected  on  the  sjjot. 

At  last,  Baillargeon,  addressing  the  curate,  said:  "  Is  it  pos- 
sible that  our  bishops  are  swindlers,  and  we,  their  tools  to  defraud 
our  people?  What  would  that  people  say,  if  they  knew  that 
not  only  we  do  not  say  the  masses  for  which  they  constantly  fill 
our  hands  with  their  hard-earned  money,  but  that  we  send  those 
masses  to  be  said  in  Paris  for  five  cents!     What  will  our  good 


"  w»iwwpww»\i)i!iiPiTWi"ii'wi(ifiiP|iw.  Pf.i'wiifPV  /'.W'l'WiPii^pw^jpip 


SIMONY. 


245 


people  think  of  us  all  when  they  know  that  our  bishop  pockets 
twenty  cents  out  of  each  mass  they  ask  us  to  celebrate  according 
to  their  wishes." 

The  curate  answered :  "  It  is  very  lucky  that  the  people  do 
not  know  that  sharp  operation  of  our  bishops,  for  they  would 
surely  throw  us  all  into  the  river.  Let  us  keep  that  shamtjful 
trade  as  secret  as  possible.  For  what  is  the  crime  of  simony  if 
this  be  not  an  instance  of  it  ? " 

I  replied:  "How  can  you  hope  to  keep  that  traffic  of  the 
body  and  blood  of  Christ  a  secret,  when  not  less  than  40,cxx) 
copies  of  this  paper  are  circulated  in  France,  and  more  than  loo 
ccpies  come  to  the  United  States  and  Canada!  The  danger  is 
gi eater  than  you  suspect;  it  is  even  at  our  doors.  Is  it  not  on 
account  of  such  public  and  undeniable  crimes  and  vile  tricks  of 
the  clergy  of  France,  that  the  French  people  in  general,  not 
only  have  lost  almost  every  vestige  of  religion,  but,  not  half  a 
century  ago  condemned  all  the  priests  and  bishops  of  France  to 
death  as  public  malefactors? 

"  But  that  sharp  mercantile  operation  of  our  bishops  takes  a 
still  darker  color,  when  we  consider  that  those  '  five-cent  masses  ' 
which  are  said  in  Paris  are  not  worth  a  cent.  For  who  among 
us  is  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  priests  of 
Paris  are  infidels,  and  that  many  of  them  live  publicly  with 
concubines?  Would  our  people  put  their  money  in  our  hands 
if  we  were  honest  enough  to  tell  them  that  their  masses  would 
be  said  for  five  cents  in  Paris  by  such  j'l'iests?  Do  we  not 
deceive  them  when  we  accept  their  money,  under  the  well 
understood  condition  that  we  shall  ofTer  the  holy  sacrifice 
according  to  their  wishes?  But,  instead  of  that,  we  get  it  sent 
to  France,  to  be  disposed  of  in  such  a  criminal  way.  But,  if 
you  allow  me  to  speak  a  little  more,  I  have  another  strange 
fact  to  consider  with  you,  which  is  closely  connected  with  this 
simonical  operation  ? " 

I  es!  speak,  speak !"  answered  all  four  priests. 

I  then  resumed:  "Do  you  remember  how  you  were  enticed 
into  t!  '  Three  Masses  Society? '  Who  among  us  had  the  idea 
that  the  new  obligations  we  were  then  assuming  were  such  that 


I    ir 


246 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    Ci<"    ROME. 


I 


I'i  ?:; 


the  <;;reatest  part  of  the  year  would  he  spent  in  saying  masses 
for  the  priests,  ami    that  it  would    thus    hccomc  impossible  to 
satisfy  the  pious  demands  of  the  people  who  support  us?     We 
already  belonged   to   the  societies  of  the   Blessed  Virgin   Mary 
and  of  St.  Michael,  which  raised  to  five  the  number  of  masses 
we-had  to  celebrate  for  the  dead  priests.     Dazzled  by  the  idea 
that   we  would  have   two    thousand    masses  said   for  us  at  our 
death,    we   bit    at  the    bait  presented    to  us    by   the    bishop  as 
hungry  fishes,  without  suspecting  the  hook.     The  result  is  that 
we  have  had  to  say  165  masses  for  the  33  jiriests  who  died  dur- 
ing  the  past   year,  which    means    that   each    of   us  has  to  pay 
$41.00  to  the  bishop  for  masses  which  he  has  had  said  in  Paris 
for  $8.00.     Each    mass  which  we  celebrate   for  a  dead    priest 
here,  is  a  mass  which  the  bishop  sends  to  Paris,  on  which  he 
gains  twenty   cents.     Then  the   more  priests  he  enrolls  in  his 
society  of  '  Three  Masses,'  the  more  twenty  cents  he   pockets 
from  us  and  from  our  pious  people.     Hence  his  admirable  zeal 
to  enroll  every  one  of  us.     It  is  not  the  value   of  the   money 
which    our    bishop    so    skilfully  got    from  our    hands  which  I 
consider,  but  I  feel  desolate  when  I  see  that  hy  tliese  societies  we 
become  the  accomplices  of  his  simonical  trade.    For,  being  forced 
the  greatest  part  of  the  year  to  celebrate  the  holy  sacrifice  for 
the  benefit  of  the  dej.'J  priests,  we  cannot  celebrate  the   masses 
for  which  we  are  daily  paid   by  the   people,  and  are  therefore 
forced  to  transfer  them  into  the  hands  of  the  bishop,  who  sends 
them  to   Paris,  after  spiriting  av.ay  twenty  cents  from  each  of 
them.     However,  why  should  we  lament  over  the  past?     It  is 
no  more  within  our  reach.     There  is  no  remedy  for  it.     Let  us 
then  learn  from  the  past  errors  how  to  be  wise  in  the  future." 

Mr.  Tetu  answered :  "  You  have  shown  us  our  error.  Now, 
can  you  indicate  any  remedy?" 

"I  cannot  say  that  tl  .  remedy  we  have  in  hand  is  one  of 
those  patented  medicines  which  will  cure  all  the  diseases  of  our 
sickly  church  in  Canada,  but  I  hope  it  will  help  to  bring  a  speedy 
convalescence.  That  remedy  is  to  abolish  the  society  of  '  Three 
Masses,'  and  to  establish  another  of  '  One  Mass,'  which  will  be 
said  at  the  death  of  every  priest.     In   tiiat  way  it  is  true  that 


^^•.•i^,vt:^,.zili^^iiiiiJiiiiiKJ^is:jki^ . 


''WJK^^lfsrjBSS^PgB?!!'* 


••'•  V.H:ipiJK*W^^!l"^(- 


'  .»?!j!l3ipiT"!iyi'.»'^.'T/'l(!,K,T 


•  ^Si^i*Jtf'4i™wi"*i!'"'i''*-  ■'<  ■"'  W'H 


E. 


SIMONY. 


247 


lyinff  masses 

mpossible  to 

ort  us?     We 

/"irgin  Mary 

)er  of  masses 

1  by  the  idea 

'or  us  at  our 

le    bishop  as 

result  is  that 

'^ho  died  (hir- 

s  has  to  pay 

said  in  Paris 

I  dead    priest 

on  which  he 

enrolls  in  his 

s  he   pockets 

dmirable  zeal 

if  the   money 

xnds  which  I 

ic  societies  we 

,  being  forced 

y  sacrifice  for 

fe  the  masses 

are  therefore 

Dp,  wlio  sends 

from  each  of 

le  past?     It  is 

or  it.     Let  us 

the  future." 

r  error.  Now, 

and  is  one  of 
liseases  of  our 
bring  a  speedy 
icty  of  '  Three 
which  will  be 
it  is  true  that 


instead  of  2,000  masses,  we  shall  have  only  1,200  at  our  death. 
But  if  1,200  masses  do  not  open  to  us  the  gates  of  heaven,  it  is 
because  we  shall  be  in  hell.  By  that  reduction  we  shall  be 
enabled  to  say  more  masses  at  the  request  of  our  people,  and 
shall  diminish  the  number  of  five  cent  masses  said  by  the  priests 
of  Paris  at  the  request  of  our  bishop.  If  you  take  my  advice, 
we  will  immediately  name  the  Rev.*  Mr.  Tctu,  president  of  the 
new  socieiyj  Mr.  Parent  will  be  its  treasurer,  and  I  consent  to 
act  as  your  secretary,  if  you  like  it.  When  our  society  is  organ- 
ized, we  will  send  our  resignations  to  the  president  of  the  other 
society,  and  we  shall  Immediately  address  a  circular  to  all  the 
priests,  to  give  them  the  reason  for  the  change,  and  respectfully 
ask  them  to  unite  with  us  in  this  new  society,  m  order  to  dimin- 
ish the  number  of  masses  which  are  celebrated  by  the  five  cent 
priests  of  Paris." 

Within  two  hours  the  new  society  was  fully  organized,  the 
reasons  of  its  formation  written  in  a  book,  and  our  names  were 
sent  to  the  bishop,  with  a  respectful  letter  informing  him  that 
we  were  no  mo/e  members  of  the  '  Three  Masses  Society.'  That 
letter  was  signed,  C.  Chiniquy,  Secretary.  Three  hours  later, 
I  received  the  following  note  from  the  bishop's  palace: 

"  My  Lord  Bishop  of  Quebec  wants  to  see  you  immediately  upon  im- 
portant affairs.     Do  net  fail  to  come  without  delay.     Truly  yours, 

"  Charles  F.  Cazeault,  Sec'y." 

I  showed  the  missive  to  the  curate  and  the  vicars,  and  told 
them:  "  A  big  storm  is  raging  on  the  mountain;  this  is  the  first 
peal  of  thunder — the  atmosphere  looks  dark  and  heavy.  Fray 
for  me  that  I  may  speak  and  act  as  an  honest  and  icarless  priest, 
when  in  the  presence  of  the  bishop." 

In  the  first  parlor  of  the  bishop  I  met  my  personal  friend, 
Secretary  Cazjault.  He  said  to  me:  "  My  dear  Chiniquy,  you 
are  sailing  on  a  rough  sea— you  must  be  a  lucky  manner  if 
you  escape  the  wreck.  The  bishop  is  very  angry  at  you;  but  be 
not  discouraged,  for  the  right  is  on  your  side."  He  then  kindly 
opened  the  door  of  the  bishop's  parlor,  and  said:  "  My  lord, 
Ml'.  Chiniquy  is  here,  waiting  for  your  ordei 

"Let  him  come,  sir,    answered  the  bishop. 


m\ 


*    HI 


ii'V 


24S 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


I  entered  and  threw  myself  at  his  feet,  as  it  is  the  usage  of 
the  priests.  But,  stepping  backward,  he  told  me  in  a  most 
excited  manner:  "  I  have  no  benediction  for  you  till  you  give  me 
a  satisfactory  explanation  of  your  strange  conduct." 

I  arose  to  my  feet  and  said:  "  My  lord,  what  do  you  want 
from  me?" 

"  I  want  you,  sir,  to  explain  to  me  the  meaning  of  this  letter 
signed  by  you  as  secretary  of  a  new-born  society  called, » One 
Mass  Society  ? ' "     At  the  same  time  he  showed  me  my  letter. 

I  answered  him :  "  My  lord — the  letter  is  in  good  French, — 
your  lordship  must  have  understood  it  well.  I  cannot  see  how 
any  explanation  on  my  part  could  make  it  clearer." 

"  What  I  want  to  know  from  you,  is  what  you  mean,  and 
what  is  your  object  in  leaving  the  old  and  respectable  '  Three 
Mass  Society?'  Is  it  not  composed  of -your  bishops  and  of  all 
the  priests  of  Canada?  Did  you  not  find  yourself  in  sufficiently 
good  company  ?  Do  you  object  to  the  prayers  said  for  the  souls 
in  purgatory?" 

I  replied:  "  My  lord,  I  will  answer  by  revealing  to  your 
lordship  a  fact  which  has  not  sufficiently  attracted  your  attention. 
The  great  number  of  masses  which  we  have  to  say  for  the  souls 
of  the  dead  priests  makes  it  impossible  for  us  to  say  the  masses 
for  which  the  people  pay  into  our  hands ;  we  are,  then,  forced 
to  transfer  this  money  into  your  hands;  and  then  instead  of 
having  these  holy  sacrifices  oflfered  by  the  good  priests  of  Can- 
ada, your  lordship  has  recourse  to  the  priests  of  France,  where 
you  get  them  said  for  five  cents.  We  see  two  great  evils  in  this: 
First;  our  masses  are  said  by  priests  in  whom  we  have  not  the 
least  confidence ;  and  though  the  masses  they  say  are  very  cheap, 
they  are  too  dearly  purchased ;  for  between  you  and  me,  we  can 
say  that,  with  very  few  exceptions,  the  masses  said  by  the  priests 
of  France,  particularly  of  Paris,  are  not  worth  one  cent.  The 
second  evil  is  still  greater,  for  in  our  eyes,  it  is  one  of  the  great- 
est crimes  which  our  holy  churcli  has  always  condemned,  the 
crime  of  simony." 

*'  Do  you  mean  to  say,"  indignantly  replied  the  bishop,  "  that 
T  am  guilty  of  the  crime  of  simony  ?  " 


SIMONY. 


249 


"Yes!  my  lord;  it  is  just  what  I  mean  to  say,  and  I  do  not 
see  how  your  lordship  does  not  understand  that  the  trade  in 
masses  by  which  you  gain  400,000  francs  on  a  spiritual  mer- 
chandise, which  you  get  for  100,000,  is  not  simony." 

"  You  insult  me !  You  are  the  most  impudent  man  I  ever 
saw.  If  you  do  not  retract  what  you  have  said,  I  Will  suspend 
and  excommunicate  you!" 

"  My  suspension  and  my  excommunication  will  not  make  the 
position  of  your  lordship  much  better.  For  the  people  will 
know  that  you  have  excommunicated  me  because  I  protested 
against  your  trade  in  masses.  They  will  know^  that  you  pocket 
twenty  cents  on  every  mass,  and  that  you  get  them  said  for  five 
cents  in  Paris  by  priests,  the  greatest  part  of  whom  live  with 
concubines,  and  you  will  see  that  there  will  be  only  one  voice  in 
Canada  to  bless  me  for  my  protest  and  to  condemn  you  for  your 
simoniacal  trade  on  such  a  sacred  thing  as  the  holy  and  tremen- 
dous sacrifice  of  the  body,  blood,  soul  and  divinity  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

I  uttered  these  words  with  such  perfect  calmness  that  the 
bishop  saw  that  I  had  not  the  least  fear  of  his  thunders.  He 
began  to  pace  the  room,  and  he  heaped  on  my  devoted  head  all 
the  epithets  by  which  I  could  learn  that  I  was  an  insolent,  rebel- 
ious  and  dangerous  priest. 

"  It  is  evident  to  me,"  said  he, "  that  you  aim  to  be  a  reformer, 
a  Luther,  au  petit  picd^  in  Canada.  But  you  will  never  be  any- 
thing else  than  a  monkey!" 

I  saw  that  my  bishop  was  beside  himself,  and  that  my  per- 
fect calmness  added  to  his  irritation.  I  answered  him:  "If 
Luther  had  never  done  anything  worse  than  I  do  to-day,  he 
ought  to  be  blessed  by  God  and  man.  T  respectfully  request 
your  lordship  to  be  calm.  The  subject  on  v^hich  I  speak  to  you 
is  more  serious  than  you  think.  You  lordship,  by  asking 
twenty-five  cents  for  a  mass  which  can  bv  said  for  five  cents, 
does  a  thing  which  you  would  condemn  if  it  were  done  by 
another  man.  You  are  digging  under  your  own  feet,  and  under 
the  feet  of  your  priests  the  same  abyss  in  which  the  Church  of 
France   nearly    perished,  not   half   a   century    ago.      You   are 


'  i  I 


r  ;  :i 


250 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


destroying  with  your  own  hands  every -vestige  of  religion  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  who  will  sooner  or  later  know  it.  I  am 
your  best  friend,  your  most  respectful  priest,  when  I  fearlessly 
tell  you  this  truth  before  it  is  too  late.  Your  lordship  knows 
that  he  has  not  a  priest  who  loves  and  cherishes  him  more  that  I 
do — God  knows,  it  is  because  I  love  and  respect  you,  as  my  own 
father,  th,- ♦:  I  jJi'ofoundly  deplore  the  illusions  which  prevent 
you  from  seeing  the  terrible  consequences  that  will  follow,  if  our 
pious  people  learn  that  you  abuse  their  ignorance  and  their  good 
faith,  by  making  them  pay  twenty-five  cents  for  a  thing  which 
costs  only  five.  Woe  to  your  lordship!  Woe  to  mc,  woe  to 
our  holy  church,  the  day  that  our  people  know  that  in  our  holy 
religion  the  blood  of  Christ  is  turned  into  merchandise  to  fill  the 
treasury  of  the  bishops  and  popes!" 

It  was  evident  that  these  last  words,  said  with  most  perfect 
self-possession,  had  not  all  been  lost.  The  bishop  had  become 
calmer.  He  answered  mc:  "You  are  young  and  without  ex- 
perience; youi  imagination  is  easily  fed  with  phantoms,  when 
you  know  a  little  more,  you  will  change  you  mind  and  will  have 
more  respect  for  your  superiors.  I  hope  your  present  error  is 
only  a  momentary  one.  I  could  punish  you  for  this  freedom 
with  which  you  have  dared  to  speak  to  your  bishop,  but  I  pre- 
fer to  warn  you  to  be  more  respectful  and  obedient  in  future. 
Though  I  deplore  for  your  sake,  that  you  have  requested  me  to 
take  away  your  name  from  the  'Three  Mass  Society' — you  and 
the  four  simpletons  who  have  committed  the  same  act  of  folly, 
are  the  only  losers  in  the  matter.  Instead  of  two  thousand 
masses  said  for  the  deliverance  of  your  souls  from  the  flames  of 
Purgatory,  you  will  have  only  twelve  hundred.  But,  be  sure  of 
it,  there  is  too  much  wisdom  and  true  piety  in  my  clergy  to  follow 
your  example.  You  will  be  left  alone,  and  I  fear,  covered  with 
ridicule.     For  they  will  call  you  the  '  little  reformer.'" 

I  answered  the  bishop:  "I  am  young,  it  is  true,  but  the 
truths  I  have  said  to  your  lordship  are  as  old  as  the  Gospel.  I 
have  such  confidence  in  the  infinite  merits  of  the  holy  sacrifice 
of  the  mass,  that  I  sincerely  believe,  that  twelve  hundred  masses 
said  by  good  priests,  are  enough  to  cleanse   my  soul   and  extin- 


|piWniU!^i)jjiiftlL{iiiiiiippjli.fl|^^^^ 


SIMONY. 


251 


guish  the  flames  of  purgatory.  But,  besides,  I  prefer  twelve 
hundred  masses  said  by  one  hunch-ed  sincere  Canadian  priests,  to 
a  million  said  by  the  five  cent  priests  of  Paris." 

These  last  words,  spoken  ^vith  a  tone  half  serious,  half  jocose, 
brought  a  change  on  the  face  of  my  bishop.  I  thought  it  was 
a  good  moment  to  get  my  benediction  and  take  leave  of  him.  I 
took  my  hat,  knelt  at  his  feet,  obtained  his  blessing  and  left. 


■lilU&^i 


Chapter  XXVI. 


OOITTXNUATION  OF  THB  TXIADK   IN  KASGUBB. 


I  J^ 


r'.n 

1 

i 

f  :i 

It-', 

i9 

,| 

i    Llfl 

'/  AH 

,■      ^ 

i 

1  m 

1  fl 

■M 

m 


■M:| 


I'    ijf 


If 


I 


THE  hour  of  my  absence  had  been  one  of  anxiety  for  the 
curate  and  the  vicars.     But  my  prompt  return  filled  them 

with  joy. 

"What  news!"  they  all  exclaimed. 

"  Good  news,"  I  answered ;  "  the  battle  has  been  fierce  but 
short.  We  htxe  gained  the  day ;  and  if  we  are  only  true  to  our- 
selves,  another  great  victory  is  in  store  for  us.  The  bishop  is  so 
sure  that  we  are  the  only  ones  who  think  of  that  reform,  that  he 
will  not  move  a  finger  to  prevent  the  other  priests  from  follow- 
ing us.  This  security  will  make  our  success  infallible.  But  we 
must  not  lose  a  moiiient.  Let  us  address  our  circular  to  every 
priest  in  Canada." 

One  hour  later  there  were  more  than  twenty  writers  at  work, 
and  before  twenty-four  hours,  more  than  three  hundred  letters 
were  carried  to  all  the  priests,  giving  them  the  reasons  why  we 
should  try,  by  all  fair  means,  to  put  an  end  to  the  shameful 
simoniacal  trade  in  masses  which  was  going  on  between  Canada 
and  France. 

The  week  was  scarcely  ended,  when  letters  came  from  almost 
all  curates  and  vicars  to  the  bishop,  respectfully  requesting  him  to 
withdravv  his  name  from  "  The  Society  of  the  Three  Masses." 
Only  fifty  refused  to  comply  with  our  request. 

Our  victory  was  more  complete  that  we  had  expected.  But 
the  bishop  of  Quebec,  hoping  to  regain  his  lost  ground,  imme- 
diately wrote  to  the  bishop  of  Montreal,  my  Lord  Telemesse,  to 
come  to  his  help  and  show  us  the  enormity  of  the  crime  we  had 


THE    TRADE    IN    MASSES. 


253 


committed,  in   rebelling   against   the    will   of    our  ecclesiastical 
superiors. 

A  few  days  later,  to  my  great  dismay,  1  received  a  short  and 
very  cold  note  from  the  bishop's  secretary,  telling  me  that  their 
lordships,  the  bishops  of  Montreal  and  Quebec,  wanted  to  see 
mc  at  the  palace,  without  delay.  I  had  never  seen  the  bishop  of 
Montreal,  and  my  surprise  and  disappointment  were  great  in 
finding  myself  in  the  presence  of  a  man,  my  idea  of  w^hom  was 
of  gigantic  proportions,  when  in  reality,  he  was  very  small.  But 
I  felt  exceedingly  well  pleased  by  the  admirable  mixture  of  firm- 
ness, iivtelligence  and -honesty  of  his  whole  demeanor.  His  eyes 
were  piercing  as  the  eagle's ;  but  when  fixed  on  me,  I  saw  in  them 
the  marks  of  a  noble  and  honest  heart.  '  • 

The  motions  of  his  head  were  rajsid,  his  sentences  short,  and 
he  seemed  to  know  only  one  line,  the  straight  one,  when  ap- 
proaching a  subject  or  dealing  with  a  man.  He  had  the  merited 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  learned  and  eloquent  men 
of  Canada.  The  bishop  of  Quebec  had  remained  on  his  sofa 
and  left  the  bishop  of  Montreal  to  receive  me.  I  fell  at  his  feet 
and  asked  his  blessing,  which  he  gave  me  in  the  most  cordial 
way.  Then,  putting  his  hand  upon  my  shoulder,  he  said  in  a 
Quaker  style :  "  Is  it  possible  that  thou  art  Chiniquy — that  young 
priest  who  makes  so  much  noise  ?  How  can  such  a  small  man 
make  so  much  noise  ?  " 

There  being  a  smile  on  his  countenance  as  he  uttered  these 
words,  I  saw  at  once,  that  there  was  no  anger  or  bad  feeling  in 
his  heart;  I  replied:  "My  lord;  do  you  not  know  that  the  most 
precious  pearls  and  perfumes  are  put  up  in  the  smallest  vases?" 

The  bishop  saw  that  this  was  a  compliment  to  his  address; 
he  smilingly  replied :  "  Well,  well,  if  thou  art  a  noisy  priest, 
thou  art  not  a  fool.  But,  tell  me,  why  dost  thou  want  to  destroy 
our '  Three  Mass  Society '  and  establish  that  new  one  on  its  ruins, 
in  spite  of  thy  superiors  ?  " 

«  My  lord,  my  answer  will  be  as  respectful,  short  and  plain  as 
possible.  I  have  left  the  '  Three  Mass  Society '  because  it  was 
my  right  to  do  it,  without  anybody's  permission.  I  hope  our 
venerable  Canadian  bishops  do  not  wish  to  be  served  by  slaves  1" 


m'W^]^^^^'" 


254 


Kn?TY    YfiARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OK    ROME. 


m 


wM 


u*  a 


U  1 


11'  f 

1*4  :Si 


III  II 
If 


«'  I  do  not  say,"  replied  the  bishop,  "  that  thou  wert  bound  in 
conscience  to  remain  in  the  '  Three  Mass  Society ;'  but,  can  I 
know  why  thou  hast  left  such  a  respectable  association,  at  the 
head  of  which  thou  seest  thy  bishops  and  the  most  venerable 
priests  in  Canada?" 

"  I  will  again  be  plain  in  my  answer,  my  lord.  If  your  lord- 
ship wiints  to  go  to  hell  with  your  venerable  priests  by  spiriting 
away  twenty  cents  from  every  one  of  our  honest  and  pious  peni- 
tents, for  masses  which  you  get  said  for  five,  by  bad  priests  in 
Paris,  I  will  not  follow  you.  Moreover,  if  your  lordship  wants 
to  be  thrown  into  the  river  by  the  furious  people,  when  they 
know  how  long  and  how  cunningly  we  have  cheated  them,  with 
our  simoniacal  trade  in  masses,  I  do  not  want  to  follow  you  into 
the  cold  stream." 

"  Well !  well,"  answered  the  bishop,  "  let  us  drop  that  matter 
forever." 

lie  uttered  this  short  sentence  with  such  an  evidence  of  sin- 
cerity and  honesty,  that  I  saw  he  ideally  meant  it.  He  had,  at  a 
glance,  seen  that  his  ground  was  untenable,  in  the  presence  of 
priests  who  knew  their  rights  and  had  a  mind  to  stand  by  them. 

My  joy  was  great  indeed  at  such  a  prompt  and  complete  vic- 
tory. I  fell  again  at  the  bishop's  feet,  and  asked  his  benediction 
before  taking  leave  of  him — I  then  left  to  go  and  tell  the 
curates  and  vicars  the  happy  issue  of  our  interview  with  the 
bishop  of  Montreal. 

From  that  time  till  now,  at  the  death  of  every  priest,  the 
Clerical  Press  never  failed  mentioning  whether  the  deceased 
priest  belonged  to  the  "  Three  "  or  «  One  Mass  Society." 

We  had,  to  some  extent,  diminished  the  simoniacal  and 
infamous  trade  in  masses;  but  unfortunately  we  had  not  destroyed 
it;  and  I  know  that  to-day  it  has  revived.  Since  I  left  the 
Church  of  Rome,  the  bishops  of  Quebec  have  raised  the  "  Three 
Mass  Society  "  from  its  grave. 

It  is  a  public  fact,  that  no  priest  will  dare  deny,  that  the  trade 
in  masses  is  still  conducted  on  a  large  scale  with  France.  There 
are  in  Paris  and  other  large  cities  in  that  country,  public  agen- 
cies to  carry  on  that  shameful  traffic.     It  is,  generally,  in  the 


hi  #  I 

II  f. 


pi 


^m'-''^'''mm>mm^'jfmim^'mfm 


THE    TnADK    IN    MASSES.  255 

hands  of  booksellers  or  merchants  of  church  ornaments.  Every 
year  their  houses  send  a  large  number  of  prospectuses"  through 
France  and  Belgium  and  other  catholic  countries,  in  which  they 
say  that,  in  order  to  help  the  priests,  who  having  received  money 
for  their  manses,  don't  know  where  to  have  them  said ;  they  offer 
a  jiremium  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  per  ceni.  to  those  who  will 
send  them  the  surplus  of  the  money  they  have  in  hand,  to  offer 
the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass. 

The  priests  who  have  such  surplus,  tempted  by  that  premium 
which  is  usually  jiaid  with  a  watch  or  a  chain,  or  a  chalice,  dis- 
gorge a  jjart,  or  the  whole  of  the  large  sums  they  possess,  into 
the  hands  of  the  pious  merchants,  who  take  this  money  and  use 
it  as  they  please. 

But  they  never  pay  the  masses  in  money,  they  give  only  mer- 
chandise. For  instance,  that  priest  will  receive  a  watch,  if  he 
promises  to  celebrate  one  or  two  hundred  masses,  or  a  chalice  to 
celebrate  three  or  four  hundred  masses.  I  have,  here  in  hand, 
several  of  the  contracts  or  promissory  notes  sent  by  those  mer- 
chants of  masses  to  the  priests.  The  public  will,  no  doubt,  read 
the  following  documents  with  interest.  They  were  handed  me 
by  a  priest  lately  converted  from  the  Church  of  Rome: 

Rue  de  Reimes — Paris. 

Ant.  Levesques,  editor  of  the  works  of  Mr.  Dufriche — Desgenettes. 
Cure  of  Notre  Dame  des  Victoires. 

Delivered  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Camerle,  curate  of  Ansibeaii  (Basses  Alpes.) 

Paris,  October  12,  1S74. 

;F.- , 

ID  metres  of  Satin  cloth  at  22  francs 220. 

,               8        "       of  merino,  all  wool 123. 

Month  of  May 2 . 

History  of  Mary  Christina i  .40 

Life  of  St.  Stanislas  Koska 2 . 

Meditations  of  the  Soul 4 . 

Jesus  Christ,  the  light  of  the  world, 2. 

Packing  and  f  reiq^ht 9.30 

Total 363.70 

Mr.  Curate:     We  have  the  honor  of  informing  you  that  the  packages 
containing  the  articles  you  have  ordered  on  the  4th  of  October,  were  shipped 


«'SvVjTti*iit*-%i*"i« '. 


II    I 


m 


r  I: 


'i  ii 


i 


'w^p^' 


['4 


i 


K  'ii. 


m. 


m-' 


256 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


on  the  12th  of  October,  to  Digne,  where  we  respectfully  request  you  to  go 
and  ask  for  them.  For  the  payment  of  these  articles,  we  request  you  to  say 
the  following  masses: 

58  ad  intentionem  of  the  giver,  for  the  discharge  of  Rev.  Mr   Montct. 

58  ad  intentionem  of  the  givers,  for  thediscliargc  of  Rev   Mr.  Hoeg. 

ioo-i88  for  the  dead,  for  the  discharge  of  Rov.  Mr.  Wod. 

Mr.  Curate:  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  say  or  have  said  all  those 
masses  in  the  shortest  time  possible,  and  answer  these  Rev'd.  gentlemen,  if 
they  make  any  inquiries  about  the  acquittal  of  those  masses. 

Respectfully  yours, 

(Signed)  Ant.  Lbvesques. 

Paris,  Nov.  ii.  1874. 
Rev.  Mr.  Camerle:     We  have  the  honor  of  addressing  you  the  invoice 
of  what  we  forwarded  to  you  on  the  12th  of  October.     On  account  wo  have 
put   to  your  credit  1S8  masses.      We  respectfully  request   you  get  said  to 
the  following  intentions: 
73  for  the  dead,  to  the  acquittal  of  Rev.  Mr.  Walters.  ") 
70  pro  defucto,  J    For  the  discharge 

20  ad  intentionem  donatis,  r  °^  Rev.  Mr.  C. — 

13  ad  intentionem  donatis,  J 

176 
Mr.  Curate:  Be  kind  enough  to  say  these  masses,  or  have  them  said 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  answer  the  reverend  gentlemen  who  may  inquire 
from  you  about  their  acquittal.  The  188  masses  mentioned  in  our  letter  of 
the  3rd  inst.,  added  to  the  176  here  mentioned,  make  364  francs,  the  value  of 
the  goods  sent  you.  We  thought  you  would  like  to  have  the  pamphlets  of 
propaganda  we  address  you.  Respectfully  yours. 

Signed:  Ant.  Lbvesques. 

Hence,  it  is  that  priests,  in  France  and  elsewhere,  have  gold 
watches,  rich  house  furniture,  and  interesting  books,  purchased 
with  the  money  paid  by  our  poor  deluded  Canadian  Catholics  to 
their  priests,  for  masses  which  are  turned  into  mercantile  comm- 
modities  in  other  places.  It  would  be  difficult  to  say  who  makes 
the  best  bargain  between  those  merchants  of  masses,  the  priests 
to  whom  they  are  sold,  or  those  from  whom  they  are  bought  at 
a  discount  of  twenty-five  to  thirty  per  cent. 

The  only  evident  thing  is  the  cruel  deception  practiced  on  the 
credulity  and  ignorance  of  the  Roman  Catholics  by  their  priests 
and  bishops.  To-day,  the  houses  of  Dr.  Anthony  Levesques  in 
Paris  are  the  most  accredited  in  France.     In  i874»  the  house  of 


THE    TRADE    IN    MASSES. 


HI 


Mesme  was  doing  an  immense  business  with  its  stock  of  masses, 
but  in  an  evil  day,  the  Government  suspected  that  the  number  of 
masses  paid  into  their  hands,  exceeded  the  number  of  those  cele- 
brated through  their  hired  priests.  The  suspicions  soon  turned 
into  certainty  when  the  books  were  examined.  It  was  then 
found  that  an  incredible  number  of  masses,  which  were  to  empty 
the  large  room  of  purgatory,  never  reached  their  destination,  but 
only  filled  the  purse  of  the  Parisian  mass  merchant;  and  so  the 
unlucky  Mesme  was  uncermoniously  sent  to  the  penitentiary  to 
meditate  on  the  infinite  merits  of  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  mass, 
which  hatl  been  engulfed  in  his  treasures. 

But  these  facts  are  not  known  by  the  poor  Roman  Catholics 
of  Canada,  who  are  fleeced  more  and  more  by  their  priests,  under 
the  pretext  of  saving  souls  from  purgatory. 

A  new  element  of  success  in  the  large  swindling  operations 
of  the  Canadian  priests  has  lately  been  discovered.  It  is  well 
known  that  in  the  greater  part  of  the  United  States,  the  poor 
deluded  Irish  pay  one  dollar  to  their  priest,  instead  of  a  shilling, 
for  a  low  mass.  Those  priests  whose  conscience  are  suflficiently 
elastic  (as  is  often  the  case),  keep  the  money  without  ever  think- 
ing of  having  the  masses  said,  and  soon  get  rich.  But  there  are 
some  whose  natural  honesty  shrinks  from  the  idea  of  stealing; 
but  unable  to  celebrate  all  the  masses  paid  for  and  requested  at 
their  hands,  they  send  the  dollars  to  some  of  their  clerical  friends 
in  Canada,  who,  of  course,  prefer  these  one  dollar  masses  to  the 
twenty-five  cent  ones  paid  by  the  French  Canadians.  However, 
they  keep  that  secret  and  continue  to  fill  their  treasury. 

There  arc,  however,  many  priests  in  Canada  who  think  it  less 
evil  to  keep  those  large  sums  of  money  in  their  own  hands,  than 
to  give  them  to  the  bishops  to  traffic  with  the  merchants  of  Paris. 
At  the  end  of  one  of  the  ecclesiastical  retreats  in  the  semihary  of 
St.  Sulpice  in  1850,  Bishop  Bourget  told  us  that  one  of  the 
priests  who  had  lately  died,  had  reqi  ested  him,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  to  ask  every  priest  to  take  a  share  in  the  $4,cxx) 
which  he  had  received  for  masses  he  had  never  said.  We 
refused  to  grant  him  that  favor,  and  those  $4,000  received  by 
that  priest,  like  the  millions  put  into  the  hands  of  other  priests 


M 


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ij 

II  I 


I  m 


Ik 


1 


i 


f 

Hi 


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25S 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHUltCH    OF    ROME. 


and  the   bishops,  turned  to  be  nothing  less  than  an   infamous 
swindling  operation  under  the  mask  of  religion. 

To  understand  what  the  priests  of  Rome  are,  let  the  readers 
note  what  is  said  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Bible,  of  the  priest  of 
Babylon : 

"  And  King  Astyges  was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  and  Cyrus, 
of  Persia,  received  his  kingdom,  and  Daniel  conversed  with  the 
king,  and  was  honored  above  all  his  friends.  Now  the  Baby- 
lonians had  an  idol,  called  Bel,  and  there  were  spent  upon  him, 
every  day,  twelve  measures  of  fine  flour,  and  forty  sheep  and 
six  vessels  of  wine.  And  the  king  worshiped  it  and  went  daily 
to  adore:  but  Daniel  worshiped  his  own  God,  and  the  king  said 
unto  him :  '  Why  dost  thou  not  worship  Bel  ? '  who  answered  and 
said:  'because  I  may  not  worship  idols  made  with  hands,  but  the 
living  God,  who  hath  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and 
hath  sovereignty  over  all  flesh.'  Then  the  king  said :  ♦  Think- 
est  thou  not  that  Bel  is  a  living  God!  Seest  thou  not  how  much 
he  eateth  and  drinketh  every  day?' 

"  Then  Daniel  smiled  and  said:  'Oh,  king  I  be  not  deceived; 
for  this  is  but  clay  within  and  brass  without,  and  did  never  eat  or 
drink  anything.' 

"  So  that  king  was  wroth,  and  called  for  his  priests  and  said : 
« If  ye  tell  me  not  who  this  is  that  devoureth  these  expenses,  ye 
shall  die;  but  if  ye  can  certify  me  that  Bel  devoureth  them,  then 
Daniel  shall  die,  for  he  has  spoken  blasphemy  against  Bel.'  And 
Daniel  said  unto  the  king :  '  Let  it  be  according  to  thy  word.' 

"  Now  the  priests  of  Bel  were  three  score  and  ten,  besides 
their  wives  and  children. 

"  And  the  king  went  with  Daniel  to  the  temple  of  Bel — so 
Bel's  priests  said:  'Lo!  we  got  out,  but  thou,  O  king,  set  on 
the  meat,  and  make  ready  the  wine,  and  shut  the  door  fast,  and 
seal  it  with  thine  own  signet;  and  to-morrow  when  thou  comest 
in,  if  thou  findest  not  that  Bel  hath  eaten  up  all,  we  will  suffer 
death ;  or  else,  Daniel,  that  speaketh  falsely  against  Bel  shall  die — 
and  they  little  regarded  it,  for  under  the  table  they  had  made  a 
privy  entrance,  whereby  they  entered  continually  and  consumed 
those  things.' 


;«!!  I 


•••fWilWI'X^NPWWpWPPppffP^fP 


'w^m'mmmm'immmmmmmmm^ 


•mmm^mwif^ 


m 


THE    TRADE    IN    MASSES. 


259 


"  So  when  they  were  gone  forth,  the  king  set  meats  before 
Bel. 

"  Now  Daniel  hjid  commanded  his  servants  to  bring  ashes, 
and  those  they  strewed  throughout  all  the  temple,  in  the  presence 
of  the  king  alone:  then  went  they  out,  and  shut  the  door,  and 
sealed  it  with  the  king's  signet,  and  so  departed. 

"  Now  in  the  night  came  the  priests,  with  their  wives  and 
children,  as  they  were  wont  to  do,  and  did  eat  and  drink  up  all. 

"  In  the  morning  betimes  the  king  arose,  and  Daniel  with  him. 

"  And  the  king  said, '  Daniel,  are  the  seals  whole  ? '  And  he 
said, '  Yea,  O  king,  they  be  whole.'  And  as  soon  as  they  had 
opened  the  door,  the  king  looked  upon  the  table,  and  cried  with 
a  loud  voice :  '  Great  art  thou,  O  Bel !  and  with  thee  there  is  no 
deceit  at  all.'  Then  laughed  Daniel,  and  held  the  king  that  he 
should  not  go  in,  and  said :  '  Behold  now  the  pavement,  and 
mark  well  whose  footsteps  are  these.'  And  the  king  said:  'I 
see  the  footsteps  of  men,  women  and  children.'  And  then  the 
king  was  angry,  and  took  the  priests,  with  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, who  showed  him  the  privy  doors,  where  they  came  in  and 
consumed  such  things  as  were  on  the  tables. 

"  Therefore  the  king  slew  them,  and  delivered  Bel  into 
Daniel's  power,  who  destroyed  him  and  his  temple." 

Who  does  not  pity  the  king  of  Babylon,  who,  when  looking 
at  his  clay  and  brass  god,  exclaimed :  "  Great  art  thou,  O  Bel, 
and  with  thee  there  is  no  deceit!" 

But,  is  the  deception  practiced  by  the  priests  of  the  Pope  on 
their  poor,  deluded  dupes,  less  cruel  and  infamous?  Where  is 
the  difference  between  that  Babylonian  god,  made  with  brass 
and  baked  clay,  and  the  god  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  made 
with  a  handful  of  wheat  and  flour,  baked  between  two  hot 
polished  irons? 

How  skilful  were  the  priests  in  keeping  the  secret  of  what 
became  of  the  rich  daily  offerings  brought  to  the  hungry  god! 
Who  could  suspect  that  there  was  a  secret  trap  through  which 
they  came  with  their  wives  and  children  to  eat  the  rich  offerings? 

So,  to-day,  among  the  simple  and  blind  Roman  Catholics, 
who  could  suppose  that  the  immense  sums  of  money  given  every 


wrmm^ 


WW 


mmm 


"HI 


260 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


vm 


m 


day  to  the  priests  to  glorify  God,  purify  the  souls  of  men,  and 
bring  all  kinds  of  blessings  upon  the  donors,  were,  on  the  con- 
trary, turnod  into  the  most  ignominious  and  swindling  operation 
the  world  has  ever  seen? 

Though  the  brass  god  of  Babylon  was  a  .-contemptible  idol, 
is  not  the  wafer  god  of  Rome  still  more  so?  Though  the  priests 
of  Bel  were  skilful  deceivers,  are  they  not  surpassed  in  the  art  of 
deception  by  the  priests  of  Rome !,  Do  not  these  carry  on  their 
operations  on  a  much  larger  scale  than  the  former? 

But,  as  there  is  always  a  day  of  retribution  for  the  great 
iniquities  of  this  world,  when  all  things  will  be  revealed;  and 
just  as  the  cunning  of  the  priests  of  Babylon  could  not  save 
them,  when  God  sent  his  prophet  to  take  away  the  mask,  behi'id 
which  they  deceived  their  people,  so  let  the  priests  of  Rome 
know  that  God  will,  sooner  or  later,  send  his  prophet,  who  will 
tear  ofl  the  mask,  behind  which  they  deceive  the  world.  Their 
big,  awkward  and  flat  feet  will  be  seen  and  exposed,  and  the 
very  people  whom  they  keep  prostrated  before  their  idols,  cry- 
ing :  "  O  God !  with  thee  there  is  no  deceit  at  all ! "  will  become 
the  instrume.its  of  the  justice  of  God  in  the  great  day  of  retribu- 
tion. 


m 


l!  i 


'^~.'7--^W":iW. 


Chapter  XXVII. 


QUEBEC  MABINE  HOSFITAL-THE  FIBST  TIKE  Z  CABBZED  THB 
"BON  DIEU"  (TEE  WAFEB  GOD)  IN  ITS'  VEST  FOCKET-THE 
OBAND  OTSTEB  SOIBEE  AT  UB.  BUTEATT'S-THE  BEV-  I.. 
FABENT  AND  THE  "BON  BIEU"  AT  THE  OTSTEB  SOIBEE . 


■i; 


ONE  of  the  first  things  done  by   the  cui'ate  Tetu,  after  his 
new  vicai's  had  been  chosen,  was  to  divide,  by  casting  lots, 
his  large  parish  into  four  parts,  that  there  might  be  more  regu- 
larity in  our  ministerial  labors,  and  my  lot  gave  me  the  north- 
east of  the  parish  which  contained  the  Quebec  Marine  Hospital. 
The  number  of  sick  sailors  I  had  to  visit  almost  every  day 
in  that  noble  institution,  was  between  twenty-five  and  a  hundred. 
The  Roman  Catholic  chapel,  with  its  beautiful  altar  was  not  yet 
completed.     It  was  only  in  1837  that  I  could  persuade  the  hospi- 
tal authorities  to  fix  it  as  it  is  to-day.     Having  no  place  there  to 
celebrate  mass  and  keep  the  Holy  Sacrament,  I  soon  found  my- 
self in  presenc<'  of  a  difiiculty  which,  at  first,  seemed  to  me  of  a 
(jrave  character.     I  had  to  administer  the  viaticum   (holy   com- 
munion) to  a  dying  sailor.     As  every   one    knows,  all  Roman 
Catholics  are  bound  to  believe  that  by  the  consecration,  the  wafer 
is  transformed  into  the  body,  soul  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Hence,  they  call  that  ceremony :     "  Porter  le  bon  dieu  an  mal- 
ade"  (carry  the   good  God  to  the  sick.)      Till  then,  when  in 
Charlesbourgh  or  St.  Charles,  I,  with  the  rest  of  Roman  Catho- 
lic priests,  always   made   use  of    pomp  and  exterior   marks  of 
supreme   respect  for  the  Almighty  God   I  was  carrying   in   my 
hands  to  the  dying. 

I  had  never  carried  the  good  God  without  being  accompanied 
by  several  people,  walking  or  riding  on  horseback.  I  then  wore 
a  white  surplice  over  my  long  black  robe  (soutane)  to  strike  the 
people  with  awe.    There  was  also  a  man  ringing  a  bell  before  me, 

a6i 


•  r 


ff  ■  i 


a     ■>  > 


II       I 


i    -n 


262 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


all  along  the  way,  to  announce  to  the  people  that  the  great  God, 
who  had  not  only  created  them,  but  had  made  himself  man  to 
save  them,  by  dying  on  Calvary,  was  passing  by ;  that  they  had 
to  fall  on  their  knees  in  their  houses,  or  along  the  public  roads 
or  in  their  fields,  and  prostrate  themselves  and  adore  him. 

But  could  I  do  that  in  Quebec,  where  so  many  miserable 
heretics  were  more  disposed  to  laugh  at  my  God  than  to  adore 
him? 

In  my  zeal  and  sincere  faith,  I  was,  however,  determined  to 
dare  the  heretics  of  the  whole  world,  and  to  expose  myself  to 
their  insults,  rather  than  give  up  the  exterior  marks  of  supreme 
respect  and  adoration  which  were  due  to  my  God  everywhere; 
and  twice  I  carried  Him  to  the  hospital  with  the  usual  solemnity^ 

In  vain,  my  curate  tried  to  persuade  me  to  change  my  mind. 
I  closed  my  ears  to  his  arguments.  He  then  kindly  invited  me 
to  go  with  him  to  the  bishop's  palace,  in  order  to  confer  with 
him  on  that  grave  subject.  How  can  I  express  my  dismay  when 
the  bishop  told  me,  with  a  levity  which  I  had  not  yet  observed 
in  him,  "  that  on  account  of  the  Protestants  whom  we  had  to 
meet  everywhere,  it  was  better  to  make  our  '  God '  travel  incog- 
nito in  the  street  ■.  of  Quebec."  "  He  added  in  a  high  and  jocose 
tone:  "  Put  Him  in  your  vest  pocket,  as  do  the  rest  of  the  city 
priests.  Carry  Him  to  your  dying  patients  without  any  scruples. 
Never  aim  at  being  a  reformer  and  doing  better  than  your  ven- 
erable brethren  in  the  priesthood.  We  must  not  forget  that  we 
are  a  conquere''  people.  If  we  were  masters,  we  would  carry 
Him  to  the  dying  with  the  public  honors  we  used  to  give  Him 
before  the  conquest;  but  the  Protestants  are  the  stronger.  Our 
governor  is  a  Protestant,  as  well  as  our  Queen.  The  garrison, 
which  \s,  inside  the  walls  of  their  imjiregnable  citadel,  is  com- 
posed chiefly  of  Protestants.  According  to  the  laws  of  our 
holy  church,  we  have  the  right  to  punish,  even  by  death,  the  mis- 
erable people  who  turn  into  ridicule  the  mysteries  of  our  holy 
religion :  But  though  we  have  that  right,  we  are  not  strong 
enough  to  enforce  it.  We  must,  then,  bear  the  yoke  in  silence. 
After  all,  it  is  our  God  himself,  who  in  his  inscrutable  judgment, 
has  deprived  us  of  the  power  of  honoring  Him  as  He  deserves; 


^7^ 


QUEBEC    MARINE    HOSPITAL.    ETC. 


263 


and  to  tell  you  my  whole  mind  as  plainly  as  possible,  it  is  not  . 
our  fault,  but  His  own  doing,  so  to  speak,  if  we  are  forced  to 
make  Him  travel  incognito  through  our  streets.  It  is  one  of  the 
sad  results  of  the  victory  which  the  God  of  battles  gave  to  the 
heretics  over  us  on  the  plains  of  Abraham.  If,  in  His  good  provi- 
dence, we  could  break  our  fetters,  and  become  free  to  pass  again 
the  laws  which  regulated  Canada  before  the  conquest,  to  prevent 
the  heretics  from  settling  among  us,  then  we  would  carry  Him 
as  we  used  to  do  in  those  happy  days." 

"  But,"  said  I,  "  when  I  walk  in  the  streets  with  my  good 
God  in  my  vest  pocket,  what  will  I  do  if  I  meet  any  friend  who 
wants  to  shake  hands  and  have  a  joke  with  me  ?  " 

The  bishop  laughed  and  answered:  «  Tell  your  friend  you 
are  in  a  hurry,  and  go  your  way  as  quickly  as  possible ;  but  if 
there  is  no  help,  have  your  talk  and  your  joke  with  him,  without 
any  scruple  of  conscience.  The  important  point  in  this  delicate 
matter  is  t'  at  the  people  should  not  know  we  are  carrying  our 
God  through  the  streets  incognito;  for  this  knowledge  would 
surely  shake  and  weaken  their  faith.  The  common  people  are» 
more  than  we  think,  kept  in  our  holy  church,  by  the  impressing 
fi  rcmonies  of  our  processions  and  public  marks  of  respect  we 
give  Lc  Jesus  Christ,  when  we  carry  Him  to  the  sick;  for  the 
people  are  more  easily  persuaded  by  what  they  see  with  their 
eyes  and  touch  with  their  hands,  than  by  what  they  hear  with 
their  ears." 

I  submitted  to  the  order  of  my  ecclesiastical  superior;  but  I 
would  not  be  honest,  were  I  not  to  confess  that  I  lost  much  of 
my  spiritual  joy  for  some  time  in  the  administration  of  the  via- 
ticum. I  continued  to  believe  as  sincerely  as  I  could,  but  the 
laughing  words  and  light  tone  of  my  bishop,  had  fallen  upon 
my  soul  as  an  icy  cloud.  The  jocose  way  in  which  he  had 
spoken  of  what  I  had  been  taught  to  consider  as  the  most  awful 
and  adorable  mystery  of  the  church,  left  the  impression  on  my 
mind  that  he  did  not  believe  one  iota  of  the  dogma  of  transub- 
stantiation.  And  in  spite  of  all  my  honest  efforts  to  get  rid  of 
that  suspicion,  it  grew  in  my  mind  every  time  I  met  him  to  talk 
on  any  ministerial  subject. 


.'^fr 


ri 


i 


l\  ■: 


Si  JN 


J'  %■ 


264 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


It  took  several  years  before  I  could  accustom  myself  to  carry 
my  God  in  my  vest  pocket  as  the  other  priests  did,  -without  any 
more  ceremony  than  with  a  piece  of  tobacco.  So  long  as  I  was 
walking  alone  I  felt  happy.  I  could  then  silently  converse  with 
my  Savior,  and  give  Him  all  the  expression  of  my  love  and 
adoration.  It  was  my  custom,  then,  to  repeat  the  103d  or  50th 
psalm  of  David, —  or 'the  Te  Deum,  or  some  other  beautiful 
hymn,  or  the  Pangc  Lingua^  which  I  knew  by  heart.  But  no 
words  can  express  my  sadness  when,  as  it  was  very  often  the 
case,  I  met  some  friends  forcing  me  to  shake  hands  with  them, 
and  began  one  of  those  idle  and  common-place  talks,  so  com- 
mon everywhere. 

With  the  utmost  efforts,  I  had  then  to  put  a  smiling  mask  on 
my  face,  in  order  to  conceal  the  expressions  of  faith  which  are 
infallibly  seen,  in  spite  of  one's  self,  if  one  is  in  the  very  act  of 
adoration. 

How,  then,  I  earnestly  cursed  the  day  when  my  country  had 
fallen  under  the  yoke  of  Protestants,  whose  jiresence  in  Quebec 
prevented  me  from  following  the  dictates  of  my  conscience! 
How  many  times  did  I  jjray  my  wafer  god,  whom  I  was  per- 
sonally pressing  on  my  heart,  to  grant  us  an  opportunity  •'»  break 
those  fetters,  and  destroy  forever  the  power  of  Protestant  En<j;^- 
land  over  us!  Then  we  should  be  free  again,  to  give  our  Savior 
all  the  public  honors  which  were  due  to  his  majest\  Then  we 
should  put  in  force  the  laws  bv  which  no  heretic  had  any  rij^ht 
to  settle  and  live  in  Canada. 

Not  long  after  that  conversation  with  the  bishop,  1  foiiud 
myself  in  a  circumstance  which  added  much  to  my  trouble  and 
confusion  of  conscience  on  that  matter. 

There  was  then,  in  Quebec,  a  merchant  who  had  honorably 
raised  himself  from  a  state  of  poverty,  to  the  first  rank  amoiv^ 
the  wealthy  merchants  of  Canada.  Though,  a  few  years  afler> 
he  was  ruined  by  a  series  of  most  terrible  disasters,  his  i,;mie  is 
still  honored  in  Canada,  j"^  one  of  the  most  industrious  ami  hon- 
est merchants  of  our  .^""ng  country.  His  name  was  James 
Buteau.  He  had  built  i  i;iagnificent  house  and  furnished  it  in  a 
princely  style. 


f\ 


.f-m'^^!'.  ■■'J 


QUEBEC    MARINE    HOSPITAL,  ETC. 


265 


In  Older  to  celebrate  his  "  house  warming  "  in  a  becoming 
style,  he  invited  a  hundred  guests  from  the  elite  of  the  city, 
among  whom  were  all  the  priests  of  the  parishes.  But  in  order 
not  to  frighten  their  prudery,  though  that  party  was  to  be  more 
of  the  nature  of  a  ball  than  anything  else,  Mr.  Buteau  had  given 
it  the  modest  name  of  an  Oyster  Soiree. 

Just  as  the  good  curate  Tetu,  with  his  che  ;rful  vicars  was 
starting,  a  messenger  met  us  at  the  door,  to  say  that  Mr.  Parent, 
the  youngest  vicar,  had  called  to  carry  the  "Good  God"  to  a 
dying  woman. 

Mr.  Parent  was  born,  and  had  passed  his  whole  life  in 
Quebec,  in  whose  seminary  he  had  gone  through  a  complete  and 
brilliant  course  of  study.  I  think  there  was  scarcely  a  funny 
song  in  the  French  language  which  he  could  not  sing.  With  a 
cheerful  nature,  he  was  the  delight  of  the  Quebec  society,  by 
almost  every  member  of  which  he  was  personally  known. 

His  hair  was  constantly  perfumed  with  the  richest  pomade, 
and  the  most  precious  eaux  de  cologne  surrounded  him  with 
an  atmosphere  of  the  sweetest  odors.  With  all  these  qualities 
and  privileges,  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  was  the  confessor  "a  la 
mode"  of  the  young  ladies  of  Quebec. 

The  bright  luminaries  v/hich  hover  around  Jupiter  are  not 
more  exact  in  converging  toward  that  brilliant  star,  than  those 
pious  young  ladies  were  in  gathering  around  the  confessional 
box  of  Mr.  Parent  every  week  or  fortnight. 

The  unexpected  announcement  of  a  call  to  the  death  bed  of 
011c  of  his  poorest  penitents,  was  not  quite  the  most  desirable 
thing  'or  our  dear  young  friend,  at  such  an  hour.  But  he  knew 
t(  ;  ,vell  his  duty  to  grumble.  He  said  to  us:  "  go  before  me 
and  tell  Mrs.  Buteau  that  I  will  be  in  time  to  get  my  s'.iare  of 
the  oysters." 

By  chanie,  the  sick  house  was  on  the  way  and  not  far  from  Mr. 
lUitcuu's  splendid  mansion,  lie  left  us  to  run  to  the  altar  and 
lake  the  "  Good  God  "  with  him.  We  started  for  the  soiree,  but 
not  sympathizing  with  our  dear  Mr.  Parent,  who  would  lose  the 
most  interesting  part,  for  the  administration  of  the  viaticum. 
The  cxlreniL  unction,  with  the  giving  of  indulgences,  ///  articulo 


266 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


II 


I  Si 


;§. 


mortis,  and  the  exhortations  to  the  dying,  and  the  people  gath- 
ered from  the  neighborhood  to  witness  those  solemn  rights,  could 
not  take  much  less  than  three  quarters,  or  even  an  hour  of  his 
time.  But,  to  my  great  surprise,  we  had  not  yet  been  ten  minutes 
in  the  magnificent  parlor  of  our  host,  when  I  saw  Mr.  Parent, 
who  like  a  new-born  butterfly,  flying  from  flower  to  flower,  was 
running  from  lady  to  lady,  joking,  laughing,  surpassing  himself 
with  his  immitable,  lovely  and  refined  manners.  I  said  to  myself, 
how  is  it  possible  that  he  has  so  quickly  got  rid  of  his  unpalata- 
ble task  with  his  dying  penitent!  and  I  wanted  an  opportunity 
of  being  alone  with  him,  to  satisfy  my  curiosity  on  that  point. 
But  it  was  pretty  late  in  the  evening,  when  I  found  a  chance  to  say 
to  him :  "  We  all  feared  lest  your  dying  patient  may  deprive  us 
of  the  pleasure  of  your  company  the  greater  part  of  the  soiree ! " 

"  Oh  1  Oh !"  answered  he,  with  a  hearty  laugh,  "  that  intelli- 
gent woman  had  the  good  common  sense  to  die  just  two  minutes 
before  I  entered  her  house.  T  suppose  that  her  guardian  angel 
knowing  all  about  this  incomparable  party,  had  dispatched  the 
good  soul  to  heaven  a  little  sooner  than  she  expected,  in  my 
behalf."  I  could  not  but  smile  at  his  answer,  which  was  given 
in  a  manner  to  make  a  stone  laugh.  «  But,"  said  I,  «  what  have 
you  done  with  the  *Good  God'  you  had  carried  with  you?" 

"  Ah !  ah !  the  Good  God,"  he  replied,  in  a  jocose  and  sub- 
dued tone.  "Well,  well!  the  'Good  God'!  He  stands  very 
still  in  my  vest  pocket.  And  if  he  enjoys  this  princely  festivity 
as  well  as  we  all  do,  he  will  surely  thank  me  for  having  brought 
him  here,  even  en  survenant.  But  do  not  say  a  word  of  his 
presence  here;  it  would  spoil  everything." 

That  priest,  who  was  only  one  year  younger  than  myself, 
was  one  of  my  dearest  friends.  Though  his  words  rather  smelt 
of  the  unbeliever  and  blasphemer,  I  preferred  to  attribute  them 
to  the  sweet  champagne  he  had  drunk  than  to  a  real  want  of 
faith. 

But  I  must  confess  that,  though  I  had  laughed  very  heartily 
at  first,  his  last  utteranoe.  pained  me  so  much  that,  from  that 
moment  to  the  end  of  the  service  I  felt  uneasy  and  confounded. 
My    firm    belief    that    my   Saviour  Jesus    Christ  was    there  in 


QUEBEC    MARINE    HOSPITAL,  ETC. 


267 


persoj.^  Aept  a  prisoner  in  my  young  friend's  vest  pocket,  going 
to  ana  fro  from  one  young  lady  to  the  other,  witnessing  tlie 
constant  laughing,  hearing  ,the  idle  words,  the  light  and  funny 
songs,  made  my  whole  soul  shudder.,  and  my  heart  sunk  within 
me.  By  tines  I  wished  I  could  fall  on  my  knees  to  adore  my 
Saviour,  wh  )m  I  believed  to  be  there.  However,  u  mysterious 
voice  was  w.iispering  in  my  ear:  "Are  you  not  a  fool  to  believe 
th.it  you  era  make  a  God  with  a  wafer;  and  that  Jesus  Christ, 
your  Sav  our  and  your  God,  can  be  kept  a  prisoner,  in  spite  of 
himself,  in  the  vest  pocket  of  a  man  ?  Do  you  not  see  that  your 
friend  Parent,  who  has  much  more  brains  and  intelligence  than 
you,  does  not  believe  a  word  of  that  dogma  of  transubstantia- 
tion?  Have  you  forgotten  the  unbeliever's  smile  which  you 
saw  on  the  lips  of  the  bishop  himself  only  a  few  days  ago? 
Was  not  that  laugh  the  infallible  proof  that  he  also  does  not 
believe  a  particle  of  that  ridiculous  dogma  ?  " 

With  superhuman  effort  I  tried,  and  succeeded  partly,  to 
stifle  that  voice.  But  that  struggle  could  not  last  long  within 
my  soul  without  leaving  its  exterior  marks  on  my  face.  Evi- 
dently a  sad  cloud  was  over  my  eyes,  for  several  of  my  most 
respectable  friends,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buteau,  kindly  asked  if  I 
were  sick. 

At  last  I  felt  so  confused  at  the  repetition  of  the  same 
suggestion  by  so  many,  that  I  felt  I  was  only  making  a  fool  of 
myself  by  remaining  any  "onger  in  their  midst.  Angry  with 
myself  for  my  want  of  moral  strength  in  this  hour  of  trial,  I 
respectfully  asked  pardon  f roin  niy  kind  host  for  leaving  their 
party  before  the  end,  on  account  of  a  sudden  indisposition. 

The  next  day  there  was  only  one  voice  in  Quebec,  saying 
that  young  Parent  had  been  the  lion  of  that  brilliant  soiree,  and 
that  the  poor  young  priest  Chiniquy  had  been  its  fool. 


|.i  !■' 


Chapter  XXVIII. 

DB.  DOTTaUlS-UT  FIRST  LESSON  ON  TEMPEBANCE-ST-!7DT 
OF  ANATOMT  -  WOHKINO  0£  AIiOOHOI<  IN  THE  HTTICAN 
FBAME-THE  SnTBOEBESS  OF  HER  OWN  CHILD  -  I  FOB- 
EVER  GIVE  T7P  THE  USE  OF  INTOXIOATING  DRINKS. 

GOD  controls  the  greatest  as  well  as  thv^  smallest  of  the  events 
of  this  world.  Our  business  during  the  few  days  of  our 
pilgrimage,  then,  is  to  know  His  will  and  do  it.  Our  happiness 
here,  as  in  heaven,  rests  on  this  foundation,  just  as  the  success 
and  failures  of  our  lives  come  entirely  from  the  practical  know- 
ledge or  ignorance  of  this  simplest  and  sublimest  truth.  I  dare 
say  that  there  is  not  a  single  fact  of  my  long  and  eventful  life 
which  has  not  taught  me  that  there  is  a  special  Providence  in 
our  lives.  Particularly  was  this  apparent  in  the  casting  of  the 
lots  by  which  I  became  the  first  chaplain  of  the  Quebec  Marine 
Hospital.  After  the  other  vicars  had  congratulated  each  other 
for  having  escaped  the  heavy  burden  of  work  and  responsibili- 
ties connected  with  that  chaplaincy,  they  kindly  gave  me  the 
assurance  of  their  sympathies  for  what  they  called  my  bad  luck. 
In  thanking  them  for  their  friendly  feelings,  I  confessed  that 
this  occurrence  appeared  to  me  in  a  very  different  light.  I  was 
sure  that  God  had  directed  this  for  my  good  and  His  own  glory; 
and  I  was  right.  In  the  beginning  of  November,  1834,  a  slight 
indisposition  having  kept  me  a  few  days  at  home,  Mr.  Glack- 
mayer,  the  superintendent  of  the  hospital,  came  to  tell  me  that 
there  was  an  unusually  large  number  of  sick,  left  by  the  Fall 
fleets,  in  danger  of  death,  who  were  day  and  night  calling  for 
me.  He  added,  in  a  secret  way,  that  there  were  several  casco  of 
small-pox  of  the  worst  type;  that  several  had  already  died  and 
many  were  dying  from  the  terrible  cholera  morbus,  which  was 
still  raging  among  the  sailors. 

j6S 


m 


f?''!niT|(fjpiW^iSfPf5fPWW'W^^ 


MY    FIRST    LESSON    ON    TEMPEHANCK. 


269 


This  sad  news  came  to  me  as  an  order  fron  heaven  to  run  to 
the  rescue  of  my  dear  si.  -amen.  I  left  my  room,  despite 
my  physician,  and  went  to    .  c  hospital. 

The  first  man  I  met  was  Dr.  Douglas,  who  was  waiting  for 
me  at  Mr.  C.  Glackmayer's  room.  lie  confirmed  what  I  had 
known  before  of  the  numbe'-  of  sick,  and  added  that  the  prevail- 
ing diseases  were  of  the  most  dangerous  kind. 

Dr.  Douglas,  who  was  one  of  the  founders  and  governors  of 
tile  hospital,  had  the  well -merited  reputation  of  being  one  of 
the  ablest  surgeons  of  Quebec.  Though  a  staunch  Protestant 
by  birth  and  profession,  he  honored  me  with  his  confidence 
and  friendship  from  the  first  day  we  met.  I  may  say  I  have 
never  known  a  nobler  heart,  a  larger  mind  and  a  truer  philan- 
thropist. 

After  thanking  him  for  the  useful  though  sad  intelligence 
he  had  given  me,  I  requested  Mr.  Glackmayer  to  give  me  a 
glass  of  brandy,  which  I  immediately  swallowed. 

*'  What  are  you  doing  there?"  said  Dr.  Douglas. 

"You  see,"  I  answered;  "I  have  drank  a  glass  of  excellent 
brandy." 

"  But  please  tell  me  why  you  drank  that  brandy." 

« Because  it  is  a  good  preservative  against  the  pestilential 
atmosphere  I  will  breathe  all  day,"  I  replied.  "I  will  have  to 
hear  the  confessions  of  all  those  people  dying  from  small-pox  or 
cholera,  and  breathe  the  putrid  air  which  is  around  their  pillows. 
Does  not  common  sense  warn  me  to  take  some  precautions 
against  the  contagion  ? " 

*'  Is  it  possible,"  rejoined  he,  "  that  a  man  for  whom  I  have 
such  a  sincere  esteem  is  so  ignorant  of  the  deadly  workings  of 
alcohol  in  the  human  frame?  What  you  have  just  drank  is 
nothing  but  poison;  and,  far  from  protecting  yourself  against 
the  danger,  you  are  now  much  more  exposed  to  it  than  before 
you  drank  that  beverage." 

"You  poor  Protestants,"  I  answered,  in  a  jocose  way,  "are 
a  band  of  fanatics,  with  your  extreme  doctrines  on  temperance; 
you  will  never  convert  me  to  your  views  on  that  subject.  Is  it 
for  the  use  of  the  dogs  that  God  has  created  wine  and  brandy? 


"•*B*T""im' 


'-rrmiL' 


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ayo 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHUHCH    OF    ROME. 


No;  it  is  for  the  use  of  men  who  drink  them  with  moderation 

and  intelligence." 

"My  dear    Mr.  Chiniquy,   you    are   joking;   but    I    am    in 

earnest  when  I  tell  you  that  you  have  poisoned  yourself  with 

that  glass  of  brandy,"  replied  Dr.  Douglas. 

"  If  good  wine  and  brandy  were  poisons,"  I  answered,  "you 

would  be  long  ago  the  only  physician  in  Quebec,  for  you  are  th« 

only  one  of  the  medical  body  whom  I  know  to  be  an  abstainer. 

But,  though  I  am  much  pleased  with  your  conversation,  excuse 

me  if  I  leave  you  to  visit  my  dear  sick  sailors,  whose  cries  for 

spiritual  help  ring  in  my  ears." 

"  One    word   more,"  said   Dr.  Douglas,  "  and   I   have  done. 

To-morrow  morning  we  will  make  the  autopsy  of  a  sailor  who 

has  just  died  suddenly  here.     Have  you  any  objection  to  come 

and  see  with  your  eyes,  in  the  body  of  that  man,  what  your 

glass  of  brandy  has  done  in  your  own  body  ? " 

"No,  sir;  1  have  no  objection  to  see  that,"  I  replied.     "I 

have  been   anxious  for  a   long  time  to  make  a  special  study  of 

anatomy.     It  will  be  my  first  lesson;  I  cannot  get  it  from  a 

better  master." 

I  then  shook  hands  with  him  and  went  to  my  patients,  with 
whom  I  passed  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  the  greater  part  of 
the  night.  Fifty  of  them  wanted  to  make  general  confessions 
of  all  the  sins  of  their  whole  lives;  and  I  had  to  give  the  last 
sacraments  to  twenty-five  who  were  dying  from  small-pox  or 
cholera  morbus.  The  next  morning  I  was,  at  the  appointed 
hour,  by  the  corpse  of  the  dead  man,  when  Dr.  Douglas  kindly 
gave  me  a  very  powerful  miscroscope,  that  I  might  mo:e 
thoroughly  follow  the  ravages  of  alcohol  in  every  part  of  the 
human  body. 

"  I  have  not  the  least  doubt,"  said  he,  "  that  this  man  has 
been  instantly  killed  by  a  glass  of  rum,  which  he  drank  one 
hour  before  he  fell  dead.  That  rum  has  caused  the  rupture  of 
the  aorta"  (the  big  vein  which  carries  the  blood  to  the  heart). 

While  talking  thus  the  knife  was  doing  its  work  so  quickly 
that  the  horrible  spectacle  of  the  broken  artery  was  before  our 
eyes  almost  as  the  last  word  fell  from  his  lips.  , 


IPipiHlii.ii»||i|^^,ll     I  ijlJIIH 


MY    FIRST    LESSON    ON    TEMl'KUANCK. 


371 


"  Look  here,"  said  the  doctor,"  "  all  along  the  artery,  and 
you  will  see  thousands,  perhaps  millions  of  reddish  spots,  which 
are  as  many  holes  perforated  through  it  by  alcohol.  Just  as  the 
musk  rats  of  the  Mississippi  river,  almost  every  spring,  dig  little 
holes  through  the  dams  which  keep  that  powerful  river  within 
its  natural  limits,  and  cause  the  waters  to  break  through  the 
little  holes,  and  thus  carry  desolation  and  death  along  its  shores, 
so  alcohol  every  day  causes  the  sudden  death  of  thousands  of 
victims  by  perforating  the  veins  and  opening  small  issues 
through  which  the  blood  rushes  out  of  its  natural  limits.  It  is 
not  only  this  big  vein  which  alcohol  perforates;  it  does  the  same 
deadly  work  in  the  veins  of  the  lungs  and  the  whole  body. 
Look  at  the  lungs  with  attention,  and  count,  if  you  can,  the 
thousands  and  thousands  of  reddish,  dark  and  yellow  spots,  and 
little  ulcers  with  which  they  are  covered.  Every  one  of  them 
is  the  work  of  alcohol,  which  has  torn  and  cut  the  veins  and 
caused  the  blood  to  go  out  of  its  canals,  to  carry  corruption  and 
death  all  over  these  marvellous  organs.  Alcohol  is  one  of  the 
most  dangerous  poisons — I  dare  say  it  is  the  most  dangerous. 
It  has  killed  more  men  than  all  the  other  poisons  together. 
Alcohol  cannot  be  changed  nor  assimilated  to  any  part  or  tissue 
of  our  body,  it  cannot  go  to  any  part  of  the  human  frame 
without  bringing  disorder  and  death  to  it.  For  it  cannot  in  any 
possible  way  unite  with  any  part  of  our  body.  The  water  we 
drink,  the  wholesome  food  and  bread  we  eat,  by  the  laws  and 
will  of  God  are  transformed  into  the  different  parts  of  the  body, 
to  which  they  are  sent  through  the  millions  of  small  canals 
which  take  them  from  the  stomach  to  every  part  of  our  frame. 
When  the  water  has  been  drunk,  or  the  bread  we  have  eaten  is, 
for  instance,  sent  to  the  lungs,  to  the  brain,  the  nerves,  the 
muscles,  the  bones — wherever  it  goes  it  receives,  if  I  can  so 
speak,  letters  of  citizenship;  it  is  allowed  to,  remain  there  in 
peace  and  work  for  the  public  good.  But  it  is  not  so  with 
alcohol.  The  very  moment  it  enters  the  stomach  it  more  or  less 
brings  disorder,  ruin  and  death,  according  to  the  quantity  taken. 
The  stomach  refuses  to  take  it,  and  makes  a  supreme  effort  to 
violently  throw  it  out,  either  through  the  mouth,  or  by  indig- 


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272 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


nantly  pushing  it  to  the  brain  or  into  the  numberless  tubes  by 
which  it  discharges  its  contents  to  the  surface  through  all  the 
tissues.  But  will  alcohol  be  welcome  in  any  of  these  tubes  and 
marvellous  canals,  or  in  any  part  or  tissue  of  the  body  it  will 
visit  on  its  passage  to  the  surface?  No!  Look  here  with  your 
microscope,  and  you  will  see  with  your  own  eyes  that  every- 
where alcohol  has  gone  in  the  body  there  has  been  a  hand-to- 
hand  struggle  and  a  bloody  battle  fought  to  get  rid  of  it.  Yes! 
every  place  where  King  Alcohol  has  put  his  foot  has  been 
turned  into  a  battlefield,  spread  with  ruin  and  death,  in  order  to 
ignominiously  turn  it  out.  By  a  most  extraordmary  working  of 
nature,  or  rather  by  the  order  of  God,  every  vein  and  artery 
through  which  alcohol  has  to  pass  suddenly  contracts,  as  if  to 
prevent  its  passage  or  choke  it  as  a  deadly  foe.  Every  vein  and 
artery  has  evidently  heard  the  voice  of  God: '  Wine  is  a  mocker; 
it  bites  like  a  serpent  and  stings  as  an  adder!'  Every  nerve  and 
muscle  which  alcohol  touched  trembled  and  shook  as  if  in  the 
presence  of  an  implacable  and  unconquerable  enemy.  Yes,  at 
the  presence  of  alcohol  every  nerve  and  muscle  loses  its  strength, 
just  as  the  bravest  man,  in  the  presence  of  a  horrible  monster  or 
demon,  suddenly  loses  his  nsitural  strength,  and  shakes  from 
head  to  foot." 

I  cannot  repeat  all  I  heard  that  day  from  the  lips  of  Dr. 
Douglas,  and  what  I  saw  with  my  oVvn  eyes  of  the  horrible 
workings  of  alcohol  through  every  part  of  that  body.  It  would 
be  too  long.  Suffice  to  say  that  I  was  struck  with  horror  at  my 
own  folly,  and  at  the  folly  of  so  many  people  who  make  use  of 
intoxicating  drinks. 

What  I  learned  that  day  was  like  the  opening  of  a  myster- 
ious door,  which  allowed  me  to  see  the  untold  marvels  of  a  new 
and  most  mrgnificent  world.  '  But  though  I  was  terror-stricken 
with  the  ravages  of  strong  drink  in  that  dead  man,  I  was  not 
yet  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  being  a  total  abstainer  from 
wine  and  beer,  and  a  little  brandy  now  and  then,  as  a  social 
habit.  I  did  not  like  to  expose  myself  to  ridicule  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  habits  which  seemed  then,  more  than  now,  to  be  among 
the  sweetest  and  most  common  links  of  society.     But  I  deter- 


ppiippppp'liP^i?s5???pprw 


MY    FIRST    LESSON    ON    TEMPERANCE. 


273 


mined  to  lose  no  opportunity  of  continuing  the  study  of  the 
working  of  alcohol  in  the  human  body.  At  the  same  time  I 
resolved  to  avail  myself  of  every  opportunity  of  making  a  com- 
plete study  of  anatomy  under  the  kind  and  learned  Dr.  Douglas. 

It  is  from  the  lips  and  works  of  Dr.  Douglas  that  I  learned 
the  following  startling  facts: 

1st.  The  heart  of  man,  which  is  only  six  inches  long  by  four 
inches  wide,  beats  seventy  times  in  a  minute,  4,200  in  one  hour, 
100,300  in  a  day,  36,792,000  in  a  year.  It  ejects  two  ounces 
and  a  half  of  blood  out  of  itself  every  time  it  beats,  which 
makes  175  ounces  every  minute,  656  pounds  every  hour,  seven 
tons  and  three-quarters  of  blood  which  goes  out  of  the  heart 
every  day!  The  whole  blood  of  a  man  runs  through  his  heart 
in  three  minutes. 

2d.  The  skin  is  composea  of  three  parts  placed  over  each 
other,  whose  thi  :kness  varies  from  a  quarter  to  an  eighth  of  a 
line.  Each  square  inch  contains  3,500  pores  thi'ough  which  the 
sweat  goes  out.  Every  one  of  them  is  a  pipe  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  long.  All  those  small  pipes  united  together  would  form  a 
canal  201,166  feet  long — equal  to  forty  miles,  or  nearly  thirteen 
leagues! 

3rd.  The  weight  of  the  blood  in  a  common  man  is  between 
thirty  and  forty  pounds.  That  blood  runs  through  the  body  in 
loi  seconds,  or  one  minute  and  forty-one  .seconds.  Eleven 
thousand  (11,000)  pints  of  blood  pass  through  the  lungs  m 
twenty-four  hours. 

4th.  There  are  246  bones  in  the  human  body;  63  of  them 
are  in  the  head,  24  in  the  sides,  16  in  the  wrist,  14  in  the  joints 
and  108  in  the  hands  and  feet! 

The  heart  of  a  man  who  drinks  nothing  but  pure  water 
beats  about  100,300  a  day,  but  will  beat  from  25,000  to  30,000 
times  more  if  he  drinks  alcoholic  drinks.  Those  who  have  not 
learned  anatomy  know  little  of  the  infinite  power,  wisdom,  love 
and  mercy  of  God.  No  book  except  the  Bible,  and  no  science 
except  the  science  of  astronomy  is  like  the  body  of  man  to  fill 
us  what  our  God  is,  and  vohat  tve  are.  The  body  of  man  is  a 
book  written  by  the  hand  of  God,  to  speak  to  us  of  Him  as  no 


-■T^^raWTSfP'P'SIS 


U^  VIIWIBPIptiJ*.  ,.1!  HlJWill 


li'  -  ' 


374 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


man  can  speak.  After  studying  the  marvellous  working  of  the 
heart,  the  lungs,  the  eyes  and  the  brain  of  man,  I  could  not 
speak ;  I  remained  mute,  unable  tp  say  a  single  word  to  tell  my 
admiration  and  awe.  I  wept  as  overwhelmed  with  my  feelings. 
I  should  have  liked  to  speak  of  those  things  to  the  priests  with 
whom  I  lived,  but  I  saw  at  first  they  could  not  understand  me; 
they  thought  I  was  exaggerating.  How  many  times,  when 
ilone  with  God  in  my  little  closet,  when  thinking  of  those 
marvels,  I  fell  on  my  knees  and  said :  « Thou  art  great,  O  my 
God!  The  works  of  thy  hands  are  above  the  works  of  man! 
But  the  works  of  .hy  love  and  mercy  are  above  all  thy  other 
works ! " 

During  the  four  years  I  was  chaplain  of  the  Marine  Hospital, 
more  than  one  hundred  corpses  were  opened  before  me,  and 
almost  as  many  outside  the  hospital.  For  when,  by  the  order 
of  the  jury  and  the  coroner,  an  autopsy  was  to  be  made,  I  seldom 
failed  to  attend.  In  that  way  I  have  had  a  providential  oppor- 
tunity of  acquiring  the  knowledge  of  one  of  the  most  useful  and 
admirable  sciences  as  no  priest  or  minister  probably  ever  had  on 
this  continent.  It  is  my  conviction  that  the  first  thing  a  temper- 
ance orator  ought  to  do  is  to  study  anatomy ;  get  the  bodies  of 
drunkards,  as  well  as  those  of  so-called  temperate  drinkers, 
opened  before  him,  and  study  there  the  working  of  alcohol  in 
the  different  organs  of  man.  So  long  as  the  orators  on  temper- 
ance will  not  do  that,  they  cannot  understand  the  subject  on 
which  they  speak.  Though  I  have  read  the  best  books  written 
by  the  most  learned  physicians  of  England,  France  and  United 
States  on  the  ravages  of  rum,  wines  and  beer  of  every  kind  and 
name  in  the  body  of  men,  I  have  never  read  anything  which 
enlightened  me  so  much,  and  brought  such  profound  convictions 
to  my  intelligence,  as  the  study  I  have  made  of  the  brain,  the 
lungs,  the  heart,  veins,  arteries,  nerves  and  muscles  of  a  single 
man  or  woman.  These  bodies,  opened  before  me,  were  books 
written  by  the  hand  of  God  himself,  and  they  spoke  to  me  as  no 
man  could  speak.  By  the  mercy  of  God,  to  that  study  is  due 
the  irresistible  power  of  my  humble  efforts  in  persuading  my 
countrymen  to  give  up  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks.     But  heie 


IP"fPiiW«B^ 


^>"!?pf^PP|PPpippi 


wfwr^'Aii'^.m  ' '  ''!\mi>^.fWM{WWWS''  ' 


mm.fvwJi.'^j'i-^j 


MY    FIRST    LESSON    ON    TEMPERANCE. 


275 


is  the  time  to  tell  how  my  merciful  God  forced  me,  His  unprofit- 
able and  rebellious  servant,  almost  in  spite  of  myself,  to  give  up 
the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks. 

Among  my  penitents  there  was  a  young  lady  belonging  to 
one  of  the  most  respectable  families  of  Quebec.     She  had  a 
child,  a  girl,  almost  a  year  old,  who  was  a  real  beauty.    Nothing 
this  side  of  heaven  could   surpass  the  charms  of  that  earthly 
angel.     Of  course  that  young  mother  idolized  her;  she  couid 
hardly  consent  to  be  without  her  sweet  angel,  even  to  go  to 
church.      She   carried   her   everywhere,  to   kiss   her   at   every 
moment  and  press  her  to  her  heart.     Unfortunately  that  lady,  as 
it  was  then  and  as  is  still  now  too  often  the  case,  even  among 
the  most  refined,  had  learned  in  her  father's  house,  and  by  the 
example  of  her  own  mother,  to  drink  wine  at  table,  and  when 
receiving  the  visits  of  her  friends  or  when  visiting  them  herself. 
Little  by  little  she  began  to  drink,  when  alone,  a  few  drops  of 
wine,  at  first  by  the  advice  of  her  physician,  but  soon  only  to 
satisfy  the  craving  appetite,  which  grew  stronger  day  by  day. 
I  was  the  only  one,  excepting  her  husband,  who  knew  this  fact. 
He  was  my  intimate  triend,  and  several  times,  with  tears  trick- 
ling down  his  cheeks,  he  had  requested  me,  in  the  name  of  God, 
to  persuade  her  to  abstain  from  drinking.     That  young  man 
was  so  happy  with  his  accomplished  wife  and  his  incomparably 
beautiful  child!     He  was  rich,  had  a  high  position  in  the  woi-ld, 
numberless  friends,  and  a  palace  for  his  home!     Every  time  I 
had  spoken  to  that  young  lady,  either  when  alone  or  in  the 
presence  of  her  husband,  she  had  shed  tears  of  regret;  she  had 
promised  to  reform,  and  take  only  the  few  glasses  prescribed  by 
her  doctor.     But,  alas  I  that  fatal  prescription  of  the  doctor  was 
like  the  oil  poured  on  burning  coals ;  it  was  kindling  a  fire  which 
nothing  could  quench.     One  day,  which  I  will  never  forget,  a 
messenger  came  in  haste  and  said :  "  Mr.  A.  wants  you  to  come 
to  his  home  immediately.     A  terrible  misfortune  has  just  hap- 
pened— his  beautiful  child  has  just  been  killed.     His  wife  is  half 
crazy;  he  fears  lest  she  will  kill  herself." 

I  leaped  into  the  elegant  carriage  drawn  by  two  fine  horses, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  in  the  presence  of  the  most  distress- 


i^llWMIf  ,Wf,'^*|J|^|Jif.WP™T!«^^  > ' 


"^mmfm 


276 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


!  i 


ing  spectacle  I  ever  saw.  The  young  lady,  tearing  her  robes 
into  fragments,  tearing  her  hair  with  her  hands  and  cutting  her 
face  with  the  nails  of  her  fingers,  was  crying,  »*  Oh!  for  God's 
sake,  give  me  a  knife  that  I  may  cut  my  throat?  I  have  killed 
my  child!  My  darling  is  dead!  I  am  the  murderess  of  my 
own  dear  Lucy!  My  hands  are  reddened  with  her  blood.  Oh! 
may  I  die  with  her!" 

I  was  thunderstruck,  and  at  first  remained  mute  and  motion- 
less. The  young  husband,  with  two  other  gentlemen,  Dr. 
Blanchet  and  Coroner  Panet,  were  trying  to  hold  the  hands  of 
his  unfortunate  wife.  He  did  not  dare  to  speak.  At  last  the 
young  wife,  casting  her  eyes  upon  me,  said:  "Oh,  dear  Father 
Chiniq;iy,  for  God's  sake  give  me  a  knife  that  I  may  cut  my 
throat!  When  drunk,  I  took  my  precious  darling  in  my  arms 
to  kiss  her;  but  I  fell — her  head  struck  the  sharp  corner  of  the 
stove.  Her  brain  and  blood  are  there  spread  on  the  floor!  My 
child !  my  own  child  is  dead !  I  have  killed  her!  Cursed  liquor! 
Cursed  wine !  My  child  is  dead !  I  am  damned !  Cursed 
drink !'» 

I  could  not  speak,  but  I  could  weep  and  cry.  I  wept,  and 
mingled  my  tears  with  those  of  that  unfortunate  mother.  Then, 
with  an  expression  of  desolation  which  pierced  my  soul  as  with 
a  sword,  she  said :  "  Go  and  see."  I  went  to  the  next  room,  and 
there  I  saw  that  once  beautiful  child,  dead,  her  face  covered  with 
her  blood  and  brains!  There  was  a  large  gap  made  in  the  ri^ht 
temple.  The  drunken  mother,  by  falling  with  her  child  in  her 
arms,  had  caused  the  head  to  strike  with  such  a  terrible  force  on 
the  stove  that  it  upset  on  the  floor.  The  burning  coals  were 
spread  on  every  side,  and  the  house  had  been  very  nearly  on  fire. 
But  that  very  blow,  with  the  awful  death  of  her  child,  had 
suddenly  brought  her  to  her  senses,  and  put  an  end  to  her  intoxi- 
cation. At  a  glance  she  saw  the  whole  extent  of  her  misfortune. 
Her  first  thought  had  been  to  run  to  the  sideboard,  seize  a  large, 
sharp  knife,  and  cut  her  own  throat.  Providentially,  her  l\us- 
band  was  on  the  spot.  With  great  diflSculty,  and  after  a  terrible 
struggle,  he  took  the  knife  out  of  her  hands  and  threw  it  into 
the  street  through  the  window.     It  was  then  about  five  o'clock 


m. 


m^mm^ififmm^' 


mim^ 


,;(.■■ 


MY   FIRST    LESSON    ON    TEMPERANCE. 


277 


in  the  afternoon.  After  an  hour  passed  in  indescriba'  'e  agony 
of  mind  and  heart,  I  attempted  to  leave  and  go  back  to  the 
parsonage.  But  my  unfortunate  young  friend  requested  me,  in 
the  name  of  God,  to  spend  the  night  with  him.  «'  You  are  the 
only  one,"  he  saio.j  "  who  can  help  us  in  this  awful  night.  My 
misfortune  is  great  enough,  without  destroying  our  good  name 
by  spreading  it  in  public.  I  want  to  keep  it  as  secret  as  possible. 
With  our  physician  and  coroner,  you  are  the  only  man  on  earth 
whom  I  trust  to  help  me.     Please  pass  the  night  with  us." 

I  remained,  but  tried  in  vain  to  calm  the  unfortunate  mother. 
She  was  constantly  breaking  our  hearts  with  her  lamentations — 
her  convulsive  efforts  to  take  her  own  life.  Every  minute  she 
was  crying,  "  My  child!  my  darling  Lucy!  Just  when  thy  little 
arms  were  so  gently  caressing  me,  and  thy  angelic  kisses  were 
so  sweet  on  my  lips,  I  have  slaughtered  thee!  When  thou  wert 
pressing  me  on  thy  loving  heart  and  kissing  me,  I,  thy  drunken 
mother,  gave  thee  the  death-blow!  My  hands  are  reddened 
with  thy  blood!  My  breast  is  covered  with  thy  brains!  Oh! 
for  God's  sake,  my  dear  husband,  take  my  life.  I  cannot  con- 
sent to  live  a  day  longer!  Dear  Father  Chiniquy,  give  me  a 
knife  that  I  may  mingle  my  blood  with  the  blood  of  my  child ! 
O  that  I  could  be  buried  in  the  same  grave  with  her!" 

In  vain  I  tried  to  speak  to  her  of  the  mercies  of  God  towards 
sinners;  she  would  not  listen  to  anything  I  could  say;  she  was 
absolutely  deaf  to  my  voice.  At  about  ten  o'clock  she  had  a 
most  terrible  fit  of  anguish  and  terror.  Though  we  were  four 
men  to  keep  her  quiet,  she  was  stronger  than  we  all.  She  was 
strong  as  a  giant.  She  slipped  from  our  hands  and  ran  to  the 
room  where  the  dead  child  was  lying  in  her  cradle.  Grasping 
the  cold  body  in  her  hands,  she  tore  the  bands  af  white  linen 
wliich  had  been  put  round  the  head  to  cover  the  horrible  wound, 
a.id  with  crie  of  desolation  she  pressed  her  lips,  her  cheeks,  her 
very  eyes  on  the  horrible  gap  from  which  the  brain  and  blood 
were  oozing,  as  if  wanting  to  heal  it  and  recall  the  poor  dear 
one  to  life. 

"  My  darling,  my  beloved,  my  own  dear  Lucy,"  she  cried, 
"  open  thy  eyes — look  again  at  thy  mother !     Give  me  a  kiss ! 


M 


378 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


^ 


Press  me  again  to  thy  bosom!  But  thine  eyes  are  shut!  Thy 
lips  are  cold!  Thou  dost  not  smile  on  me  any  longer!  Thou 
art  dead,  and  I,  thy  mother,  have  slaughtered  thee!  Canst  thou 
forgive  me  thy  death  ?  Canst  thou  ask  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Saviour,  to  forgive  me?  Canst  thou  ask  the  blessed  Virgin 
Mary  to  pray  for  me?  Will  I  never  see  thee  again?  Ah,  no! 
I  am  lost — I  am  damned !  I  am  a  drunken  mother  who  has 
murdered  her  own  darling  Lucy !  There  is  no  mercy  for  the 
drunken  mother,  the  murderess  of  her  own  child." 

And  when  speaking  thus  to  her  child  she  was  sometihies 
kneeling  down,  then  running  around  the  room  as  if  flying  before 
a  phantom. 

But  even  then  she  was  constantly  pressing  the  motionless 
body  to  her  bosom  or  convulsively  passing  her  lips  and  cheeks 
over  the  horrible  wound,  so  that  her  lips,  her  whole  face, 
her  breast  and  hands  were  literally  besmeared  with  the  blood 
flowing  from  the  wound.  I  will  not  say  that  we  were  all  weep- 
ing  and  crying,  for  the  words  "  weeping  and  crying "  cannot 
express  the  desolation — the  horror  we  felt.  At  about  eleven 
o'clock,  when  on  her  knees,  clasping  her  child  to  her  bosom,  she 
lifted  her  eyes  towards  me,  and  said : 

"  Dear  Father  Chiniquy,  why  is  it  that  I  have  not  followed 
your  charitable  advice  when,  still  more  with  your  tears  than 
with  words,  you  tried  so  often  to  persuade  me  to  give  up  the  use 
of  those  cursed  intoxicating  wines?  How  many  times  you  have 
given  me  the  very  words  which  come  from  heaven :  ♦  Wine  is  a 
mocker;  it  bites  as  a  serpent,  and  stings  as  an  adder'!  How 
many  times,  in  the  name  of  my  dear  child,  in  the  name  of  my 
dear  husband,  in  the  name  of  God,  you  have  asked  me  to  give 
up  the  use  of  those  cursed  drinks !  But  listen  now  to  my  prayer. 
Go  all  over  Canada;  tell  all  the  fathers  never  to  put  any  intoxi- 
cating drink  before  the  eyes  of  their  children.  It  was  at  my 
father's  table  that  I  first  learned  to  drink  that  wine  which  I  will 
curse  during  all  eternity !  Tell  all  the  mothers  never  to  taste 
these  abominable  drinks.  It  was  my  mother  who  first  taught 
me  to  drink  that  wrine  which  I  will  curse  as  long  as  God  is! 

"  Take  the  blood  of  my  child,  and  go  redden  with  it  the  top 


^iPfWWiP!P'PF»'PP«WPSip^^ 


MY   FIRST   LESSON  ON   TBMPBRANCE. 


m 


of  the  doors  of  every  house  in  Canada,  and  say  to  all  those  who 
dwell  in  those  houses  that  that  blood  was  shed  by  the  hand  of  a 
murderess  mother  when  drunk.  With  that  blood  write  on  the 
walls  of  every  house  in  Canada  that  *  wine  is  a  mocker.*  Tell 
the  French  Canadians  how,  on  the  dead  body  of  my  child,  I 
have  cursed  thiit  wine  which  has  made  me  so  wretchedly  miser« 
rable  and  guilty." 

She  then  stopped,  as  if  to  breathe  a  little  for  a  few  minutes, 
She  added: 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  tell  me,  can  my  child  forgive  me  her 
death?  Can  she  ask  God  to  look  upon  me  with  mercy?  Can 
she  cause  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  to  pray  for  me  and  obtain 
my  pardon?" 

But  before  I  could  answer,  she  horrified  us  by  the  cries,  "I 
am  lost!     When  drunk  I  killed  my  child !     Cursed  wine!" 

And  she  fell  a  corpse  on  the  floor.  Torrents  of  blood  were 
flowing  from  her  mouth  on  her  dead  child,  which  she  was 
pressing  to  her  bosom  even  after  her  death  I 

That  terrible  drama  was  never  revealed  to  the  people  of 
Quebec.  The  coroner's  verdict  was  that  the  child's  death  was, 
accidental,  and  that  the  distressed  mother  died  from  a  broken 
heart  six  hours  after. 

Two  days  latci  the  unfortunate  mother  was  buried  with  the 
body  of  her  child  clasped  in  her  arms.  Many  tears  were  shed 
on  that  tomb,  and  this  dear  little  child's  guardian  angel  must 
have  written  with  its  blood  on  that  tomb:  "Wine  is  a  mocker; 
look  not  at  it.  It  biteth  like  a  serpent,  and  stings  like  an  adder." 
However,  what  I  had  just  seen  and  heard  could  not  be  buried 
and  forgotten  in  the  grave. 

After  such  a  terrible  storm  I  was  in  need  of  solitude  and  rest, 
but  above  everything  I  was  in  need  of  praying.  I  shut  myself 
in  my  little  room  for  two  days,  and  there,  alone,  in  the  presence 
of  God,  I  meditated  on  the  terrible  justice  and  retribution  which 
He  had  called  me  to  witness.  That  unfortunate  woman  had  not 
only  been  my  penitent:  she  had  been,  with  her  husband,  among 
my  dearest  and  most  devoted  friends.  It  was  only  lately  that 
she  had  become  a  slave  to  drunkenness.     Before  that,  her  piety 


aSo 


FIPTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OK    ROME. 


and  sense  of  honor  were  of  the  most  exalted  kind  known  in  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Her  last  words  were  not  the  commonplace 
expressions  which  ordinary  sinners  proffer  at  the  approach  of 
death;  her  words  had  a  solemnity  for  me  which  almost  trans- 
formed thum  into  oracles  of  God  in  my  mind.  Each  of  them 
sounded  in  my  ears  as  if  an  angel  of  God  had  touched  the  thou- 
sand strings  of  my  soul,  to  call  my  attention  to  a  message  from 
heaven.  Sometimes  they  resembled  the  terrible  voice  of  thun- 
der; and  again  it  seemed  as  if  a  seraph,  with  his  golden  harp, 
were  singing  them  in  my  ears,  that  I  might  prepare  to  fight 
faithfully  for  the  Lord  against  His  gigantic  enemy,  alcohol. 

In  the  middle  of  that  memorable  night,  when  the  darkness 
was  most  profound  and  the  stillness  fearful,  was  I  awake,  was  I 
sleeping?  I  do  not  know.  But  I  saw  the  calm,  beautiful  and. 
cherished  form  of  my  dear  mother  standing  by  me,  holding  by 
the  hand  the  late  murderess,  still  covered  with  the  blood  of  her 
child.  Yes !  my  beloved  mother  was  there  standing  before  me ; 
and  she  said,  with  power  and  authority  which  engraved  every 
one  of  her  words  on  my  soul,  as  if  written  with  letters  of  tears, 
blood  and  fire:  "Go  all  over  Canada;  tell  every  father  of  a 
family  never  to  put  any  intoxicating  drink  before  his  children. 
Tell  all  the  mothers  never  to  take  a  drop  of  those  cursed  wines 
and  drinks.  Tell  the  whole  people  of  Canada  never  to  touch 
nor  look  at  the  poisoned  cup,  filled  with  those  cursed  intoxicat- 
ing drinks.  And  thou,  my  beloved  son,  give  up  forever  the 
use  of  those  detestable  beverages,  which  are  cursed  in  hell,  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.  It  bites  like  a  serpent;  it  stings  like  an 
adder." 

When  the  sound  of  that  voice,  so  sweet  and  powerful,  was 
hushed,  and  my  soul  had  ceased  seeing  that  strange  vision  of  the 
night,  I  remained  for  some  time  exceedingly  agitated  and 
troubled.  I  said  to  myself,  "Is  it  possible  that  the  terrible 
things  I  have  seen  and  heard  these  last  few  days  will  destroy 
my  mind,  and  send  me  to  the  lunatic  asylum  ? " 

I  had  hardly  been  able  to  take  any  sleep  or  food  for  the  last 
three  days  and  nights,  and  I  seriously  feared  lest  the  weakness 
of  my  body  would  cause  me  to  lose  my  reason.     I  theti  threw 


ppp^ppiifmppiifipp^v^m 


MY    FIRST    LESSON    ON    TEMPERANCE. 


281 


myself  on  my  knees  to  weep  and  pray.  This  did  me  good.  I 
soon  felt  myself  stronger  and  calmer. 

Raising  again  my  mind  to  God,  I  said :  "  O  my  God,  let 
me  know  thy  holy  will,  and  grant  mc  the  grace  to  do  it.  Do 
the  voices  I  have  just  heard  come  from  thee?  Hast  thou  really 
sent  one  of  the  angels  of  thy  mercy,  under  the  form  of  my 
beloved  mother?  or  is  all  this  nothing  but  the  vain  dreams  of 
my  distressed  mind  ? 

"  Is  it  thy  will,  O  my  God,  that  I  should  go  and  tell  my 
country  what  thou  hast  so  providentially  taught  me  of  the 
horrible  and  unsuspectrd  injuries  which  wine  and  strong  drink 
cause  to  the  bodies  as  well  as  the  souls  of  men  ?  Or  is  it  thy 
will  that  I  should  conceal  from  the  eyes  of  the  world  the 
wonderful  things  thou  hast  made  known  to  me,  and  that  I  might 
bury  them  with  me  in  my  graver " 

As  quick  as  lightning  the  answer  was  suggested  to  me. 
«  What  I  have  taught  thee  in  secret,  go  and  tell  it  on  the  house- 
tops!" Overwhelmed  with  an  unspeakable  emotion,  and  my 
heart  filled  with  a  power  which  was  not  mine,  I  raised  my 
hands  toward  heaven  and  said  to  my  God : 

«  For  my  dear  Saviour  Jesus'  sake,  and  for  the  good  of  my 
country,  O  my  God,  I  promise  that  I  will  never  make  any  use 
of  intoxicating  drinks;  I  will,  moreover,  do  all  in  my  power  to 
persuade  the  other  priests  and  the  people  to  make  the  same 
sacrifice!" 

Fifty  years  have  passed  since  I  took  that  pledge,  and, 
thanks  be  to  God,  I  have  kept  it. 

For  the  next  two  years  I  was  the  only  priest  in  Canada  who 
abstained  from  the  use  of  wine  and  other  intoxicating  drinks; 
and  God  only  knows  what  I.  had  to  suffer  all  that  time — what 
sneers,  and  rebukes  and  insults  of  every  kind  I  had  silently  to 
bear!  How  many  times  the  epithets  of  fanatic,  hypocrite^ 
reformer^  half-heretic  have  been  whispered  into  my  ear,  not 
only  by  the  priests,  but  also  by  the  bishops. 

But  I  was  sure  that  my  God  knew  the  motives  of  my  actions, 
and  by  His  grace  I  remained  calm  and  patient.  In  His  infinite 
mercy  He  has  looked  down  upon  His  unprofitable  servant  and 


p,«^»«;Mi'ip/ip|p  i!w*ipi,ii 


,i|l|||Mlll|!J|||J|pp^p|l|||||||||| 


t^l 


K^'rfA.- 


282 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


# 


has  taken  his  part.  He  had  himself  chosen  the  day  when  my 
humiliations  were  to  be  turned  into  great  joy.  The  day  came 
when  I  saw  those  same  priests  and  bishops,  at  the  head  of  their 
people,  receiving  the  pledge  and  blessing  of  temperance  from 
my  hands.  Those  very  bishops  who  had  unanimously,  at  first, 
condemned  me,  soon  invited  the  first  citizens  of  their  cities  to 
present  me  with  a  golden  medal,  as  a  token  of  their  esteem,  after 
giving  me,  officially,  the  title  of  "Apostle  of  Temperance  of 
Canada."  The  Governor  and  the  two  Chambers  of  Parliament 
of  Canada  voted  me  public  thanks  in  1S51,  and  presented  mc 
X500  as  a  public  testimony  of  their  kind  feeling  for  what  had 
been  done  in  the  cause  of  temperance.  It  was  the  will  of  my 
God,  that  I  should  see,  with  my  own  eyes,  my  dear  Canada 
taking  the  pledge  of  temperance  and  giving  up  the  use  of  intoxi- 
eating  drinks.  How  many  tears  were  dried  in  those  days! 
Thousands  and  thousands  of  broken  hearts  were  consoled  and 
filled  with  joy.  Happiness  and  abundance  reigned  in  many 
once  desolate  homes,  and  the  name  of  our  merciful  God  was 
blessed  everywhere  in  my  beloved  country.  Surely  this  was 
not  the  work  of  poor  Chiniquyl 

It  was  the  Lord's  work,  for  the  Lord,  who  is  wonderful  in 
all  His  doings,  had  once  more  chosen  the  weakest  instrument 
to  show  His  mercy  towards  the  children  of  men.  He  has  called 
the  most  unprofitable  of  His  servants  to  do  the  greatest  work  of 
reform  Canada  has  ever  seen,  that  the  praise  and  glory  might 
be  given  to  Him,  and  Him  alone! 


^l!iP!7iPljPpipSPf'»yWf'^^ 


Chapter  XXIX. 


OONVBBSXONS  OV  PBOTBBTANTB  TO  THB  OHTTBOH  OF  BOMB- 
BBV.  AXTTHONT  PABBKT,  8X7FBBZOB  OF  THB  BBICINABT  OF 
axmBBCt  HIS  PBCX7UAB  WAT  OF  FZMDINO  ACCBSS  TO  THB 
PBOTBSTANTS  AND  BBZNOZKO  THBU  TO  THB  OATHOLIO 
CHDBOH-HOW.  HB  SPIBS  THB  FBOTBSTANTS  THBOUOH 
THB  OOBFBBSIONAIi-I  FBBSUADB  NZNBTT-THBBB  FAKZ- 
lilBS  TO  BBOOXB  OATHOLXOS. 


0' 


kUT  of  the  Church  of  Rome  there  is  no  salvation"  is  one 
of  the  doctrines  which  the  priests  of  Rome  have  to 
believe  and  teach  to  the  people.  That  dogma,  once  accepted, 
caused  me  to  devote  all  my  energies  to  the  conversion  o!"  Pro- 
testants. To  prevent  one  of  those  immortal  and  precious  souls 
from  going  into  h?)}  seemed  to  me  more  important  and  glorious 
than  the  conquest  of  a  kingdom.  In  view  of  showing  them 
their  errors,  I  filled  my  library  with  the  best  controversial  books 
which  could  be  got  in  Quebec,  and  I  studied  the  Holy  Scriptures 
with  the  utmost  attention.  In  the  Marine  Hospital,  as  well  as 
in  my  intercourse  with  the  people  of  the  city,  I  had  several 
occasions  of  meeting  Protestants  and  talking  to  them;  but  I 
found  at  once  that,  with  very  few  exceptions,  they  avoided 
speaking  with  me  on  religion.  This  distressed  me.  Having 
been  told  one  day  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Anthony  Parent,  superior 
of  the  Seminary  of  Quebec,  had  converted  several  hundred 
Protestants  during  his  long  ministry,  I  went  to  ask  him  if  this 
were  true.  For  answer  he  showed  me  the  list  of  his  converts, 
which  numbered  more  than  two  hundred,  among  whom  were 
some  of  the  most  respectable  English  and  Scotch  families  of  the 
city.  I  looked  upon  that  list  with  amazement;  and  from  that 
day  I  considered  him  the  most  blessed  priest  of  Canada.  He 
was  a  p>erfect  gentleman  in  his  manners,  and  was  considered  our 

a83 


284 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


hi 


M^ 


best  champion  on  all  points  of  controversy  with  Protestants. 
He  could  have  been  classed  also  among  the  handsomest  men  in 
his  time,  had  he  not  been  so  fat.  But,  when  the  high  classes 
called  him  by  the  respectable  name  of  "  Mr.  Superior  of  the 
Seminary,"  the  common  people  used  to  name  him  Pere  Coc- 
assier  ("Cock-fighting  Father"),  on  account  of  his  long- 
cherished  habit  of  having  the  bravest  and  strongest  fighting 
cocks  of  the  country.  In  vain  had  the  Rev.  Mr.  Renvoyze, 
curate  of  the  *'  Good  St.  Anne,"  that  greatest  miracle-working 
saint  of  Canada,  expended  fabulous  sums  of  money  in  ransack- 
ing the  whole  country  to  get  a  cock  who  would  take  away  the 
palm  of  victory  from  the  hands  of  the  superior  of  the  Seminary 
of  Quebec.  He  had  almost  invariably  failed;  with  very  few 
exceptions  his  cocks  had  fallen  bruised,  bleeding  and  dead  on 
the  many  battlefields  chosen  by  those  two  priests.  However,  I 
feel  happy  in  acknowledging  that,  since  the  terrible  epidemic  of 
cholera,  that  cruel  and  ignominious  ^^ passe  temps'*^  has  been 
entirely  given  up  by  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy  of  this  country. 
Playing  cards  and  checkers  is  now  the  most  usual  way  the 
majority  of  curates  and  vicars  have  recourse  to  spend  their  long 
and  many  idle  hours,  both  of  the  week  and  Sabbath  days. 

After  reading  over  and  over  again  that  long  list  of  converts, 
I  said  to  Mr.  Parent :  "  Please  tell  me  how  you  have  been  able 
to  persuade  these  Protestant  converts  to  consent  to  speak  with 
you  on  the  errors  of  their  religion.  Many  times  I  have  tried  to 
show  the  Protestants  whom  I  met  that  they  would  be  lost  if 
they  do  not  submit  to  our  holy  Church,  but,  with  few  excep- 
tions, they  laughed  at  me  as  politely  as  possible,  and  turned  the 
conversation  to  other  matters.  You  must  have  some  secret  way 
of  attracting  their  attention  and  winning  their  confidence. 
Would  you  not  be  kind  enough  to  give  me  that  secret,  that  I 
may  be  able  also  to  prevent  some  of  those  precious  souls  from 
perishing  ?  " 

"  You  are  right  when  you  think  that  I  have  a  secret  to  open 
the  doors  of  the  Protestants,  and  conquer  and  tame  their 
haughty  minds,"  answered  Mr.  Parent.  "  But  that  secret  is  of 
such  a  delicate  nature,  that  I  have  never  revealed  it  to  anybody 


PPPWl!"!!PW3pR!fppwi!«fp»?^^ 


CONVERSIONS   OF    PROTESTANTS. 


285 


except  my  confessor.  Nevertheless,  I  see  that  you  arc  so  in 
earnest  for  the  conversion  of  Protestants,  and  I  have  such  a 
confidence  in  your  discretion  and  honor,  that  for  the  sake  of  our 
holy  Church  I  consent  to  give  you  my  secret;  only  you  must 
promise  that  you  will  never  reveal  it,  during  my  lifetime,  to 
anybody — and  even  after  my  death  you  will  not  mention  it, 
except  when  you  are  sure  it  is  for  the  greatest  glory  of  God. 
You  know  that  I  was  the  most  intimate  friend  your  father  ever 
had ;  I  had  no  secret  from  him,  and  he  had  none  from  me.  But 
God  knows  that  the  friendly  feelings  and  the  confidence  I  had 
in  him  are  now  bestowed  upon  you,  his  worthy  son.  If  you 
had  not  in  my  heart  and  esteem  the  same  high  position  your 
father  occupied,  I  would  not  trust  you  with  my  secret." 

He  then  continued :  "  The  majority  of  Protestants  in,  Quebec 
have  Irish  Roman  Catholic  servant  girls;  these,  particularly 
before  the  last  few  years,  used  to  come  to  confess  to  me,  as  I 
was  almost  the  only  priest  who  spoke  English.  The  first  thing 
I  used  to  ask  them,  when  they  were  confessing,  was  if  their 
masters  and  mistresses  were  truly  devoted  and  ^ious  Protestants, 
or  if  they  were  indifferent  and  cold  in  performing  their  duties. 
The  second  thing  I  wanted  to  know  was  if  they  were  on  good 
terms  with  their  ministei-s;  whether  or  not  they  were  visited  by 
them.  From  the  answers  of  the  girls  I  knew  both  the  moral 
and  immoral,  the  religious  or  irreligious  habits  of  their  masters 
as  perfectly  as  if  I  had  been  an  inmate  of  their  households.  It 
is  thus  that  I  learned  th.it  many  Protestants  have  no  more  reli- 
gion and  faith  than  our  dogs.  They  awake  in  the  morning  and 
go  to  bed  at  night  without  praying  to  God  any  more  than  the 
horses  in  their  stables.  Many  of  them  go  to  church  on  the 
Sabbath  day  more  to  laugh  at  their  ministers  and  criticise  their 
sermons  than  for  anything  else.  A  part  of  the  week  is  passed 
in  turning  them  into  ridicule;  nay,  through  the  confessions  of 
these  honest  girls  I  learned  that  many  Protestants  liked  the  fine 
ceremonies  of  our  Church ;  that  they  often  favorably  contrasted 
them  with  the  cold  performances  of  their  own,  and  expressed 
their  views  in  glowing  terms  about  the  superiority  of  our  educa- 
tional institutions,  nunneries,  etc.,  over  their  own  high  schools  or 


'IS^ltt, 


286 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


colleges.  Besides,  you  know  that  a  great  number  of  our  most 
respectable  and  wealthy  Protestants  trust  their  daughters  to  our 
good  nuns  for  their  education.  I  took  notes  of  all  these  things, 
and  formed  my  plans  of  battle  against  Protestantism,  as  a 
genei'al  who  knows  his  ground  and  the  weak  points  of  his 
adversaries,  and  I  fought  as  a  man  who  is  sure  of  an  easy 
victory.  The  glorious  result  you  have  under  your  eyes  is  the 
procf  that  I  was  correct  in  my  plans.  My  first  step  with  the 
Protestants  whom  I  knew  to  be  without  any  religion,  or  even 
already  well  disposed  towards  us,  was  to  go  to  them  with  some- 
times JC5,  or  even  ^£25,  which  I  presented  to  them  as  being 
theirs.  They,  at  first,  looked  at  me  with  amazement,  as  a  being 
coming  from  a  superio.r  world.  The  following  conversation 
then  almost  invariably  took  place  between  them  and  me: 

"  Are  you  positive,  sir,  that  this  money  is  mine  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  answered,  "  I  am  certain  that  this  money  is 
yours." 

"  But,"  they  replied,  "  please  tell  me  how  you  know  that  it 
belongs  to  me?  It  is  the  first  time  I  have  the  honor  of  talking 
with  you,  and  we  are  perfect  strangers  to  each  other." 

I  answered :  "  I  cannot  say,  sir,  how  I  know  that  this  money 
is  yours,  except  by  telling  you  that  the  person  who  deposited  it 
in  my  hands  for  you  has  given  me  your  name  and  your  address 
so  correctly  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  any  mistake." 

"  But  can  I  not  know  the  name  of  the  one  who  has  put  that 
money  into  your  hands  for  me?"  rejoined  the  Protestant. 

"  No,  sir;  the  secret  of  confession  is  inviolable,"  I  replied. 
"  We  have  no  example  that  it  has  ever  been  broken ;  and  I,' 
with  every  priest  of  our  Church,  would  prefer  to  die  rather  than 
betray  our  penitents  and  reveal  their  confession.  We  cannot 
even  act  from  what  we  have  learned  through  their  confession, 
except  at  their  own  request." 

"  But  this  auricular  confession  must  then  be  a  most  admirable 
thing,"  added  the  Protestant;  "I  had  no  idea  of  it  before  this 
day." 

"  Yes,  sir,  auricular  confession  is  a  most  admirable  thing,"  I 
used  to  reply,  "  because  it  is  a  divinfe  institution.     But,  sir,  please 


*.<•  ■ 


P^maF,pP|j|p|JP|||^^ 


CONVERSIONS   OF    PROTESTANTS. 


287 


excuse  me;  my  ministry  calls  me  to  another  place.     I  must  take 
leave  of  you,  to  go  where  my  duty  calls  me." 

"I  am  very  sorry  that  you  go  so  quickly,"  generally 
answered  the  Protestant.  "Can  I  have  another  visit  from  you? 
Please  do  me  the  honor  of  coming  again.  I  would  be  so  happy 
to  present  you  to  my  wife;  and  I  know  she  would  be  happy 
also,  and  much  honored  to  make  your  acquaintance." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  accept  with  gratitude  your  invitation.  I  will 
feel  much  pleased  and  honored  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the 
family  of  a  gentleman  whose  praises  are  in  the  mouth  of  every 
one,  and  whose  industry  and  honesty  are  an  honor  to  our  city. 
If  you  allow  me,  next  week,  at  the  same  hour,  I  will  have  the 
honor  of  presenting  my  respectful  homage  to  your  lady. 

"The  very  next  day  all  the  papers  reported  that  Mr. 
So-and-So  had  received  JC5,  or  jCio,  or  even  JC25  as  a  restitu- 
tion, through  auricular  confession,  and  even  the  staunch  Pro- 
testant editors  of  those  papers  could  not  find  words  sufficiently 
eloquent  to  praise  me  and  our  sacrament  of  penance. 

"  Three  or  four  days  later  I  was  sure  that  the  faithful 
servant  girls  were  in  the  confessional  box,  glowing  with  joy  to 
tell  me  that  now  their  masters  and  mistresses  could  not  speak  of 
anything  else  than  the  amiability  and  honesty  of  the  priests  of 
Rome.  They  raised  them  a  thousand  miles  over  the  heads  of 
their  own  ministers.  From  those  pious  girls  they  invariably 
learned  that  they  had  not  been  visited  by  a  single  friend  without 
making  the  eulogium  of  auricular  confession,  and  even  some- 
times expressing  the  regret  that  the  reformers  had  swept  away 
such  a  useful  institution. 

"  Now,  my  dear  young  friend,  you  see  how,  by  the  blessing 
of  God,  the  little  sacrifice  of  a  few  pounds  brought  down  and 
destroyed  all  the  prejudices  of  those  poor  heretics  against  auricu- 
lar confession  and  our  holy  Church  in  general.  You  understand 
how  the  doors  were  opened  to  me,  and  how  their  hearts  and 
intelligences  were  like  fields  prepared  to  receive  the  good  seed. 
At  the  appointed  hour  I  never  failed  from  paying  the  requested 
visit,  and  I  was  invariably  received  like  a  messiah.  Not  only 
the  gentleman,  but  the  ladies  overwhelmed  me  with  marks  of 


.-.  -»-,  ^j.w4a 


288 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  most  sincere  gratitude  and  respect;  even  the  dear  little 
children  petted  me,  and  threw  their  arms  around  my  neck  to 
give  me  their  sweetly  angelic  kisses.  The  only  topic  on  which 
we  could  speak,  of  course,  was  the  great  good  done  by  auricular 
confession.  I  easily  showed  them  how  it  works  as  a  check  to 
all  the  evil  passions  of  the  heart;  how  it  is  admirably  adapted  to 
all  the  wants  of  the  poor  sinners,  who  find  a  friend,  a  counsellor 
a  guide,  a  father,  a  real  saviour  in  their  confessor. 

"  We  had  not  talked  half  an  hour  in  that  way,  when  it  was 
generally  evident  to  me  that  they  were  more  than  half  way  out 
of  their  Protestant  errors.  I  very  seldom  left  those  houses 
without  being  sure  of  a  new,  glorious  victory  for  our  holy  reli- 
gion over  its  enemies.  It  is  very  seldom  that  I  do  not  succeed 
in  bringing  that  family  to  our  holy  Church  before  one  or  two 
years;  and  if  I  fail  from  gaining  the  father  or  mother,  I  am 
nearly  sure  to  persuade  them  to  send  their  daughters  to  our 
good  nuns  and  their  boys  to  our  colleges,  where  they  sooner  or 
later  become  our  most  devoted  Catholics.  So  you  see  that  the 
few  dollars  I  spend  every  year  for  that  holy  cause  are  the  best 
investments  ever  made.  They  do  more  to  catch  the  Protestants 
of  Quebec  than  the  baits  of  the  fishermen  do  to  secure  the  cod 
fishes  of  the  Newfoundland  banks." 

In  ending  this  last  sentence,  Mr.  Parent  filled  his  room  with 
laughter. 

I  thanked  him  for  thes6  interesting  details.  But  I  told  him: 
«  Though  I  cannot  but  admire  your  perfect  skill  and  shrewdness 
in  breaking  the  barriers  which  prevent  Protestants  from  under- 
standing the  divine  institution  of  auricular  confession,  will  you 
allow  me  to  ask  you  if  you  do  not  fear  to  be  guilty  of  an  im- 
posture and  a  gross  imposition  in  the  way  you  make  them 
believe  that  the  money  you  hand  them  has  come  to  you  through 
auricular  confession  ? " 

"  I  have  not  the  least  fear  of  that,"  promptly  answered  the 
old  priest,  "  for  the  good  reason  that,  if  you  had  paid  attention 
to  what  I  have'  told  you,  you  must  acknowledge  that  I  have  not 
said  positively  that  the  money  was  coming  from  auricular  con- 
fession.    If  those  Protestants  have  been  deceived,  it  is  only  due 


UJ' 


^\ 


WW^'^W^^^^'^^^^^'F^^m^f^^^ 


-,-:,  V.i.M'.fV,-»^V' 


CONVERSIONS    OF    PROTESTANTS. 


289 


to  their  own  want  of  a  more  perfect  attention  to  what  I  said. 
I  know  that  there  were  things  that  I  kept  in  my  mind  which 
would  have  made  them  understand  the  matter  in  a  very  different 
way  if  I  had  said  them.  But  Liguori  and  all  our  theologians, 
among  the  most  approved  of  our  holy  Church,  tell  us  that  these 
reservations  of  the  mind  {^'■'' tnentis  reservationes'''^  are  allowed, 
when  they  are  for  the  good  of  souls  and  the  glory  of  God.," 

"  Yes,"  answered  I,  "  I  know  that  such  is  the  doctrine  of 
Liguori,  and  it  is  approved  by  the  popes.  I  must  confess  that 
this  seems  to  me  entirely  opposed  to  what  we  read  in  the  sublime 
gospel.  The  simple  and  sublime  '  Yea,  yea '  and  '  Nay,  nay '  of 
our  Saviour  seems  to  me  in  contradiction  with  the  art  of  deceiv- 
ing, even  when  not  saying  absolute  and  direct  falsehoods;  and  if 
I  submit  myself  to  those  doctrines,  it  is  always  with  a  secret 
protest  in  my  inmost  soul." 

In  an  angry  manner,  Mr.  Parent  replied:  "Now,  my  dear 
young  friend,  I  understand  the  truth  of  what  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Perras  and  Bedard  told  me  lately  about  you.  Though  these 
remarkable  priests  are  full  of  esteem  for  you,  they  see  a  dark 
cloud  on  your  horizon;  they  say  that  you  spend  too  much  time 
in  reading  the  Bible,  and  not  enough  in  studying  the  doctrines 
and  holy  traditions  of  the  Church.  You  are  too  much  inclined 
also  to  interpret  the  Word  of  God  according  to  your  own 
fallible  intelligence,  instead  of  going  to  the  Church  alone  for 
that  interpretation.  This  is  the  dangerous  rock  on  which  Luther 
and  Calvin  were  wrecked.  Take  my  advice.  Do  not  try  to  be 
wiser  than  the  Church.  Obey  her  voice  when  she  speaks  to 
you  through  her  holy  theologians.  This  is  your  only  safeguard. 
The  bishop  would  suspend  you  at  once  were  he  aware  of  your 
want  of  faith  in  the  Church." 

These  last  words  were  said  with  such  emphasis,  that  they 
seemed  more  like  a  sentence  of  condemnation  from  the  lips  of 
an  irritated  judge  than  anything  else.  I  felt  that  I  had  again 
seriously  compromised  myself  in  his  mind;  and  the  only  way  of 
preventing  him  from  denouncing  me  to  the  bishop  as  a  heretic 
and  a  Protestant  was  to  make  an  apology,  and  withdraw  from 
the  dangerous  ground  on  which  I  had  again  so  imprudently  put 


<(gam 


290 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


i 


myself.  He  accepted  my  explanation,  but  I  saw  that  he  bitterly 
regretted  having  trusted  me  with  his  secret.  1  withdrew  from 
his  presence,  much  humiliated  by  my  want  of  prudence  and 
wisdom.  However,  though  I  could  not  approve  of  all  the 
modus  operandi  of  the  superior  of  Quebec,  I  could  not  but 
admire  then  the  glorious  results  of  his  efforts  in  converting 
Protestants;  and  I  took  the  resolution  of  devoting  myself  more 
than  ever  to  show  them  their  errors  and  make  them  good 
Catholics.  In  this  I  was  too  successful;  for  during  my  twenty- 
five  years  of  priesthood  I  have  persuaded  ninety-three  Pro- 
testants to  give  up  their  gospel  light  and  truth  in  order  to 
follow  the  dark  and  lying  traditions  of  Rome.  I  cannot  enter 
into  the  details  of  their  conversions,  or  rather  perversions; 
suffice  to  say  that  I  soon  found  that  my  only  chance  of  success 
in  that  proselytizing  work  was  among  the  Ritualists.  I  saw  at 
first  that  Calvin  and  Knox  had  dug  a  really  impassable  abyss 
between  the  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  Baptists  and  the  Church 
of  Rome.  If  these  Ritualists  remain  Protestants,  and  do  not 
make  the  very  short  step  which  separates  them  from  Rome,  it 
is  a  most  astonishing  fact,  when  they  are  logical  men.  Somi 
people  are  surprised  that  so  many  eminent  and  learned  men, '  a 
Great  Britain  and  America,  give  up  their  Protestantism  to  sub- 
mit to  the  Church  of  Rome ;  but  my  wonder  is  that  there  are  so 
few  among  them  who  fall  into  that  bottomless  abyss  of  idolatry 
and  folly,  when  they  are  their  whole  life  on  the  very  brink  of 
the  chasm.  Put  millions  of  men  on  the  very  brink  of  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,  force  them  to  cross  to  and  fro  in  small  canoes 
between  both  shores,  and  you  will  see  that,  every  day,  some  of 
them  will  be  dragged,  in  spite  of  themselves,  into  the  yawning 
abyss.  Nay,  you  will  see  that,  sooner  or  later,  those  millions  of 
people  will  be  in  danger  of  being  dragged  in  a  whole  body,  by 
the  irresistible  force  of  the  dashing  waters,  into  the  fathomless 
gulf.  Through  a  sublime  effort  the  English  people,  helped  by 
the  mighty  and  merciful  hand  of  God,  has  come  out  from  the 
abyss  of  folly,  impurity,  ignorance,  slavery  and  idolatry  called 
the  Church  of  Rome.  But  many,  alas!  in  the  present  day, 
instead  of  marching  up  to  the  high  regions  of  unsullied  Gospel 


-:v."T5}V-^,-w;-  v-^.^ -;..■■' T-»-f^ ;■,•.« 


CONVERSIONS   OF   PROTESTANTS. 


291 


truth  and  light — instead  of  going  up  to  the  high  mountains 
where  true  Christian  simplicity  and  liberty  have  forever  planted 
their  glorious  banners — have  been  induced  to  walk  only  a  few 
steps  out  of  the  pestiferous  regions  of  Popery.  They  have 
remained  so  near  the  pestilential  atmosphere  of  the  stagnant 
waters  of  death  which  flow  from  Rome,  that  the  atmosphere 
they  breathe  is  still  flUed  with  the  deadly  emanations  of  that 
modern  Sodom.  Who,  without  shedding  tears  of  sorrow,  can 
look  at  those  misguided  ministers  of  the  Gospel  who  believe 
and  teach  in  the  Episcopal  Church  that  they  have  the  power  to 
make  their  God  with  a  wafer,  and  who  bow  down  before  that 
wafer  god  and  adore  him !  Who  can  refrain  from  indignation 
at  the  sight  of  so  many  Episcopal  ministers  who  consent  to  have 
their  ears,  minds  and  souls  polluted  at  the  confessional  by  the 
stories  of  their  penitents,  whom  in  their  turn  they  destroy  by 
their  infamous  and  unmentionable  questions?  When  I  was 
lecturing  in  England  in  i860,  the  late  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, then  Bishop  of  London,  invited  me  to  his  table,  in 
company  with  Rev.  Mr.  Thomas,  now  Bishop  of  Coulbourne, 
Australia,  and  put  to  me  the  following  questions,  in  the  presence 
of  his  numerous  and  noble  guests: 

"Father  Chiniquy,  when  you  left  the  Church  of  Rome, 
why  did  you  not  join  the  Episcopalian  rather  than  the  Presby- 
terian Church?" 

"  I  answered :  "  Is  it  the  desire  of  your  lordship  that  I  should 
speak  my  mind  on  that  delicate  subject?" 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  noble  lord  bishop. 

«  Then,  my  lord,  I  must  tell  you  that  my  only  reason  is  that 
I  find  in  your  Church  several  doctrines  which  I  have  to  condemn 
in  the  Church  of  Rome." 

"  How  IS  that,"  replied  his  lordship. 

« Please,"  I  answered,  "  let  me  have  one  of  your  Common 
Prayer  Books." 

Taking  the  book,  I  read  slowly  the  article  on  the  visitation 
of  the  sick :  "  Then  shall  the  sick  person  be  moved  to  make  a 
special  confession  of  his  sins,  if  he  feels  his  conscience  troubled 
with  any  weighty  matters.     After  which  confession  the  priest 


39' 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


i 


shall  absolve  him,  after  this  sort:  'Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
hath  left  power  to  His  Church  to  absolve  all  sinners  who  repent 
•  and  believe  in  Him,  of  His  great  mercy  forgive  thee  thine 
offences,  and,  by  His  authority  conmitted  to  me,  I  absolve  thee 
of  all  thy  sins,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Amen.' "  I  then  added :  "  Now,  my  lord,  where 
is  the  difference  between  the  errors  of  Rome  and  your  Church 
on  this  subject  ? " 

"  The  difference  is  very  great,"  he  answered.  "  The  Church 
of  Rome  is  constantly  pressing  the  sinners  to  come  to  her  priests 
all  their  lifetime,  where  we  subject  the  sinner  to  this  humilia- 
tion only  once  in  his  life,  when  he  is  near  his  last  hour." 

"  But,  my  lord,  let  me  tell  you  that  it  seems  to  me  the 
Church  of  Rome  is  much  more  logical  and  consistent  in  this 
than  the  Episcopal  Church.  Both  churches  believe  and  teach 
that  they  have  received  from  Christ  the  power  to  forgive  the 
sins  of  those  who  confess  to  their  priests,  and  you  think  your- 
self wiser  because  you  invite  the  sinner  to  confess  and  receive 
his  pardon  only  when  he  is  tied  to  a  bed  of  suffering,  at  the  last 
hour  before  his  death.  But  will  your  lordship  be  kind  enough 
to  tell  me  when  I  am  in  danger  of  death.  If  I  am  constantly  in 
danger  of  death,  must  you  not,  with  the  Church  of  Rome, 
induce  me  constantly  to  confess  to  your  priests,  and 
get  my  pardon  and  make  my  peace  with  God  ?  Has  our 
Saviour  said  anywhere  that  it  was  only  for  the  dying,  at  the 
last  extremity  of  life,  Ihat  He  gave  the  power  to  forgive  my 
sins?  Has  He  not  warned  me  many  times  to  be  always  ready; 
to  have  always  our  peace  made  with  God,  and  not  to  wait  till 
the  last  day,  to  the  last  hour?" 

The  noble  bishop  did  not  think  fit  to  give  me  any  other 
answer  than  these  very  words:  "  We  all  agree  that  this  doctrine 
ought  never  to  have  been  put  in  our  Common  Prayer  Book. 
But  you  know  that  we  are  at  work  to  revise  that  book,  and 
we  hope  that  this  clause,  with  several  others,  will  be  taken 
away." 

"  Then,"  I  answered  in  a  jocose  way,  "  my  lord,  when  this 
obnoxious  clause  has  been  removed  from  your  Common  Prayer 


PSPi 


liifiypiiMjpiiipiipi! 


W^W^i 


CONVERSIONS   OF    PROTESTANTS. 


293 


Book  it  will  be  time  for  me  to  have  the  honor  of  belonjjing  to 
your  great  and  noble  Church." 

When  the  Church  of  England  went  out  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  she  did  as  Rachel,  the  wife  of  Jacob,  who  left  the  house 
of  her  father  Laban  and  took  his  gods  with  her.  So  the 
Episcopal  Church  of  England,  unfortunately,  when  she  left 
Rome,  concealed  in  the  folds  of  her  mantle  some  of  the  false 
gods  of  Rome;  she  kept  to  her  bosom  some  vipers  engendered 
in  the  marshes  of  the  modern  Sodom.  Those  vipers,  if  not 
soon  destroyed,  will  kill  her.  They  are  already  eating  up  her 
vitals.  They  are  covering  her  with  most  ugly  and  mortal 
wounds.  They  are  rapidly  taking  away  her  life.  May  the 
Holy  Ghost  rebaptize  and  purify  that  noble  Church  of  England, 
that  she  may  be  worthy  to  march  at  the  head  of  the  armies  of 
the  Lord  to  the  conquest  of  the  world,  under  the  banners  of  the 
great  Captain  of  our  Salvation. 


Chapter  XXX. 


THB  MTTBDBBS  AMD  THBFTS  IN  aUBBBO  FBOM  1886  TO  1838- 
.    THB  NZOBT  BXOUBSXON  WITH  TWO  THIBVBS-THB  BESTI- 
TUTION-THB  DAWN  OF  lilOHT. 


I 


im 


THE  three  years  which  followed  the  cholera  will  be  long 
remembered  in  Quebec  for  the  number  of  audacious  thefts 
and  the  murders  which  kept  the  whole  population  in  constant 
terror.  Almost  every  week  the  public  press  had  to  give  us  the 
account  of  the  robbery  of  the  houses  of  some  of  our  rich  mer- 
chants or  old  wealthy  widows. 

Many  times  the  blood  was  chilled  in  our  veins  by  the  cruel 
and  savage  assassinations  which  had  been  committed  by  the 
thieves  when  resistance  had  been  offered.  The  number  of  these 
crimes,  the  audacity  with  which  they  were  perpetrated,  the 
ability  with  which  the  guilty  parties  escaped  from  all  the  re- 
searches of  the  police,  indicated  that  they  were  well  organized, 
and  had  a  leader  of  uncommon  shrewdness. 

But  in  the  eyes  of  the  religious  population  of  Quebec,  the 
thefts  of  the  loth  February,  1835,  surpassed  all  the  others  by 
its  sacrilegious  character.  That  night  the  chapel  dedicated  to 
the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  was  entered,  a  silver  statue  of 
the  Virgin,  the  gift  of  the  King  of  France,  a  massive 
lamp,  a  silver  candlestick,  and  the  silver  vases  which  con- 
tained the  bread  which  the  Roman  Catholics  believe  to  be 
the  body,  blood  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  were  stolen, 
and  the  holy  sacrament  impiously  thrown  and  scattered  on  the 
floor. 

Nothing  can  express  the  horror  and  indignation  of  the  whole 
Catholic  population  at  this  last  outrage.  Large  sums  of  money 
were  offered  in  order  that  the  brigands  might  be  detected.     At 

last  five  of  them — Chambers,  Mathieu,  Gagnon,  Waterworth, 

294 


ppUipUi|UI|IMpiii|Jyi|Hll 


NIGHT    EXCURSION   WITH    TWO    THIEVES. 


895 


and  Lemoinc — were  caught  in    1S36,  tried,  found   guilty  and 
condemned  to  death  in  the  month  of  March,  1837. 

During  the  trial,  and  when  public  attention  was  most  in- 
tensely fixed  on  its  different  aspects,  in  a  damp,  chilly  dark  night 
I  was  called  to  visit  a  sick  man.  I  was  soon  ready,  and  asked 
the  name  of  the  sick  from  the  messenger.  He  answered  that  it 
was  Francis  Oregon.  As  a  matter  of  course,  I  said  that  that 
sick  man  was  a  perfect  stranger  to  me,  and  that  I  had  never 
heard  that  there  was  even  such  a  man  in  the  world.  But  when 
I  was  near  the  carriage  which  was  to  take  me,  I  was  not  a  little 
surprised  to  see  that  the  first  messenger  left  abruptly  and  dis- 
appeared.  Looking  with  attention,  then,  at  the  faces  of  the  two 
men  who  had  come  for  me  in  the  carriage,  it  seemed  that  they 
both  wore  masks. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  I  said ;  "  each  of  you  wear  a  mask. 
Do  you  mean  to  murder  mer" 

'  Dear  Father  Chiniquy,"  answered  one  of  them,  in  a  low, 
trembling  voice,  and  in  a  supplicating  tone,  "fear  not.  We 
swear  before  God  that  no  evil  will  be  done  to  you.  On  the 
contrary,  God  and  man  will,  to  the  end  of  the  world,  praise  and 
bless  you  if  you  come  to  our  help  and  save  our  souls,  as  well  as 
our  mortal  bodies.  We  have  in  our  hands  a  great  part  •  of  the 
silver  articles  stolen  these  last  three  years.  The  police  are  on 
our  track,  and  we  are  in  great  danger  of  being  caught.  For 
God's  sake,  come  with  us.  We  will  put  all  those  stolen  things 
in  your  hands,  that  you  may  give  them  back  to  those  who  have 
lost  them.  We  will  then  immediately  leave  the  country,  and 
lead  a  better  life.  We  are  Protestants,  and  the  Bible  tells  us 
that  we  cannot  be  saved  if  we  keep  in  our  hands  what  is  not 
You  do  not  know  us,  but  we  know  you  well.     You  are 


ours. 


the  only  man  in  Quebec  to  whom  we  can  so  trust  our  lives  and 
this  terrible  secret.  We  have  worn  these  masks  that  you  may 
not  know  us,  and'  that  you  may  not  be  compromised  if  you  are 
ever  called  before  a  court  of  justice." 

My  first  thought  was  to  leave  them  and  run  back  to  the 
door  of  the  parsonage;  but  such  an  act  of  cowardice  seemed  to 
me,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  unworthy  of  a  man.     I  said  to 


396 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


myself,  these  two  men  cannot  come  to  steal  from  me;  it  is  well 
known  in  Quebec  tliat  I  Iteep  myself  as  poor  as  a  church  mouse, 
by  giving  all  I  have  to  the  poor.  I  have  never  offended  any 
man  in  my  life,  that  I  know.  They  cannot  come  to  punish  or 
murder  me.  They  arc  Protestants,  and  they  trust  me.  Well,  well, 
they  will  not  i'egret  to  have  put  their  trust  in  a  Catholic  priest." 

I  then  answered  them :  "  What  you  ask  from  me  is  of  a  very 
delicate,  and  even  dangerous  nature.  Before  I  do  it,  I  want  to 
take  the  advice  of  one  whom  I  consider  the  wisest  man  of 
Quebec — the  old  Rev.  Mr.  Demars,  ex-president  of  the  seminary 
of  Quebec.  Please  drive  me  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  semi- 
nary. If  that  venerable  man  advises  me  to  go  with  you,  I  will 
go;  but  I  cannot  promise  to  grant  you  your  request  if  he  tells 
me  not  to  go." 

« All  right,"  they  both  said ;  and  in  a  very  short  time  I  was 
knocking  at  the  door  of  the  seminary.  A  few  moments  after,  I 
was  alone  in  the  room  of  Mr.  Demars.  It  was  just  half-past 
twelve  at  night. 

«'  Our  little  Father  Chiniquy  here  on  this  dark  night,  at  half- 
past  twelve!  What  does  this  mean?  What  do  you  want  from 
me  ? "  said  the  venerable  old  priest. 

"  I  come  to  ask  your  advice,"  I  answered,  "  on  a  very  strange 
thing.  Two  Protestant  thieves  have  in  their  hands  a  great 
quantity  of  the  silver  ware  stolen  these  last  three  years.  They 
want  to  deposit  them  in  my  hands,  that  I  may  give  them  back 
to  those  from  whom  they  have  been  stolen,  before  they  leave 
the  country  and  lead  a  better  life.  I  cannot  know  them,  for 
they  both  wear  masks.  I  cannot  even  know  where  they  take 
me,  for  the  carriage  is  so  completely  wrapped  up  by  curtains 
that  it  is  impossible  to  see  outside.  Now,  my  dear  Mr.  Demars, 
I  come  to  ask  your  advice.  Shall  I  go  with  them  or  not? 
But  remember  that  I  trust  you  with  these  things  under  the  seal 
of  confession,  that  neither  you  nor  I  may  be  compromised." 

Before  anvswering  me  the  venerable  priest  said:  ♦'  I  am  very 
old,  but  I  have  never  heard  of  such  a  strange  thing  in  my  life.  Are 
you  not  afraid  to  go  alone  with  these  two  thieves  in  that  covered 
carriage  ?  " 


''ls'lFr!P''»S»fPI|l!l'f^^ 


■^IT-f^^B 


,y-'.i 


NIGHT   EXCURSION    WITH    TWO   THIEVES. 


297 


"  No,  sir,"  I  answered ;  "  I  do  not  see  any  reason  to  fear  any- 
thing from  these  two  men.' 

"Weill  well,"  rejoined  Mr.  Demars,  "If  you  are  not  afraid 
under  such  circumstances,  your  mother  has  given  you  a  brain 
of  diamond  and  nerves  of  steel." 

"Now,  my  dear  sir,"  I  answered, "time  flies,  and  I  may  have 
a  long  way  to  travel  v/ith  these  two  men.  Please,  in  the  short- 
est possible  way,  tell  me  your  mind?  Do  you  advise  me  to  go 
with  them? 

He  replied,  "  You  consult  me  on  a  very  diflicult  matter;  there 
are  so  many  considerations  to  make,  that  it  is  impossible  to 
weigh  them  all.  The  only  thing  we  have  to  do  is  to  pray 
God  and   His  Holy  Mother  for  wisdom — Let  us  pray." 

We  knelt  and  said  the  "  Veni  Sancte  Spiritus ;"  "  Come  Holy 
Spirit,"  etc.,  which  prayer  ends  by  an  invocation  to  Mary  as 
Mother  of  God. 

After  the  prayer  Mr.  Demars  again  asked  me:  "Are  you 
not  afraid  ? " 

"  No,  sir,  I  do  n'-'  v^e  any  reason  to  be  afraid.  But,  please, 
for  God's  sake,  hurr_>  on,  tell  me  if  you  advise  me  to  go  and 
accept  this  message  of  mercy  and  peace." 

"Yes!  go!  go!  If  you  are  not  afraid,"  answered  the  old 
priest,  with  a  voice  full  of  emotion,  and  tears  in  his  eyes. 

I  fell  on  my  knees  and  said :  "  Before  I  start,  please,  give 
me  your  blessing  and  pray  for  me,  when  I  shall  be  on  the  way 
to  that  strange,  but,  I  hope,  good  work." 

I  left  the  seminary  and  took  my  seat  at  the  right  hand  of  one 
of  my  unknown  companions,  while  the  other  was  on  the  front 
seat  driving  the  horse. 

Not  a  word  was  said  by  any  of  us  on  the  way.  But  I  per- 
ceived that  the  stranger,  who  was  at  ,my  left,  was  praying  to 
God ;  though  in  such  a  low  voice  that  I  understood  only  these 
words  twice  repeated:  "O  Lord!  have  mercy  upon  me — such 
a  sinner!" 

These  words  touched  me  to  the  heart,  and  brought  to  my 
mind  the  dear  Saviour's  words:  "The  publicans  and  harlots 
shall  go  into  the  kingdom  of  God  before  you,"  and  I  also  prayed 


iippipiipwlipipi 


,298 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


for  that  poor  repenting  sinner  and  for  myself,  by  repeating  the 
sublime  50th  Psalm: 

"  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  Lord ! " 

It  took  about  half  an  hour  to  reach  the  nouse.  But,  there, 
again,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  understand  where  I  was.  For 
the  carriage  was  brought  so  near  the  door  that  there  was  no  pos- 
sibility of  seeing  anything  beyond  the  carriage  and  the  horse 
through  the  terrible  darkness  of  that  night. 

The  only  person  I  saw,  when  in  the  house,  was  a  tall  woman 
covered  with  a  long  black  veil,  whom  I  took  to  be  a  disguised 
man,  on  account  of  her  size  and  her  strength ;  for  she  was  carry- 
ing very  heavy  bags  with  as  much  ease  as  if  they  had  been  a 
handful  of  straw. 

There  was  only  a  small  candle  behind  a  screen,  which  gave 
so  little  light  that  everything  looked  like  phantoms  around  us. 
Pictures  and  mirrors  were  all  turned  to  the  wall,  and  presented 
the  wrong  side  to  view.  The  sofa  and  the  chairs  were  also  upset 
in  such  a  way  that  it  was  impossible  to  identify  anything  of  what 
I  had  seen.  In  fact,  I  could  see  nothing  in  that  house.  Not  a 
word  was  said,  except  by  one  of  my  companions,  who  whispered 
in  a  very  low  voice,  "  Please,  look  at  the  tickets  which  are  on 
every  bundle;  they  will  indicate  to  whom  these  things  belong." 

There  were  eight  bundles.  The  heaviest  of  which  was  com- 
posed of  the  melted  silver  of  the  statue  of  the  virgin,  the  candle- 
sticks, the  lamp  of  the  chapel,  the  ciborium,  a  couple  of  chtlices, 
and  some  dozens  of  spoons  and  forks.  The  other  bundles  were 
made  up  of  silver  plates,  fruit  baskets,  tea,  coffee,  cream  and 
cugar  pots,  silver  spoons  and  forks,  etc. 

As  soon  as  these  bundles  were  put  in  the  carriage  we  left  for 
the  parsonage,  where  we  arrived  a  little  before  the  dawn  of  day. 
Not  a  word  was  exchanged  between  us  on  the  way,  and  my  im- 
pression was,  that  my  penitent  companions  were  sending  their 
silent  prayers,  like  myself,  to  the  feet  of  that  merciful  God 
who  has  said  to  all  sinners,  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  who  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest." 

They  carried  the  bundles  into  my  trunk,  which  I  locked  with 
peculiar  attention.     When  all  was  over  I  accompanied  them  to 


,vii|fll|PPI|lvJ*l)JI!..,!J,l.4..Jliiil!^^ 


pPi^iP 


wmmmmmmm 


NIGHT    EXCURSION    WITH    TWO    THIEVES. 


299 


the  door  to  take  leave  of  them.     Then,  each  seizing  one  of  my 
hands,  by  a  spontaneous  movement  of  gratitude  and  joy,  they 
pressed  them  on  their  lips,  shedding  tears,  and  saying  in  a  low  • 
voice:    "  God  bless  you  a  thousand  times  for  the  good  work  you 
have  just  performed.     After  Christ,  you  are  our  saviour." 

As  these  two  men  were  speaking,  it  pleased  God  to  send  forth 
into  my  soul  one  of  those  rays  of  happiness  which  he  gives  us 
only  at  great  intervals. 

I  believe  our  fragile  existence  would  soon  be  broken  up  were 
we  by  such  joys  incessantly  inundated.  These  two  men  had 
ceased  to  be  robbers  in  my  eyes.  They  were  dear  brethren, 
precious  friends,  such  as  are  seldom  to  be  seen.  The  narrow  and 
shameful  prejudices  of  my  religion  were  silent  before  the  fervent 
prayers  that  I  had  heard  from  their  lips;  they  disappeared  in 
those  tears  of  repentance,  gratitude  and  love,  which  fell  from 
their  eyes  on  my  hands.  Night  surrounded  us  with  its  deepest 
shades;  but  our  souls  were  illuminated  by  a  light  purer  than  the 
rays  of  the  sun.  The  air  that  we  breathed  was  cold  and  damp; 
but  one  of  these  sparks  brought  down  from  heaven  by  Jesus  to 
warm  the  earth,  had  fallen  into  our  hearts,  and  we  were  all 
penetrated  by  its  glow.  I  pressed  their  hands  in  mine,  saying  to 
them : 

"  I  thank  and  bless  you  for  choosing  me  as  the  confidant  of 
your  misfortunes  and  repentance.  To  you  I  owe  three  of  the 
most  precious  hours  of  my  life.  Adieu!  We  shall  see  one 
another  no  more  on  this  earth;  but  we  shall  meet  in  heaven. 
Adieu!" 

It  is  unnecessary  to  add  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep  the 
remainder  of  that  memorable  night.  Besides,  I  had  in  my  pos- 
session more  stolen  articles  than  would  have  caused  fifty  men  to 
be  hanged.  I  said  to  myself:  "What  would  become  of  me  if 
the  police  were  to  break  in  on  me,  and  find  all  that  I  have  in  my 
hands.  What  could  I  answer  if  I  were  asked,  how  all  these  had 
reached  me?" 

Did  I  not  go  beyond  the  bounds  of  prudence  in  what  I  have 
just  done  ?     Have  I  not,  indeed,  slipped  a  rope  around  my  neck  ? 

Though  my  conscience  did  not  reproach  me  with  any  thing, 


300 


FIFTY    VEAIIS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


■^jf 


especially  when  1  had  acted  on  the  advice  of  a  man  as  wise  as 
Mr.  Demars,  yet  was  I  not  without  some  anxiety,  and  I  longed 
to  get  rid  of  all  the  things  I  had  by  giving  them  to  their  legiti- 
mate owners. 

At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  was  at  Mr.  Amiot's,  the 
wealthiest  goldsmith  of  Quebec,  with  my  heavy  satchel  of  melted 
silver.  After  obtaining  from  him  the  promise  of  secrecy,  I 
handed  it  over  to  him,  giving  him  at  the  same  time  its  history. 
I  asked  him  to  weigh  it,  keep  its  contents,  and  let  me  have  its 
value,  which  I  was  to  distribute  according  to  its  label. 

He  told  me  that  there  was  in  it  a  thousand  dollars  worth  of 
melted  silver,  which  amount  he  immediately  gave  me.  I  went 
down  directly  to  give  about  half  of  it  to  Rev.  Mr.  Cazeault, 
chaplain  of  the  congregation,  which  had  been  robbed,  and  who 
was  then  the  secretary  of  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec;  and  I  dis- 
tributed the  remainder  to  the  parties  indicated  on  the  labels 
attached  to  this  enormous  ingot. 

The  good  Lady  Montgomery  could  scarcely  believe  her  eyes 
when,  after  obtaining  also  from  her  the  promise  of  the  most 
inviolable  secrecy  on  what  I  was  going  to  show  her,  I  displayed 
on  her  table  the  magnificent  dishes  of  massive  silver,  fruit 
baskets,  tea  and  coffee  pots,  sugar  bowls,  cream  jugs,  and  a  great 
quantity  of  spoons  and  forks  of  the  finest  silver,  which  had  been 
taken  from  her  in  1835.  It  seemed  to  her  a  dream  which  brought 
before  her  eyes  these  precious  family  relics. 

She  then  related  in  a  most  touching  manner  what  a  terrible 
moment  she  had  passed,  when  the  thieves,  having  seized  her,  with 
her  maid  and  a  young  man,  rolled  them  in  carpets  to  stifle  their 
cries,  whilst  they  were  breaking  locks,  opening  chests  and  cup- 
boards to  carry  off  their  rich  contents.  She  told  me  how  nearly 
she  had  been  stifled  with  her  -faithful  servants  under  the  enorm- 
ous weight  of  carpets  heaped  upon  them  by  the  robbers. 

This  excellent  lady  was  a  Protestant,  and  it  was  the  first  time 
in  my  life  that  I  met  a  Protestant  whose  jjiety  seemed  so  enlight- 
ened and  sincere.     I  could  not  help  admiring  her. 

When  she  had  most  sincerely  thanked  and  blessed  me  for  the 
service  I  had  done  her,  she  asked  if  I  would  have  any  objection 


II 


i'P!^*'.i^f?^>WflHif'''^'^^ 


NIGHT    EXCURSION    WITH    TWO    THIEVES. 


301 


to  pray  with  her,  and  to  aid  her  in  thaniting  God  for  the  favor 
he  had  just  shown  her.  I  told  iier,  T  should  he  happy  in  uniting 
with  her  to  hless  the  Lord  for  his  mercies.  Upon  this  she  gave 
me  a  Bible,  magnificently  bound,  and  we  read  each  in  turn  a 
verse,  slowly  and  on  our  knees  the  sublime  Psalm  103:  "Bless 
the  Lord.     O  my  soid,"  etc.  , 

As  I  was  about  to  take  leave  of  her  she  offered  me  a  purse 
containing  one  hundred  dollars  in  gold,  which  I  refused,  telling 
her  that  I  would  rather  lose  my  two  hands  than  receive  a  cent 
for  what  I  had  done. 

"  You  are,"  said  she,  "  surrounded  with  poor  people.  Give 
them  this  that  I  offer  to  the  Lord  as  a  feeble  testimony  of  my 
gratitude,  and  be  assured  that  as  long  as  I  live  I  will  pray  God 
to  pour  his  most  abounding  favors  upon  you." 

In  leaving  that  house  I  could  not  hide  from  myself  that  my 
soul  had  been  embalmed  with  the  true  perfume  of  a  piety  that  I 
had  never  seen  in  my  own  church. 

Before  the  day  closed  I  had  given  back  to  their  rightful 
owners  the  effects  left  in  my  hands,  whose  value  amounted  to 
more  than  $7,000,  and  had  my  receipts  in  good  form. 

I  am  glad  to  say  here,  that  the  persons,  most  of  whom  were 
Protestants,  to  whom  I  made  these  restitutions,  were  perfectly 
honorable,  and  that  not  a  single  one  of  them  ever  said  anything 
to  compromise  me  in  this  matter,  nor  was  I  ever'troubled  on  this 
subject. 

I  thought  it  my  duty  to  give  my  venerable  friend,  the  Grand 
Vicar  Demars,  a  detailed  account  of  what  had  just  happened. 
He  heard  me  with  the  deepest  interest,  and  could  not  retain  his 
tears  when  I  related  the  touching  scene  of  my  separation  from 
my  two  new  friends  that  night,  one  of  the  darkest — which,  nevei*- 
theless,  has  remained  one  of  the  brightest  of  my  life. 

My  story  ended,  he  said,  "  I  am,  indeed,  very  old,  but  I  must 
confess  that  never  did  I  hear  anything  so  strange  and  so  beautiful 
as  this  story.  I  repeat,  however,  that  your  mother  must  have 
given  you  a  brain  harder  than  diamond  and  nerves  more  solid 
than  brass,  not  to  have  been  afraid  during  this  very  singular 
adventure  in  the  night." 


302 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


After  the  fatigues  and  incidents  of  the  last  twenty-four  hours, 
I  was  in  great  need  of  rest,  but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  sleep 
a  single  instant  during  the  night  which  followed.  For  the  first 
time  I  stood  face  to  face  with  that  Protestantism  which  my 
Church  had  taught  me  to  hate  and  fight  with  all  the  energy  that 
heaven  had  bestowed  on  me,  and  when  that  faith  had  been,  by 
the  hand  of  Almighty  God,  placed  in  the  scale  against  my  own 
religion,  it  appeared  to  me  as  a  heap  of  pure  gold  opposite  a  pile 
of  rotten  rags.  In  spite  of  myself,  I  could  hear  incessantly  the 
cries  of  grief  of  that  penitent  thief:  "Lord,  have  mercy  on  me, 
so  great  a  sinner ! " 

Then,  the  sublime  piety  of  Lady  Montgomery,  the  blessings 
she  had  asked  God  to  pour  on  me,  his  unprofitable  servant, 
seemed,  as  so  many  coals  of  fire  heaped  upon  my  head  by  God, 
to  punish  me  for  having  said  so  much  evil  of  Protestants,  and  so 
often  decried  their  religion. 

A  secret  voice  arose  within  me :  "•  See'st  thou  not  how  these 
Protestants,  whom  thou  wishest  to  crush  with  thy  disdain, 
know  how  to  pray,  repent,  and  make  amends  for  their 
faults,  much  more  nobly  than  the  unfortunate  wretches  whom 
thou  boldest  as  so  many  slaves  at  thy  feet  by  means  of  the 
confessional  ? 

"  Understandest  thou  not  that  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  grace 
and  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  produces  effectually  in  the  hearts  and 
minds  of  these  Protestants  a  work  much  more  durable  than  thy 
auricular  confession?  Compare  the  miserable  wiles  of  Mr. 
Parent,  who  makes  false  restitutions,  to  cast  dust  into  the  eyes  of 
the  unsuspecting  multitude,  with  the  straightforwardness,  noble 
sincerity,  and  admirable  wisdom  of  these  Protestants,  in  making 
amends  for  their  wrongs  before  God  and  men,  and  judge  for  thy- 
self which  of  those  two  religions  raise,  in  order  to  save,  and  which 
degrades,  in  order  to  destroy  the  guilty. 

"  Has  ever  auricular  confession  worked  as  etficiently  on  sin- 
ners as  the  Bible  on  these  thieves  to  change  their  hearts? 

"Judge,  this  day,  by  their  fruits,  which  of  the  two  religions 
is  led  by  the  spirit  of  darkness,  or  the  Holy  Ghost?" 

Not  wishing  to  condemn  my  religion,  nor  allow  my  heart  to 


aiMiiteijihl 


f^^RSP»if»*^ns 


f!f!^;m^T^"ff;f!i^r^',^'^^^fli^>^y^  m^j^ 


NIGHT    EXCURSION    WITH    TWO    THIEVES. 


303 


be  attracted  by  Protestantism  during  the  long  hours  of  that  rest- 
less night,  I  remained  anxious,  humiliated,  and  uneasy. 

It  is  thus,  O  my  God,  that  thou  madest  use  of  everything, 
even  these  thieves,  to  shake  the  wonderful  fabric  of  errors,  super- 
stitions, and  falsehoods  that  Rome  had  raised  in  my  soul.  May 
thy  name  be  forever  blessed  for  thy  mercies  towards  me,  thy 
unprofitable  sei*vant. 


m^jiu^ 


Chapter  XXXI. 

OHAIfBEBS  AND  HIS  ACCOMPLICES  CONDEMNED  TO  DEATH- 
ASKED  ME  TO  PBEFARE  THEM  TO  MEET  THEUt  TEBBIBLE 
FATE-A  WEEK  IN  THEIR  DTTNQEON-  THEIR  SENTENCE  OF 
DEATH  CHANGED  INTO  DEPORTATION  TO  B0TAN7  BA7~ 
THEIB  DEPARTURE  FOR  EXILE -I  MEET  ONE  OF  THEM,  A 
SINCERE  CONVERT,  VER7  RICH,  IN  A  HIGH  AND  HONOR- 
ABLE POSITION  IN  AUSTRALIA  IN  1878. 

A  FEW  days  after  the  strange  and  providential  niglit  spent 
with  the  I'epentant  thieves,  I  received  the  following  letter 
signed  by  Chambers  and  hjs  unfortunate  criminal  friends: 

"Dear  Father  Chiniquv: — We  are  condemned  to  death.  Please 
come  and  help  us  to  meet  our  sentence  as  Christians," 

I  will  not  attempt  to  say  what  I  felt  when  I  entered  the 
damp  and  dark  cells  where  the  culprits  were  enchained.  No 
human  words  can  express  those  things.  Their  tears  and  their 
sobs  were  going  through  my  heart  as  a  two-edged  sword.  Only 
one  of  them  had,  at  first,  his  eyes  dried,  and  kept  silent: 
Chambers,  the  most  guilty  of  all. 

After  the  others  had  requested  me  to  hear  the  confession  of 
their  sins,  and  prepare  them  for  death,  Chambers  said :  "  You 
know  that  I  am  a  Protestant.  But  I  am  married  to  a  Roman 
Catholic,  who  is  your  penitent.  You  have  persuaded  my  two  so 
dear  sisters  to  give  up  their  Protestantism  and  become  Catholics. 
I  have  many  times  desired  to  follow  them.  My  criminal  life 
alone  has  prevented  me  from  doing  so.  But  now  I  am  determined 
to  do  what  I  consider  to  be  the  will  of  God  in  this  important 
matter.     Please,  tell  me  what  I  must  do  to  become  a  Catholic." 

I  was  a  sincere  Roman  Catholic  priest,  believing  that  out  of 
the  Church  of  Rome  there  was  no  salvation.  The  conversion  of 
that  great  sinner  seemed  to  me  a  miracle  of  the  grace  of  God;  it 


gaMil 


CHAMBERS   CONDEMNED   TO   DEATH. 


305 


■was  for  me  a  happy  distraction  in  the  desolation  I  felt  in  that 
dungeon. 

I  spent  the  next  eight  days  in  hearing  their  confessions,  read- 
ing the  lives  of  some  saints,  with  several  chapters  of  the  Bible, 
as  the  Seven  Penitential  Psalms,  the  sufferings  and  death  of 
Christ,  the  history  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  etc.  And  I  instructed 
Chambers,  as  well  as  the  shortness  of  the  time  allowed  me,  in 
the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  I  usually  entered  the  cells  at 
about  9  A.  M.,  and  left  them  only  at  9  P.  M. 

After  I  had  spent  much  time  in  exhorting  them,  reading  and 
praying,  several  times,  I  asked  them  to  tell  me  some  of  the 
details  of  the  murders  and  thefts  they  had  committed,  which 
might  be  to  me  as  a  lesson  of  human  depravity,  which  would 
help  me  when  preaching  on  the  natural  corruption  and  malice  of 
the  human  heart,  when  once  the  fear  and  the  love,  or  even  the 
faith  in  God,  were  completely  set  aside. 

The  facts  I  then  heard  very  soon  convinced  me  of  the  need 
we  have  of  a  religion,  and  what  would  become  of  the  world  if 
the  atheists  could  succeed  in  sweeping  away  the  notions  of  a  future 
punishment  after  death,  or  the  fear  and  the  love  of  God  from 
among  men. 

When  absolutely  left  to  his  own  depravity,  without  any  reli- 
gion to  stop  him  on  the  rapid  declivity  of  his  uncontrollable  pas- 
sions, man  is  more  cruel  than  the  wild  beasts.  The  existence  of 
society  would 'simply  be  impossible  without  a  religion  and  a  God 
to  protect  it. 

Though  I  am  in  favor  of  liberty  of  conscience  in  its  highest 
sense,  I  think  that  the  atheist  ought  to  be  punished  like  the  mur- 
derer and  the  thief — for  his  doctrines  tend  to  make  a  murderer 
and  a  thief  of  every  man.  No  law,  no  society  is  possible  if  there 
is  no  God  to  sanction  and  protect  them. 

But  the  more  we  were  approaching  the  fatal  day,  when  I 
had  to  go  on  the  scaffold  with  those  unfortunate  men,  and  to  see 
them  launched  into  eternity,  the  more  I  felt  horrified.  The  tears, 
the  sobs,  and  the  cries  of  those  unfortunate  men  had  so  melted 
my  heart,  my  soul,  and  my  strong  nerves,  they  had  so  subdued 
my  unconquerable  will,  and  that  stern  determination  to  do  my 


3o6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


duty  at  any  cost,  which  had  been  my  character  till  then,  that  I 
was  shaking  from  head  to  fefet,  when  thinking  of  that  awful  hour. 
Besides  that,  my  constant  intercourse  with  those  criminals 
these  last  few  days,  their  unbounded  confidence  in  me,  their 
gratitude  for  my  devotedness  to  them,  their  desolation,  and  their 
cries  when  speaking  of  their  fathers  or  mothers,  wives  or  chil- 
dren, had  filled  my  heart  with  a  measure  of  sympathy  which  I 
would  vainly  try  to  express.     They  were  no  more  thieves  and 
murderers  to  me,  whose  bloody  deeds  had  at  first  chilled  the 
blood  in  my  veins;  they  were  the  friends  of  my  bosom — the 
beloved  children  whom  cruel  beasts  had  wounded.     They  were 
dearer  to  me  than  my  own  life — not  only  I  felt  happy  to  mix 
my  tears  with  theirs,  and  unite  my  ardent  prayers  to  God  for 
mercy  with  them,  but  I  would  have  felt  happy  to  shed  my  blood 
in  order  to  save  their  lives.     As  several  of  them  belonged  to  the 
most  reputable  families  of  Quebec  and  vicinity,  I  thought  I  could 
easily  interest  the  clergy  and  the  most  respectable  citizens  to  si"^n 
a  petition  to  the  governor.  Lord  Gosford,  asking  him  to  change 
their  sentence  of  death  into  one  of  perpetual  exile  to  the  distant 
penal  colony  of  Botany  Bay  in  Australia.     The  governor  was 
my  friend.     Colonel  Vassal,  who  was  my  uncle,  and  the  adju- 
tant-general of  the  militia  of  the  whole  country,  had  introduced 
me  to  his  Excellency,  who  many  times  had  overloaded  me  with 
the  marks  of  his  interest  and  kindness,  and  my  hope  was  that  he 
would  not  refuse  me  the  favor  I  was  to  ask  him,  when  the  peti- 
tion would  be  signed  by  the  Bishop,  the  Catholic  priests,  the 
ministers  of  the  different  Protestant  denominations  of  the  city, 
«nd  iiundreds  of  the  principal  citizens  of  Quebec.     I  presented 
the  petition  myself,  accompanied  by  the  secretary  of  the  Arch- 
bishop.    But  to  my  great  distress  the  governor  answered  me  that 
those  men  had  committed  so  many  murders,  and  kept  the  country 
in  terror  for  so  many  years,  that  it  was   absolutely  necessary 
they  should  be  punished  according  to  the  sentence  of  the  court. 
Who  can  tell  the  desolation  of  those  unfortunate  men,  when, 
with  a  voice  choked  by  my  sobs  and  my  tears,  I  told  them  that 
the  governor  had  refused  to  grant  the  favor  I  had  asked  him  for 
them.     They  fell  on  the  ground  and  filled  their  cells  with  cries 


llfl'J/'l  .1 ' 


•  '«'»IWF^#wi|'l««pip|pijJ!fcJJ^^^^  -■ 


■T^JSfff^f 


CHAMBERS   CONDEMNED    TO   DEATH. 


307 


which  would  have  broken  the  hardest  heart.  From  those  very 
cells  we  were  hearing  the  noise  of  the  men  who  were  preparing 
the  scaffold  where  they  were  to  be  hanged  the  next  day.  I  tried 
to  pray  and  read,  but  I  was  unable  to  do  so.  My  desolation  was 
too  great  to  utter  a  single  word.  I  felt  as  if  I  were  to  be  hanged 
with  them — and  to  say  the  whole  truth,  I  think  I  would  have 
been  glad  to  hear  that  I  was  to  be  hanged  the  next  day  to  save 
their  lives.  For  there  was  a  fear  in  me,  which  was  hunting  me 
as  a  phantom  from  hell,  the  last  tliicc  clays.  It  seemed  that,  in 
spite  of  all  my  efforts,  prayers,  confessions,  absolutions,  and  sac- 
raments, these  men  were  not  converted,  and  that  they  were  to  be 
launched  into  eternity  with  all  their  sins. 

When  I  was  comparing  the  calm  and  true  repentance  of  the 
two  thieves,  with  whom  I  spent  the  night  a  few  weeks  before  in 
the  carriage,  with  the  noisy  expressions  of  sorrow  of  these  newly 
converted  sinners,  I  could  not  help  finding  an  immeasurable  dis- 
tance between  the  first  and  the  second  of  those  penitents.  No 
doubt  had  remained  in  my  mind  about  the  first,  but  I  had  serious 
apprehensions  about  the  last.  Several  circumstance?,  which  it 
would  be  too  long  and  useless  to  mention  here,  were  distressing 
me  by  the  fear  that  all  my  chaplets,  indulgences,  medals,  scap- 
ulars, holy  waters,  signs  of  the  cross,  prayers  to  the  Virgin,  auric- 
ular confession,  absolutions,  used  in  the  conversion  of  these  sin- 
ners, had  not  the  divine  and  perfect  power  of  a  simple  look  to 
the  dying  Saviour  on  the  cross.  I  was  saying  to  myself  with 
anxiety:  "Would  it  be  possible  that  those  Protestants,  who 
were  with  me  in  the  carriage,  had  the  true  ways  of  repentance, 
pardon,  peace,  and  life  eternal  in  that  simple  look  to  the  great 
victim,  and  that  we  Roman  Catholics  with  our  signs  of  the  ci'oss 
and  holy  waters,  our  crucifixes  and  prayers  to  the  saints,  our 
scapulars  and  medals,  our  so  humiliating  auricular  confession, 
were  only  distracting  the  mind,  the  soul,  and  the  heart  of  the  sin- 
ner from  the  true  and  only  source  of  salvation,  Christ!"  In  the 
midst  of  those  distressing  thoughts  I  almost  regretted  having 
helped  Chambers  in  giving  up  his  Protestantism  for  my  Roman- 
ism. 

At  about  4  p.  M.  I  made  a  supreme  effort  to  shake  off  my 


308 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   G9    ROME. 


Ill  '^■'i'l 


desolation,  and  nerve  myself  for  the  solemn  duties  God  had 
entioisted  to  me.  I  put  a  few  questions  to  those  desolated  men, 
to  see  if  they  were  really  repentant  and  converted.  Their  an- 
swers added  to  my  fear  that  I  had  spoken  too  much  of  the 
virgins  and  the  saints,  the  indulgences,  medals  and  scapulars,  in- 
tegrity of  confession,  and  not  enough  of  Christ  dying  on  the 
cross  for  them.  It  is  true  I  had  spoken  of  Christ  and  his  death 
to  them,  but  this  had  been  so  much  mixed  up  with  exhortation 
to  trust  in  Mary,  put  their  confidence  in  their  medals,  scapulars, 
confessions,  etc.,  that  it  became  almost  evident  to  me  that  in  our 
religion  Christ  was  like  a  precious  pearl  lost  in  a  mountain  of 
sand  and  dust.  This  fear  soon  caused  my  distress  to  be  unbear- 
able. 

I  then  went  to  the  private,  neat  little  room,  which  the  gaoler 
had  kindly  allotted  to  me,  and  I  fell  on  my  knees  to  pray  God  for 
myself  and  for  my  poor  convicts.  Though  this  prayer  brought 
some  calm  to  my  mind,  my  distress  was  still  very  great.  It  was 
then  that  the  thought  came  again  to  my  mind  to  go  to  the  gov- 
ernor and  make  a  new  and  supreme  effort  to  have  the  sentence 
of  death  changed  into  that  of  perpetual  exile  to  Botany  Bay,  and 
without  a  moment  of  delay  I  went  to  his  palace. 

It  was  about  7  p.  m.  when  he  reluctantly  admitted  me  to  his 
presence,  telling  me,  when  shaking  hands,  "  I  hope,  Mr.  Chini- 
quy,  you  are  not  coming  to  renew  your  I'equest  of  the  morning, 
for  I  cannot  grant  it." 

Without  a  word  to  answer  I  fell  on  my  knees,  and  for  more 
than  ten  minutes  I  spoke  as  I  had  never,  spoken  before.  I  spoke 
as  we  speak  when  we  are  the  ambassadors  of  God  in  a  message 
of  mercy.  I  spoke  with  my  lips.  I  spoke  with  my  tears.  I 
spoke  with  my  sobs  and  my  cries.  I  spoke  with  my  supplicating 
hands  lifted  to  heaven.  For  some  time  the  governor  was  mute 
and  as  if  stunned.  He  was  not  only  a  noble-minded  man,  but  he 
had  a  most  tender,  affectionate  and  kind  heart.  His  tears  soon 
began  to  flow  with  mine,  and  his  sobs  mixed  with  my  sobs;  with 
a  voice  half  suffocated  by  his  emotion,  he  extended  his  friendly 
hand  and  said: 

"  Father  Chiniquy,  you  ask  me  a  favor  which  I  ought  not  to 


w,«';  -WIT  -' '  i'ij«"'^4J» "i"?  T'lfw)  ■  rmyiw**m\  imfm  w^-^v.-f ." 


(■1TV»'^«I 


CHAMBERS   CONDEMNED   TO   DEATH. 


309 


give,  but  I  cannot  resist  your  arguments,  when  your  tears,  your 
sobs,  and  your  cries  are  like  arrows  which  pierce  and  break  my 
heart.     I  will  give  you  the  favor  you  ask." 

It  was  nearly  lo  p.  m.  when  I  knocked  at  the  door  of  the 
gaoler,  asking  his  permission  to  see  my  dear  friends  in  their  cells, 
to  tell  them  that  I  had  obtained  their  pardon,  that  they  would  not 
die.  That  gentleman  could  hard'.y  believe  me.  It  was  only  after 
reading  twice  the  document  I  had  in  my  hands  that  he  saw  that 
I  told  him  the  truth. 

Looking  at  that  parchment  again,  he  said :  "  Have  you  noticed 
that  it  is  covered  and  almost  spoiled  by  the  spots  evidently  made 
with  the  tears  of  the  governor.  You  must  be  a  kind  of  sorcerer 
to  have  melted  the  heart  of  such  a  man,  and  have  wrenched  from 
his  hands  the  pardon  of  such  convicts;  for  I  know  he  was  abso- 
lutely unwilling  to  grant  the  pardon." 

"  I  am  not  a  sorcerer,  I  answered.  But  you  remember  that  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ  had  said,  somewhere,  that  he  had  brought  a 
fire  from  heaven — well,  it  is  evident  that  he  has  thrown  some 
sparks  of  that  fire  into  my  poor  heart,  for  it  was  so  fiercely  burn- 
ing when  I  was  at  the  feet  of  the  governor,  that  I  think  I  would 
have  died  at  his  feet,  had  he  not  granted  me  that  favor.  No 
doubt  that  some  sparks  of  that  fire  have  also  fallen  on  his  soul 
and  in  his  heart  when  I  was  speaking,  for  his  cries,  his  tears,  and 
his  sobs  were  filling  his  room,  and  showing  that  he  was  suffering 
as  much  as  myself.  It  was  that  he  might  not  be  consumed  by 
that  fire,  that  he  granted  my  request.  I  am  now  the  most  happy 
man  under  heaven.  Please,  make  haste.  Come  with  me  and 
open  the  cells  of  those  unfortunate  men  that  I  may  tell  what  our 
merciful  God  has  done  for  them.  When  entering  their  desolated 
cells  I  was  unable  to  contain  myself,  I  cried  out:  'Rejoice  and 
bless  the  Lord,  my  dear  friends !  You  will  not  die  to-morrow  I 
I  bring  you  your  pardon  with  me ! ' " 

Two  of  them  fainted,  and  came  very  near  dying  from  excess 
of  surprise  and  joy.  The  others,  unable  to  contain  their  emotions, 
were  crying  and  weeping  for  joy.  They  threw  their  arms  around 
me  to  press  me  to  their  bosom,  kiss  my  hands  and  cover  them 
with  their  tears  of  joy.     I  knelt  with  them  and  thanked  God, 


L>  liwyjiiiMiipiiiii^iiwpij  mmw.- 


mf^^^mmimiiii^^ 


310 


FIFTY    YBAR8    IN    THE  CHUHCH    OF    ROME. 


iMi 


It  'i 


after  which  I  told  them  how  they  must  promise  to  God  to  serve 
him  faithfully  after  such  a  manifestation  of  his  mercies.  I  read 
to  them  the  looth,  loist,  I02cl,  and  103(1  Psalms,  and  1  left  them 
after  twelve  o'clock  at  night  to  go  and  take  some  rest.  I  was  in 
need  of  it  after  a  whole  day  of  such  work  and  emotions. 

The  next  day  I  wanted  to  see  my  dear  prisoners  early,  and  I 
was  with  them  before  7  A.  M.  As  the  whole  country  had  been 
glad  to  hear  that  they  were  to  be  hanged  that  very  day,  the 
crowds  were  beginning  to  gather  at  that  early  hour  to  witness 
the  death  of  those  great  culprits.  The  feelings  of  indignation 
were  almost  unmanageable  when  they  heard  that  they  were  not 
to  be  hanged,  but  only  to  be  exiled  for  their  life  to  Botany  Uav. 
For  a  time  it  was  feared  that  the  mob  would  break  the  doors  of 
the  gaol  and  lynch  the  culprits.  Though  very  few  priests  were 
more  respected  and  loved  by  the  people,  they  would  have  probably 
torn  me  into  pieces  when  they  heard  that  jt  was  I  who  had 
deprived  the  gibbet  of  its  victims  that  day.  The  chief  of  police 
had  to  take  cxtrMordiiiary  measures  to  prevent  the  wrath  of  the 
mob  from  doing  misciiief.  He  advised  me  not  to  show  myself 
for  a  few  days  in  the  streets. 

More  than  a  month  passed  before  all  the  thieves  and  murder- 
ers in  Canada,  to  the  number  of  about  seventy,  who  had  been 
sentenced  to  be  exiled  to  Botany  Bay,  could  be  gathered  into  the 
ship  which  was  to  take  them  into  that  distant  land.  I  thought  it 
was  my  duty  during  that  interval  to  visit  my  penitents  in  gaol 
every  day,  and  instruct  them  on  the  duties  of  the  new  life  they 
were  called  upon  to  live.  When  the  day  of  their  departure 
arrived  I  gave  a  Roman  Catholic  New  Testament,  translated  by 
DeSacy,  to  each  of  them  to  read  and  meditate  on  their  long  and 
tedious  journey,  and  I  bade  them  adieu,  recommending  them  to 
the  mercy  of  God,  and  the  protection  of  the  Virgin  Mary  and 
all  the  saints.  vSome  months  later  T  beard,  that  on  the  sea 
Chambers  had  cut  loose  his  chains  and  tlio-:;  of  some  of  his  com- 
panions with  the  intention  of  taking  posse^^sion  of  the  ship,  and 
escaping  on  some  distant  shore.  But  !u'  had  been  betrayed,  and 
was  hanged  on  his  arrival  at  Liverpool. 

I  had  almost  lost  sight  of  those  emotional  days  of  my  young 


n^m^m^^m  'nHif9mm»fjim'*:9m*ni\^mi!f^fSW^ 


"Pffl'^% 


CHAMBERS   CONDEMNED   TO   DEATH. 


811 


years  of  priesthood.  Those  facts  were  silently  lying  among  the 
big  piles  of  the  daily  records  which  I  had  faithfully  kept  since 
the  very  days  of  my  collegiate  life  at  Nicolet,  when,  in  1878, 1  . 
was  called  by  the  providence  of  God  to  go  and  lecture  on 
Romanism  in  the  noble  and  grand  English  colony  of  Australia, 
formerly  known  by  me  only  as  the  penal  colony  of  Botany  Bay. 

Some  time  after  my  arrival,  when  I  was  lecturing  in  one  of 
the  young  and  thriving  cities  of  that  country  whose  future 
destinies  promise  to  be  so  great,  a  rich  carross,  drawn  by  two 
splendid  English  horses  driven  by  two  men  en  ii'vre,  stopped 
before  the  house  where  I  had  put  up  for  a  few  days.  A  vener- 
able gentleman  alighted  from  the  carriage  and  knocked  at  the 
door  as  I  was  looking  at  him  from  the  window.  I  went  to  the 
door,  to  save  trouble  to  my  host,  and  I  opened  it.  In  saluting 
me,  the  stranger  said:  "Is  Father  Chiniquy  here?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  answered.  "  Father  Chiniquy  is  the  guest  of 
this  family." 

'« Could  I  have  the  honor  of  a  few  minutes*  conversation 
with  him?"  replied  the  old  gentleman. 

"  As  I  am  Father  Chiniquy,  I  can  at  once  answer  you  that  I 
will  feel  much  pleasure  in  granting  your  request." 

"Oh,  dear  Father  Chiniquy,"  quickly  replied  the  stranger, 
«is  it  possible  that  it  is  you?  Can  I  be  absolutely  alone  with 
you  for  half  an  hour,  without  any  one  to  see  and  hear  us?" 

"  Certainly,"  I  said ;  "  my  comfortable  rooms  are  upstairs, 
and  I  am  absolutely  alone  there.  Please,  sir,  come  and  follow 
me. 

When  alone  with  me  the  stranger  said : 

"Do  you  not  know  me?" 

"How  can  I  know  you,  sir?"  I  answered.  "I  do  not  even 
remember  ever  having  seen  you." 

"  You  have  not  only  seen  me,  but  you  have  heard  the  confes- 
sion of  my  sins  many  times;  and  you  have  spent  many  hours  in 
the  same  room  with  me,"  replied  the  old  gentleman. 

"  Please  tell  me  where  and  when  I  have  seen  you,  and  also 
be  kind  enough  to  give  your  name ;  for  all  those  things  hav« 
escaped  from  my  meniory." 


m 


wmmmiiimsm^miii^wi'f^^ 


313 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


"  Do  you  remember  the  murderer  and  thief,  Chambers,  who 
was  condemned  to  death  in  Quebec  in  1837,  with  eight  of  his 
accomplices?"  asked  the  stranger. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  remember  well  Chambers  and  the  unfortunate 
men  he  was  leading  in  the  ways  of  iniquity,"  I  replied. 

"Well,  dear  Father  Chiniquy,  I  am  one  of  the  criminals 
who  filled  Canada  with  terror  for  several  years,  and  who  were 
caught  and  rightly  condemned  to  death.  When  condemned  we 
selected  you  for  our  father  confessor,  with  the  hope  that  through 
your  influence  we  might  escape  the  gallows;  and  we  were  not 
disappointed.  You  obtained  our  pardon;  the  sentence  of  death 
was 'commuted  into  a  life  of  exile  to  Botany  Bay.     My  name  in 

Canada  was  A ,  but  here  they  call   me  B .     God  has 

blessed  me  r>ince  in  many  ways;  but  it  is  to  you  I  owe  my  life, 
and  all  the  privileges  of  my  present  existence.  After  God,  you 
are  my  saviour.  I  come  to  thank  and  bless  you  for  what  you 
have  done  for  me." 

In  saying  that,  he  threw  himself  into  my  arms,  pressed  me 
to  his  heart,  and  bathed  my  face  and  my  hands  with  his  tears  of 
joy  and  gratitude. 

But  his  joy  did  not  exceed  mine,  and  my  surprise  was  equal 
to  my  joy  to  find  him  apparently  in  such  good  circumstances. 
After  I  had  knelt  with  him  to  thank  and  bless  God  for  what  I 
had  heard,  I  asked  him  to  relate  to  me  the  details  of  his  strange 
and  marvellous  story.     Here  is  a  short  resume  of  his  answer: 

"  After  you  had  given  us  your  last  benediction  when  on 
board  the  ship  which  was  to  take  us  from  Quebec  to  Botany 
Bay,  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  open  the  New  Testament  you 
had  given  me  and  the  other  culprits,  with  the  advice  to  read  it 
with  a  praying  heart.  It  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  had 
that  book  in  my  hand.  You  were  the  only  priest  in  Canada 
who  would  put  such  a  book  in  the  hands  of  common  people. 
But  I  must  confess  that  its  first  reading  did  not  do  me  much 
good,  for  I  read  it  more  to  amuse  myself  and  satisfy  my 
curiosity  than  through  any  good  and  Christian  motive.  The 
only  good  I  received  from  that  first  reading  was  that  T  clearly 
understood,  for  the  first  time,  why  the  priests  of  Rome  fear  and 


chambehls  condemned  to  death. 


3»3 


hate  that  book,  and  why  they  take  it  out  of  the  hands  of  their 
parishione.o  when  they  hear  that  they  have  it.  It  was  in  vain 
that  I  looked  for  mass,  indulgences,  chaplets,  purgatory,  auri- 
cular confession,  Lent,  holy  waters,  the  worship  of  Mary, 
or  prayers  in  an  unknown  tongue.  I  concluded  from  my  first 
reading  of  the  Gospel  that  our  priests  were  very  wise  to  prevent 
us  from  reading  a  book  which  was  really  demolishing  our 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  felt  surprised  that  yoii  had  put  in 
our  hands  a  book  which  seemed  to  me  so  opposed  to  the  belief 
and  practice  of  our  religion  as  you  taught  it  to  us  when  in  gaol, 
and  my  confidence,  in  your  good  judgment  was  much  shaken. 
To  tell  you  the  truth,  the  first  reading  of  the  Gospel  went  far 
to  demolish  my  Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  to  make  a  wreck  of 
the  religion  taught  me  by  my  parents  and  at  the  college,  and 
even  by  you.  For  a  few  weeks  I  became  more  of  a  skeptic 
than  anything  else.  The  only  good  that  first  reading  of  the 
Holy  Book  did  me  was  to  give  me  more  serious  thoughts  and 
prevent  me  from  uniting  myself  to  Chambers  and  his  conspira- 
tors in  their  foolish  plot  for  taking  ]^x>ssession  of  the  ship  and 
escaping  to  some  unknown  and  distant  shore.  He  had  been 
shrewd  enough  to  conceal  a  very  small  but  exceedingly  sharp 
saw  between  his  toes  before  coming  to  the  ship,  with  which  he 
had  already  cut  the  chains  of  eighteen  of  the  prisoners,  when  he 
was  betrayed,  and  hanged  on  his  arrival  at  Liverpool. 

"  But  if  my  first  reading  of  the  Gospel  did  not  do  me  much 
good,  I  cannot  say  the  same  thing  of  the  second.  I  remember 
that,  when  handing  to  us  that  holy  book,  you  had  told  us  never 
to  read  it  except  after  a  fervent  prayer  to  God  for  help  and 
light  to  understand  it.  I  was  really  tired  of  my  former  life. 
In  giving  up  the  fear  and  the  love  of  God  I  had  fallen  into  the 
deepest  abyss  of  human  depravity  and  misery,  till  I  had  come 
very  near  ending  my  life  on  the  scaffold.  I  felt  the  need  of  a 
change.  You  had  often  repeated  to  us  the  words  of  our 
Saviour, '  Come  unto  me  all  ye  who  are  weary  and  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest;'  but,  with  all  the  other  priests,  you  had 
always  mixed  those  admirable  and  saving  words  with  the  invo- 
cation of  Mary,  the  confidence  in  our  medals,  scapulars,  signs  of 


-  .iWi  i--ii.. :-  ;Ji'i!tl^>,  i ,  V 


^^mm^mmiiim^lllll^^ 


314 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  cross,  holy  waters,  indulgences,  auricular  confessions,  that 
the  sublime  appeal  of  Christ  had  always  been,  as  it  always  will 
be,  drowned  in  the  Church  of  Rome  by  those  absurd  and 
impious  superstitions  and  practices. 

"  One  morning,  after  I  had  spent  a  sleepless  night,  and 
feeling  jvs  pressed  down  under  the  weight  of  my  sins,  I  opened 
my  gospel  book,  after  an  ardent  prayer  for  light  and  guidance 
and  my  eyes  fell  on  these  words  of  John,  *  Here  is  the  Lamb  of 
God,  who  takes  away  the  sins  of  the  world!'  These  words  fell 
upon  my  poor  guilty  soul  with  a  divine,  irresistible  power. 
With  tears  and  cries  of  an  unspeakable  desolation  I  spent  the 
day  in  crying,  *  O  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sins  of 
the  world,  have  mercy  upon  me!  Take  away  my  sins!'  The 
day  was  not  over  when  I  felt  and  knew  that  my  cries  had  been 
heard  at  the  mercy-seat.  The  Lamb  of  God  had  taken  away 
my  sins!  He  had  changed  my  heart  and  made  quite  a  new 
man  of  me.  From  that  day  the  reading  of  the  Gospel  was  to 
my  soul  what  broad  is  to  the  poor  hungry  man,  and  what  pure 
and  refreshing  waters  are  to  the  thirsty  traveler.  My  joy,  my 
unspeakable  joy,  was  to  read  the  holy  book  and  speak  with  my 
companions  in  chains  of  the  dear  Saviour's  love  for  the  poor 
siimers;  and,  thanks  be  to  God,  a  good  immber  of  them  have 
found  Him  altogether  precious,  and  have  been  sincerely  con- 
verted in  the  dark  holes  of  that  ship.  When  working  hard  at 
Sydney  with  the  other  culprits,  I  felt  my  chains  to  be  as  light  as 
feathers  when  I  was  sure  that  the  heavy  chains  of  my  sins  were 
gone;  and  though  working  hard  under  a  burning  sun  from 
morning  till  night,  I  felt  happy,  and  my  heart  was  full  of  joy 
when  I  was  sure  that  my  Saviour  had  prepared  a  throne  for 
me  in  His  kingdom,  and  that  He  iiad  bought  a  crown  of  eternal 
glory  for  me  by  dying  on  the  cross  to  redeem  my  guilty  soul. 

"  I  had  hardly  spent  a  year  in  Australia,  in  the  midst  of  the 
convicts,  when  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  accompanied  by  another 
gentleman,  came  to  me  and  said:  'Your  perfectly  good  behavior 
and  your  Christian  life  has  attracted  the  attention  and  admiration 
of  the  authorities,  and  the  governor  sends  us  to  hand  you  this 
document  which  says  that  you  are  no  more  a  criminal  before  the 


''■'■'i^^Wifl^-'f^'-X^^i''  '^^^-'■' '  i'^^¥™;t?7?i^:^'^«^^wi 


;  (111  ■J!'-,7iJ;f!n 


CHAMBERS   CONDEMNED    TO   DEATH. 


315 


law,  but  that  you  have  your  pardon,  and  you  can  live  the  life  of 
an  honorable  citizen,  by  continuing  to  walk  in  the  ways  of  God.' 
After  speaking  so,  the  gentlemen  put  one  hundred  dollars  in  my 
hands,  and  added :  '  Go  and  be  a  faithful  follower  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  God  Almighty  will  bless  you  and  make  you  prosper 
in  all  your  ways.'  All  this  seemed  to  me  as  a  dream  or  vision 
from  heaven.  I  would  hardly  believe  my  ears  and  my  eyes. 
But  it  was  not  a  dream,  it  was  a  reality.  My  merciful  Heavenly 
Father  had  again  heard  my  humble  suplications;  after  having 
taken  away  the  heavy  chains  of  my  sins.  He  had  merci- 
fully taken  away  the  chains  which  wounded  my  feet  and  my 
hands.  I  spent  several  days  and  nights  in  weeping  and  crying 
for  joy,  and  in  blessing  the  God  of  my  salvation,  Jesus  the 
redeemer  of  my  soul  and  my  body. 

«*  Some  years  after  that  we  heard  of  the  discoveries  of  the 
rich  gold  minei  in  several  parts  of  Australia. 

"After  having  prayed  God  to  guide  me,  I  bought  a  bag  of 
hard  crackers,  a  ham  and  cheese,  and  started  for  the  mines  in 
company  with  several  who  were  going,  like  myself,  in  search 
of  gold.  But  I  soon  preferred  to  be  alone.  For  I  wanted  to  pray 
and  to  be  united  to  my  God,  even  when  walking.  After  a  long 
march,  I  reached  a  beautiful  spot,  between  three  small  hills,  at 
the  foot  of  which  a  little  brook  was  running  down  toward  the 
plain  below.  The  sun  was  scorching,  there  was  no  shade,  and  I 
was  much  tired,  I  sat  on  a  flat  stone  to  take  my  dinner,  and 
quenching  my  thirst  with  the  water  of  the  brook,  I  was'  eating 
and  blessing  my  God  at  the  same  time  for  His  mercies,  when 
suddenly  my  eyes  fell  on  a  stone  by  the  brook,  which  was  about 
the  size  of  a  goose  egg.  But  the  rays  of  the  sun  were  dancing 
on  the  stone,  as  if  it  had  been  a  mirror.  I  went  and  picked  it  up. 
The  stone  was  almost  all  gold  of  the  purest  kind!  It  was  almost 
enough  to  make  me  rich.  I  knelt  to  thank  and  bless  God  for 
this  new  token  of  his  mercy  toward  me,  and  I  began  to  look 
around  to  see  if  I  would  not  find  some  new  piece  of  the  precious 
metal,  and  you  may  imagine  my  joy  when  I  found  that  the 
ground  was  not  only  litterally  covered  with  pieces  of  gold  of 
every  size  from  half  an  inch  to  the  smallest  dimensions,  but  that 


■  «ji4.t.;/».-.&*ia«iki^iB>ii;fe^ 


3i6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


f    n 


ijji 


the  very  sand  was  in  great  part  composed  of  gold.  In  a  very 
short  time,  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  I  could  carry  to  the  bank 
particles  of  gold  to  the  value  of  several  thousand  pounds.  I 
continued  to  cover  myself  with  rags  and  have  old  boots  on  in 
order  not  to  excite  the  suspicion  of  any  one  on  the  fortune  which 
I  was  accumulating  so  rapidly.  When  I  had  about  JCSojOOo 
deposited  in  the  banks,  a  gentleman  offered  me  JCSOjOOO  more  for 
my  claim,  and  I  sold  it.  The  money  was  invested  by  me  on  a 
piece  of  land  which  soon  became  the  site  of  an  important  city, 
and  I  soon  became  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  Australia.  I  then 
began  to  study  hard  and  improve  the  little  education  I  had 
received  in  Canada.  I  married,  and  my  God  has  made  me  father 
of  several  children.  The  people  where  I  settled  with  my 
fortune  and  wife,  not  knowing  my  antecedents  have  raised  me 
to  the  first  dignities  of  the  place.  Please,  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy, 
come  and  take  dinner  with  me  to-morrow,  that  I  may  show  you 
my  house  and  some  of  my  other  properties,  and  also  that  I  may 
introtluce  you  to  my  wife  and  children.  Let  me  ask  the  favor 
not  to  make  them  suspect  that  you  have  known  me  in  Canada, 
for  they  think  that  I  am  an  European."  When  telling  me  his 
marvellous  adventures,  which  I  am  obliged  to  condense  and 
abridge,  his  voice  was  many  times  choked  by  his  emotion  his 
tears  and  his  sobs,  and  more  than  once  he  had  to  stop.  As  for 
me,  I  was  absolutely  beside  myself  with  admiration  at  the  myster- 
ious ways  through  which  God  leads  his  elect  in  all  ages.  Now, 
I  understand  why  my  God  had  given  me  such  a  marvellous 
power  over  the  governor  of  Canada  when  I  wrenched  your 
pardon  from  his  hands  almost  in  spite  of  himself.  I  said:  "That 
merciful  God  wanted  to  save  you,  and  you  are  saved  !  May  his 
name  be  forever  blessed. " 

The  next  day,  it  was  my  privilege  to  be  with  his 
family,  at  dinner.  And  never  in  my  life,  have  I  seen  a 
more  happy  mother,  and  a  more  interesting  family.  The 
long  table  was  actually  surrounded  by  them.  After  dinner  he 
showed  me  his  beautiful  garden  and  his  rich  palace,  after  which 
throwing  himself  into  my  arms,  he  said :  "  Dear  Father  Chini- 
quy, all  those  things  belong  to  you.     It  is  to  you  after  God  that 


f^'^^^^im'm^w^ 


".frTT:.!^'. ',  I  '^Kifm.'  ..,^i*if)j«P<jwy,W"tvw.'W"  -TlSWRJW^WW'flf  *fl 


CHAMBERS   CONDEMNED   TO    DEATH. 


317 


I  owe  my  life,  all  the  blessings  of  a  large  and  Christian 
family,  and  the  honor  of  the  high  position  I  have  in 
this  country.  May  the  God  of  Heaven  for  ever  bless  you 
for  what  you  have  done  for  me."  I  answered  him:  "Dear 
friend,  vou  owe  me  nothing,  I  have  been  nothing  but  a  feeble 
instrument  of  the  mercies  of  God  toward  you.  To  that  great 
and  merciful  God  alone  be  the  praise  and  the  glory.  Please  ask 
your  family  to  come  here  and  join  with  us  in  singing  to  the 
praise  of  God  the  103d  Psalm."  And  we  sang  together :  "Praise 
the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  let  all  that  is  within  me  praise  His 
holy  name. 

"  He  hath  not  dealt  w^ith  us  after  our  sins,  nor  rewarded  us 
according  to  our  iniquities. 

"For  as  the  heaven  is  high  above  the  earth,  so  great  is  his 
mercy  toward  them  that  fear  him. 

"As   far    as  the  east  is   from   the    west,  so    far   hath  He 
removed  our  transgressions  from  us. 

"  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth 
them  that  fear  Him." 

After  the  singing  of  that  hymn,  I  bade  him  adieu  for  the 
second  time,  never  to  meet  him  again  except  in  that  Promised 
Land,  where  we  shall  sing  the  eternal  Alleluia  around  the  throne 
of  the  Lamb,  who  was  slain  for  us,  and  who  redeemed  us  all  in 
His  blood. 


PIJIIVJ|IU1UJ  JI|ll»lll|Ml^«||UI}in«l,L,^P 


Chapter  XXXII. 


THE  MIBACX4ES  OF  ROUE -ATTACK  OF  TTFHOID  EEVEB-AP. 
PABITION  OF  ST.  ANNE  AND  ST.  FHII.0MENE-M7  STTBBEN 
CTTBE-THE  CX7BATE  OF  ST.  ANKE  DV  NOBD,  MONS  BAN- 
VOIZE,  ALMOST  A  DISOTTISED  PBOTESTANT. 


"^n 


THE  merchant  fleet  of  the  fall  of  1836  had  filled  the  Marine 
Hospital  of  Quehec  with  the  victims  of  a  ship-typhoid 
fever  of  the  worst  kind,  which  soon  turned  into  an  epidemic. 
Within  the  walls  of  that  institution  Mr.  Glackmeyer,  the  super- 
intendent, with  two  of  the  attending  doctors,  and  the  majority  of 
the  servants  were  swejDt  away  during  the  winter  months. 

I  was,  in  I'^e  s'-.  '  g  of  1837,  almost  the  only  one  spared  by 
that  horrible  pest.  In  order  not  to  spread  terror  among  the 
citizens  of  Quebec,  the  physicians  and  I  had  determined  to  keep 
that  a  secret.  Bu  it  tl  h1  of  May,  I  was  forced  to  reveal  it 
to  the  Bishop  of  Quebec,  My  Lord  Signaie;  for  I  felt  in  my 
w^hole  frame,  the  first  symptoms  of  the  merciless  disease.  I  pre- 
pared myself  to  die,  as  very  few  who  had  been  attacked  by  it 
had  escaped.  I  went  to  the  bishop,  told  him  the  truth  about 
the  epidemic,  and  requested  him  to  appoint  a  priest,  immediatelv, 
as  chaplain  in  my  place,  for  I  added,  I  feel  the  poison  runnin"' 
through  my  veins,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  I  have  not  more 
than  ten  or  twelve  days  to  live. 

The  young  Mons  D.  Estimanville  was  chosen,  and  though  I 
felt  very  weak,  I  thought  it  was  my  duty  to  initiate  him  in  his 
new  and  perilous  work.  I  took  him  immediately  to  the  hospital, 
where  he  never  had  been  before,  and  when  at  a  few  feet  from 
the  door  I  said :  "  My  young  friend,  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you  that 
there  is  a  dangerous  epidemic  raging  in  that  house  since  last  fall, 
nothing  has  been  able  to  stop  it.  The  superintendent,  two  phy- 
sicians  and   most  of  the  servants   have  been  its  victims.      My 

318 


iUhi 


THE    MIRACLES   OF    ROME. 


319 


escape  till  now  is  almost  miraculous.  But  these  last  ten  hours  I 
feel  the  poison  running  through  my  whole  botly.  You  are 
called  by  God  to  take  my  place ;  but  before  you  cross  the  thresh- 
hold  of  that  hospital,  you  must  make  the  generous  sacrifice  of 
your  life ;  for  you  are  going  on  the  battle-fi«ld  from  which  only 
few  have  came  out  with  their  lives." 

The  young  priest  turned  pale  and  saiil :  "  Is  it  possible  that 
such  a  deadly  epidemic  is  raging  where  you  are  taking  me  ?  "  I 
answered :  "  Yes !  my  dear  young  brother,  it  is  a  fact,  and  I  con- 
sider it  my  duty  to  tell  you  not  to  enter  that  house,  if  you  are 
afraid  to  die!" 

A  few  r.iinutes  of  silence  followed,  and  it  was  a  solemn 
silence  indeed  !  Did  the  angels  of  God  appear  to  show 
him  the  crown  given  to  those  who  die  for  their  brethren  ?  I  do 
not  know.  What  I  do  know  is  that  a  few  months  later,  that 
young  priest  won  that  glorious  crown  by  falling  at  his  post  of 
duty.  He  then  took  his  handkerchief  and  wiped  away  some 
big  drops  of  sweat  w^hich  were  rolling  from  his  forehead  on  his 
cheeks  and  said :  "  Is  there  a  more  holy  and  desirable  way  of 
dying  than  in  ministering  to  the  spiritual  and  temporal  wants  of 
my  brethren  ?  No  I  If  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  I  should  fall 
when  fighting  at  this  post  of  danger,  I  am  ready.  Let  his  holy 
will  be  done." 

He  followed  me  into  the  pestilential  house  with  the  heroic 
step  of  the  soldier  who  runs  at  the  command  of  his  general  to 
storm  an  impregnable  citadel  when  he  is  sure  to  fall.  It  took 
me  more  than  an  hour  to  show  him  all  the  rooms  and  introduce 
him  to  the  poor,  but  very  dear  sick  and  dying  mariners. 

I  felt  then  so  exhausted  that  two  friends  had  to  support  me 
on  my  return  to  the  parsonage  of  St.  Roch.  My  physicians 
were  immediately  called  (one  of  them  Dr.  Rousseau,  is  still 
living)  and  soon  pronounced  my  case  so  dangerous  that  three 
other  physicians  wore  called  in  consultation.  For  nine  days  I 
suffered  the  most  horrible  tortures  in  my  brains  and  the  very 
marrow  of  my  bones,  from  the  fever  which  so  devoured  my  flesh 
as  to  seemingly  leave  but  the  skin. 

On   the  ninth   day,   the   physicians   told    the   bishop,   who 


'.  ff 


n(^!|i!ii4.fiijiiiK^iifnf|^ 


^■'■.•.  ;'^'J'«PPPIf|ll|l»|J|lliPpip 


320 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


m 


had  visited  me,  that  there  was  no  hope  of  my  recovery.  The 
last  sacraments  were  administered  to  me  and  I  prepared  myself 
to  die,  as  taught  by  the  Church  of  Rome.  The  tenth  day  I  was 
absolutely  motionless  and  not  able  to  utter  a  word.  My  tongue 
was  parched  like  a  piece  of  dry  wood. 

Through  the  terrible  ravage  on  the  whole  system,  my  very 
eyes  were  so  turned  inside  their  orbits,  the  white  part  only  could 
be  seen ;  no  food  could  be  taken  from  the  beginning  of  the  sick- 
ness except  a  few  drops  of  cold  water,  which  were  dropped 
through  my  teeth  with  much  difficulty.  But  though  all  my 
physical  faculties  seemed  dead,  my  memory,  intelligence  and 
soul  were  full  of  life,  and  acting  with  more  power  than  ever. 
Now  and  then  in  the  paroxysms  of  the  fever,  I  used  to  see  awful 
visions.  At  one  time,  suspended  by  a  thread  at  the  top  of  a 
high  mountain,  with  my  head  down  over  a  bottomless  abyss;  at 
another,  surrounded  by  merciless  enemies,  whose  daggers  and 
swords  were  plunged  through  my  body.  But  these  were  of 
short  duration,  though  they  have  left  such  an  impression  on  my 
mind  that  I  still  remember  the  minutest  details.  Death  had  at 
first  no  terror  for  me.  I  had  done  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  all 
that  my  church  had  told  me  to  do,  to  be  saved.  I  had,  every 
day,  given  my  last  cent  to  the  poor,  fasted  and  done  penance  al- 
most enough  to  kill  myself,  made  my  confessions  with  the  great- 
est care  and  sincerity,  preached  with  such  zeal  and  earnestness  as 
to  fill  the  whole  city  with  admiration. 

My  Pharisaical  virtues  and  holiness,  in  a  word,  were  of  such  a 
glaring  and  deceitful  character,  and  my  ecclesiastical  superriors 
were  so  taken  by  them,  that  they  made  the  greatest  efforts  to 
persuade  me  to  become  the  first  Bishop  of  Oregon  and 
Vancouver. 

One  after  the  other,  all  the  saints  of  heaven,  beginning  with 
the  Holy  Virgin  Mary,  were  invoked  by  me  that  they  might 
pray  God  to  look  down  upon  me  in  mercy  and  save  my  soul. 

On  the  thirteenth  night,  as  the  doctors  were  retiring,  they 
whispered  to  the  Revs.  Baillargeon  and  Parent,who  were  at  my 
bedside :  "He  is  dead,  or  if  not,  he  has  only  a  few  minutes  to 
live.     He  is  already  cold  and  breathless,  and  we  cannot  feel  his 


?wp 


.|^,u«u"' '      '".1:1  '^i;f  i<fM!P|ll<jilJ!<Pl<if /l^J^M'''^ 


THE    MIRACLES    OF    ROME. 


321 


pulse."  Though  these  words  had  been  said  in  a  very  low  tone, 
they  fell  upon  my  ears  as  a  peal  of  thunder.  The  two  young 
priests,  who  were  my  devoted  friends,  filled  the  room  with  such 
cries  that  the  curate  and  the  priest  who  had  gone  to  rest,  rushed 
to  my  room  and  mingled  their  tears  and  cries  with  theirs. 

The  words  of  the  doctor,  "  He  is  dead ! "  were  ringing  in  my 
ear  as  the  voice  of  a  hurricane;  I  suddenly  saw  that  I  was  in 
danger  of  being  buried  alive  ;  no  words  can  express  the  sense  of 
horror  I  felt  at  that  idea.  A  cold  icy  wave  began  to  move  slowly, 
but  it  seemed  to  me,  with  irresistible  force,  from  the  extremities 
of  my  feet  and  hands  towards  the  heart,  as  the  first  symptoms  of 
approaching  death.  At  that  moment  I  made  a  great  effort  to 
see  what  hope  I  might  have  of  being  saved,  invoking  the  help  of 
the  blessed  Virgin  Mary.  With  lightning  rapidity,  a  terrible  vision 
struck  my  mind;  I  saw  all  my  good  works  and  penances,  in 
which  my  church  had  told  me  to  trust  for  salvation,  in  the 
balance  of  the  justice  of  God.  These  were  in  one  side  of  the 
scales,  and  my  sins  on  the  other.  My  good  works  seemed  only 
as  a  grain  of  sand  compared  with  the  weight  of  my  sins.* 

This  awful  vision  entirely  destroyed  my  false  and  pharisai- 
cal  security  and  filled  my  soul  with  an  unspeakable  terror.  I 
could  not  cry  to  Jesus  Christ,  nor  to  God,  his  Father,  for  mercy; 
for  I  sincerely  believed  what  my  church  had  taught  me  on  that 
subject,  that  they  were  both  angry  with  me  on  account  of  my 
sins.  With  much  anxiety  1  turned  my  thoughts,  my  soul  and 
hopes,  towards  St.  Anne  and  St.  Philonene.  The  first  was  the 
object  of  my  confidence  since  the  first  time  I  had  seen  the 
numberless  crutches  and  other  "Ex  Votos  "  which  covered  the 
Church  of  "  La  Bonne  St.  Anne  du  Nord,"  and  the  second  was 
the  saint  a  la  mode.      It  was    said  that  her  body   had    lately 

*  In  order  to  be  understootl  by  those  of  my  readers  who  have  never  been 
deceived  by  the  diabolical  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  I  must  say 
iiere,  that  when  young  I  had  learned  in  my  Catechism,  and  when  a  priest  I 
had  believed  and  preached  what  Rome  says  on  that  subject.  Here  is  her 
doctrine  as  taught  in  her  Catechism : 

"  Who  are  those  who  go  to  heaven  ?  " 

Ans.  *'  Those  only  who  have  never  offended  God,  or  who,  having 
offended  Him,  hav^Mlone  penance." 


SI 


322 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


\ii 


been  miraculously  discovered,  and  the  world  was  filled  with  the 
noise  of  the  miracles  wrought  through  her  intercession.  Her 
medals  were  on  every  breast,  her  pictures  in  every  house,  and 
her  name  on  all  lips.  With  entire  confidence  in  the  will  and 
power  of  these  two  saints  to  obtain  any  favor  for  me,  I 
invoked  them  to  pray  God  to  grant  me  a  few  years  more  of  life  • 
and  with  the  utmost  honesty  of  purpose,  I  promised  to  add  to 
my  penances,  and  to  live  a  more  holy  life,  by  consecrating 
myself  with  more  zeal  than  ever,  to  the  service  of  the  poor  and 
the  sick.  I  added  to  my  former  prayer,  the  solemn  promise  to 
have  a  painting  of  the  two  saints  put  in  St.  Anne's  Church, 
to  proclaim  to  the  end  of  the  world  their  great  power  in  heaven 
if  they  would  obtain  my  cure  and  restore  my  health.  Strange 
to  say  I  The  last  words  of  my  prayer  were  scarcely  uttered 
when  I  saw  above  my  head  St.  Anne  and  St.Philomene  sitting 
in  the  midst  of  a  great  light,  on  a  beautiful  golden  cloud.  St. 
Anne  was  very  old  and  grave,  but  St.  Philomene  was  very 
young  and  beautiful.  Both  were  looking  at  me  with  great 
kindness. 

However,  the  kindness  of  St.  Anne  was  mixed  with  such  an 
air  of  awe  and  gravity  that  I  did  not  like  her  looks ;  while  St. 
Philomene  had  such  an  expression  of  superhuman  love  and 
kindness  that  I  felt  myself  drawn  to  her  by  a  magnetic  power, 
when  she  said  distinctly :  "You  will  be  cured,"  and  the  vision 
'lijappeared. 

But,  I  was  cured,  perfectly  cured  1  At  the  disappearance  of 
the  two  saints  I  felt  as  though  an  electric  shock  went  through  my 
whole  frame ;  the  pains  were  gone,  the  tongue  was  untied,  the 
nerves  were  restored  to  their  natural  and  usual  power;  my  eyes 
were  opened,  the  cold  and  icy  waves  which  were  fast  going 
from  the  extremities  to  the  regions  of  my  heart,  seemed  to  be 
changed  into  a  most  pleasant  warm  bath,  restoring  life  and 
strength  to  every  part  of  my  body.  I  raised  my  head,  stretched 
out  my  hands  which  I  had  not  moved  for  three  days,  and  looking 
around,  I  saw  the  four  priests.  I  said  to  them:  «  I  am  cured, 
please  give  me  something  to  eat,  I  am  hungry. " 

Astonished  beyond  measure,  two  of  them,  threw  their  arms 


mmmimm'^mm- 


rnmm 


^m 


THE    MIRACLES   OF    ROME. 


3>3 


around  my  shoulders  to  help  me  sit  a  moment,  and  change  my 
pillow ;  when  two  others  ran  to  the  table  which  the  kind  nuns 
of  Quebec  had  covered  with  delicacies  in  case  I  might  want 
them.  Their  joy  was  mixed  with  fear,  for  they  all  confessed  to 
me  afterwards  that  they  had  at  once  thought  that  all  this  was 
•nothing  but  the  last  brilliant  flash  of  light  which  the  flickering 
lamp  gives  before  dying  away.  But  they  soon  changed  their 
minds  when  they  saw  that  I  was  eating  ravenously,  and  that  I 
was  speaking  to  them  and  thanking  Gotl  with  a  cheerful  though 
very  feeble  voice.  "What  does  this  mean?"  they  all  said.  The 
doctors  told  us  last  evening,  that  you  were  dead;  and  we  have 
passed  the  night  not  only  weeping  over  your  death ;  but  praying 
for  your  soul,  to  rescue  it  from  the  flames  of  purgatory,  and  now 
you  look  so  hungry,  so  cheerful  and  well." 

I  answered :  "  It  means  that  I  whs  not  dead,  but  very  near 
dying,  and  when  I  felt  that  I  was  to  die,  I  prayed  to  St.  Anne 
and  St.  Philomene  to  come  to  my  help  and  cure  me;  and  they 
have  come.  I  have  seen  them  both,  there  above  my  hea^.  Ah ! 
if  I  were  a  painter,  what  a  beautiful  picture  I  could  make  of  that 
dear  old  St.  Anne  and  the  still  dearer  Philomene  I  for  it  is  St. 
Philomene  who  has  spoken  to  me  as  the  messenger  of  the 
mercies  of  God.  I  have  promised  to  have  their  portrait  painted 
and  put  into  the  church  of  The  Good  St.  Anne  du  Nord. 

While  I  was  speaking  thus,  the  priest  filled  with  admiration 
and  awe,  were  mute ;  they  could  not  speak  except  with  tears  of 
gratitude.  They  honestly  believed  with  me  that  my  cure  was 
miraculous,  and  consented  with  pleasure  to  sing  that  beautiful 
hymn  of  gratitude,  the  "Te  Deuni." 

The  next  morning,  the  news  of  my  miraculous  cure  spread 
through  the  whole  city  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning,  for  besides 
a  good  number  of  the  first  citizens  of  Quebec  who  were  related 
to  me  by  blood,  I  had  not  less  than  i,8oo  penitents  who  loved 
and  respected  me  as  their  spiritual  father. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  kind  interest  of  the  numberless  friends 
whom  God  had  given  me  when  in  Quebec,  I  will  relate  a  single 
fact.  The  citizens  who  were  near  our  parsonage,  having  been 
told,  by  a  physician,  that  the  inflammation  of  my  brain  was  so 


PBjffT'wir'' 


,ii.ii,i)iiijii.iiiiiqi^i^ 


324 


FIFTY    YEAHS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OK    HOME. 


m 


terrible  that  the  least  noise,  even  the  passing  of  curnnges  or  the 
walking  of  horses  on  the  streets,  was  causing  me  real  torture, 
they  immediately  covered  all  the  surrounding  streets  with 
several  inches  of  straw  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  any  more 
noise. 

The  physicians,  having  heard  of  my  sudden  cure,  hastened  to 
come  and  see  what  it  meant.  At  first,  they  could  scarcely  believe 
their  eyes.  The  night  before  they  had  given  me  up  for  dead, 
after  thirteen  days  suffering  with  the  most  horrible  and  incurable 
of  diseases!  And,  there  I  was,  the  very  next  morning,  perfectly 
cured!  No  more  pain,  not  the  least  remnant  of  fever,  all  the 
faculties  of  my  body  aiul  mind  perfectly  restored ! 

They  minutely  asked  me  all  the  circumstances  connected  with 
that  strange,  unexpected  cure;  and  I  told  them  simply  but  plainly, 
how,  at  the  very  moment  I  expected  to  die,  I  had  fervently 
prayed  to  St.  Anne  and  St.  Philomene,  and  how  they  had  come, 
spoken  to  me  and  cured  me. 

Two  of  my  physicians  were  Roman  Catholics,  and  three 
Protestants.  They  at  first  looked  at  each  other  without  saying 
a  word.  It  was  evident  they  were  not  all  partakers  of  my  strong 
faith  in  the  power  of  the  two  saints.  While  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic doctors,  Messrs.  Parent  and  Rousseau,  seemed  to  believe  in 
my  miraculous  cure,  the  Protestants  energetically  protested 
against  that  view  in  the  name  of  science  and  common  sense. 

Dr.  Douglas  put  me  the  following  questions,  and  received  the 
following  answers.     He  said : 

Dear  Father  Chiniquy,  you  know  you  have  not  a  more 
devoted  friend  in  Quebec  than  I,  and  you  know  me  too  well  to 
suspect  that  I  want  to  hurt  your  religious  feelings  when  I  tell 
you  that  there  is  not  the  least  appearance  of  a  miracle  in  your  so 
happy  and  sudden  cure.  If  you  will  be  kind  enough  to  answer 
my  questions,  you  will  see  that  you  are  mistaken  in  attributing 
to  a  miracle  a  thing  which  is  most  common  and  natural.  Though 
you  are  perfectly  cured,  you  are  very  weak ;  please  answer  only 
"  yes  "  or  "  no  "  to  my  questions,  in  order  not  to  exhaust  your- 
self. Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  us  if  this  is  the  first  vision 
you  have  had  during  the  period  of  that  terrible  fever? 


iimppipwifiwpi 


P1'fR1pr*?rrr^fV^si"-.v  hw^b^.^;?-, 


THE    MIRACLES   OP    ROME. 


325 


An 8.  I  have  had  many  other  visions,  hut  I  took  them  as 
being  the  effect  of  the  fever. 

Doctor.     Please  make  your  answers  shorter,  or  else  1  will 
not  ask  you  another  question,  for  it  would   hurt  you.     Tell  us- 
simply,  if  you  have  not  seen   in   those  visions,  at    times,   very 
frightful  and  terrihlc,  and  at  others,  very  beautiful  things. 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 

Doctor.  Have  not  those  visions  stamped  themselves  on 
your  mind  with  such  a  power  and  vividness  that  you  never 
forget  them,  and  that  you  deem  them  more  realities  than  mere 
visions  of  a  sickly  brain  ? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 

Doctor.  Did  you  not  feel  sometimes  much  worse,  and 
sometimes  much  better  after  those  visions,  according  to  their 
nature? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 

Doctor.  When  at  ease  in  your  mind  during  that  disease, 
were  you  not  used  to  pray  to  the  saints,  particularly  to  St.  Anne 
and  St.  Philomene? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 

Doctor.  When  you  considered  that  death  was  very  near 
(  and  it  was  indeed  )  when  you  had  heard  my  imprudent  sentence 
that  you  had  only  a  few  minutes  to  live,  were  you  not  taken 
suddenly,  by  such  a  fear  of  death  as  you  never  felt  before  ? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 

Doctor.  Did  you  not  then  make  a  great  effort  to  repel 
death  from  you  ? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 

Doctor.  Do  you  know  that  you  are  a  man  of  an  exceed- 
ingly strong  will,  and  that  very  few  men  can  resist  you  when 
you  want  to  do  something?  Do  you  not  know  that  your  will 
is  such  an  exceptional  power  that  mountains  of  difficulties  have 
disappeared  before  you,  here  in  Quebec  ?  Have  you  not  seen 
even  me,  with  many  others  yielding  to  your  will  almost  in  spite 
of  ourselvcfc.,  to  do  what  you  wanted  ? 

With  a  sr.iile,  i  answered,  "  yes,  sir." 

Doctor.     Do  you  not  know  that  the  will,  or  if    you  like  it 


Tit'; 


E'^^iiTOW'^''''^^'*'^  >  '^''^'ft^t^, 


S26 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


R?- 


'I    V  '" 


better,  the  soul,  has  a  real,  mysterious,  and  sometimes  an  irresis- 
tible  power  over  the  body,  to  silence  its  passions,  calm  its  suffer- 
ings, and  really  heal  its  diseases,  particularly  when  they  are  of 
a  nervous  nature,  and  in  all  cases  of  fever? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir!  I  know  that. 

Doctor.  Do  you  not  remember  seeing,  many  times,  people 
suffering  dreadfully  from  toothache,  coming  to  us  to  have  their 
teeth  extracted,  who  were  suddenly  cured  at  the  sight  of  the 
knives  and  other  surgical  instruments  we  put  upon  the  table  for 
use? 

I  answered  with  a  laugh,  "  Yes,  sir.  I  have  seen  that  very 
often,  and  it  has  occurred  to  me  once." 

Doctor.  Do  you  think  that  there  was  a  supernatural  power, 
then,  in  the  surgical  implements,  and  that  those  sudden  cures  of 
toothache  were  miraculous? 

Ans.     No,  sir? 

Doctor.  Have  you  not  read  the  volume  of  the  Medical 
Directory  I  lent  you  on  typhoid  fever  where  several  cures  exactly 
like  yours  are  reported.  * 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 

Then  addressing  the  physicians.  Doctor  Douglas  said  to 
them: 

"  We  must  not  exhaust  our  dear  Father  Chiniquy.  We  are 
too  happy  to  see  him  full  of  life  again,  but  from  his  answers  you 
understand  that  there  is  no  miracle  here.  His  happy  and  sudden 
cure  is  a  very  natural  and  common  thing.  The  vision  was  what 
we  call  the  turning-point  of  the  disease,  when  the  mind  is  power- 
fully  bent  on  some  very  exciting  object,  when  that  mysterious 
thing  of  which  we  know  so  little  as  yet,  called  the  will,  tlie 
spirit,  the  soul,  fights  as  a  giant  against  death,  in  which  battle, 
pains,  diseases  and  even  death  are  put  to  flight  and  conquered 

"My  dear  Father  Chiniquy,  irom  your  own  lips,  we  have  it; 
you  have  fought,  last  night,  the  fever  and  approaching  death,  as 
a  giant.  No  wonder  that  you  won  the  victory,  and  I  confess, 
iv  is  a  great  victory.  I  know  it  is  not  the  first  victory  you  have 
gained,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  not  be  the  last.  It  is  surely  God 
who  has  given  you  that  irresistible  will.     In  that  sense  only  does 


THE    MIRACLES   OF    ROME. 


327 


your  cure  come  from  Him.  Continue  to  fight  and  conquer  as 
you  have  done  last  night,  and  you  will  live  a  long  life. 
Death  will  long  remember  its  defeat  of  last  night,  and  will  not 
dare  approach  you  any  more,  except  when  you  will  be  so  old 
that  you  will  ask  it  to  come  as  a  friend  to  put  an  end  to  the 
miseries  of  this  present  life.     Good-bye." 

And  with  friendly  smiles,  all  the  doctors  pressed  my  hand 
and  left  me  just  as  the  bishop  and  the  curate  of  Quebec,  Mons. 
Baillargebn,  my  confessor,  were  entering  the  room. 

An  old  proverb  says:  "There  is  nothing  so  difficult  as  to 
persuade  a  man  who  does  not  want  to  be  persuaded."  Though 
the  reasoning  and  kind  words  of  the  doctor  ought  to  have  been 
gladly  listened  to  by  me,  they  had  only  bothered  me.  It  was 
infinitely  more  pleasant,  and  it  seemed  then,  morn  agreeable  to 
God,  and  more  according  to  my  faith  in  the  power  of  the  saints 
in  heaven,  to  believe  that  I  had  been  miraculously  cured.  Of 
course,  the  bishop,  with  his  coadjutc-  and  my  Lord  Turgeon,  as 
well  as  my  confessor,  with  the  numberless  priests  and  Roman 
Catholics  who  visited  me  during  my  convalesence,  confirmed 
me  in  my  views. 

The  skillful  Painter,  Mr.  Plamonon,  recently  from  Rome, 
was  called  and  painted,  at  the  price  of  $2CK}  (  JC50  )  the  tableau 
I  had  promised  to  put  in  the  church  of  St.  Anne  du  Nord.  It 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  remarkable  paintings  of  that 
artist,  who  had  passed  several  years  in  the  Capital  of  Fine  Arts  in 
Italy,  where  he  had  gained  a  very  good  reputation  for  his 
ability. 

Three  months  after  my  recovery,  I  was  at  the  parsonage  of 
the  curate  of  St.  Anne,  the  Rev.Mr.  Ranvoize,  a  relative  of  mine. 
He  was  about  65  years  of  age,  very  rich,  and  had  a  magnificent 
library.  When  young,  he  had  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  best  preachers  in  Canada. 

Never  had  I  been  so  saddened  and  scandalized  as  I  was  by 
him  on  this  occasion.  It  was  evening  when  I  arrived  with  my 
tableau.  As  soon  as  we  were  left  alone,  the  old  curate  said:  "Is 
it  possible,  my  dear  young  cousin,  that  you  will  make  such  a  fool 
of  yourself  to-morrow  ?  That  so-called  miraculous  cure  is  nothing 


,  .'.£ >$sarnk 


3*8 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  O?  ROME. 


but  "  naturae  suprema  vis  "  as  the  learned  of  all  ages  have  called 
it.  Your  so-called  vision  was  a  dreani  of  your  sickly  brain,  as 
it  generally  occurs  in  the  moment  of  the  supreme  crisis  of  the 
fever.  It  is  what  is  called  "  the  turning-point "  of  the  disease, 
when  a  desperate  effort  of  nature  kills  or  cures  the  patient.  As 
for  the  vision  of  that  beautiful  girl,  whom  you  call  St.  Philo- 
mene,  who  has  done  you  so  much  good,  she  is  not  the  first  girl, 
surely,  who  has  come  to  you  in  your  dreams,  and  done  you 
good!"  At  these  words  he  laughed  so  heartily  that  I  feared 
he  would  split  his  sides.  Twice  he  repeated  this  unbecoming 
joke. 

I  was,  at  first,  so  shocked  at  this  unexpected  rebuke,  which  I 
considered  as  bordering  on  blasphemy,  that  I  came  very  near 
taking  my  hat  without  answering  a  word,  to  go  and  s  i  the 
night  at  his  brother's  ;  but  after  a  moment's  reflection,  .  said  to 
him: 

"How  can  you  speak  with  such  levity  on  so  solemn  a 
thing  ?  Do  you  not  believe  in  the  power  of  the  saints,  who 
being  more  holy  and  pure  than  we  are,  see  God  face  to  face, 
speak  to  Him  and  obtain  favors  which  He  would  refn.se  us 
rebels?  Are  you  not  the  daily  witness  of  the  miraculous  cures 
wrought  in  your  own  church,  under  your  own  eyes?  Why 
those  thousands  of  crutches  which  literally  cover  the  walls  of 
your   church? 

My  strong  faith,  and  the  earnestness  of  my  appeal  to 
the  daily  miracles  of  which  he  was  the  witness,  and  above 
all,  the  mention  of  the  numberless  crutches  suspended  all 
over  the  walls  of  his  church,  brought  again  from  him  such  a 
Homeric  laugh,  that  I  was  disconcerted  and  saddened  beyond 
measure.  I  remained  absolutely  mute;  I  wished  I  had  never 
come  into  such  company. 

When  he  had  laughed  at  me  to  his  heart's  content,  he  said: 
«  My  dear  cousin,  you  are  the  first  one  to  whom  I  speak  in  this 
way.  I  do  it  because,  first:  I  consider  you  a  man  of  intelli- 
gence, and  hope  you  will  understand  me.  Secondly:  because 
you  are  my  cousin.  Were  you  one  of  those  idiotic  priests,  real 
blockheads,  who  form  the  clergy  to-day ;  or,  were  you  a  stranger 


'■\iyit^l!ftfj^/WmJ^;¥r^^%f!-,'.  '-W^I^SIIIf^^fSmf^^^^J^ 


THE    MIRACLES   OF    ROME. 


329 


to  me,  I  would  let  you  go  your  way,  and  believe  in  those  ridicu- 
lous, degrading  superstitions  of  our  poor  ignorant  and  blind 
people,  but  I  know  you  from  your  infancy,  and  I  have  known 
your  father,  who  was  one  of  my  dearest  friends ;  the  blood  which 
flows  in  your  veins,  passes  thousands  of  times  every  day  through 
my  heart.  You  are  very  young  and  I  very  old.  It  is  a  duty  of 
honor  and  conscience  in  me  to  reveal  to  you  a  thing  which  I 
have  thought  better  to  keep  till  now,  a  secret  between  God  and 
myself.  I  have  been  here  more  than  thirty  years,  and  though  our 
country  is  constantly  filled  with  the  noise  of  the  great  and  small 
miracles  wrought  in  my  church  every  day,  I  am  ready  to  swear 
before  God,  and  to  prove  to  any  man  of  common  sense,  that  not 
a  single  miracle  has  been  wrought  in  my  church  since  I  have 
come  here.  Every  one  of  the  facts  given  to  the  Canadian  peojile 
as  miraculous  cures,  are  sheer  impositions,  deceptions,  the  work 
of  either  fools,  or  the  work  of  skillful  impostors  and  hypocrites, 
whether  priests  or  laymen.  Believe  me,  my  dear  cousin,  I  have 
studied  carefully  the  history  of  all  those  clutches.  Ninety-nine 
out  of  a  hundred  have  been  left  by  poor,  lazy  beggars,  who,  at 
first,  thought  with  good  reason  that  by  walking  from  door  to 
door  with  one  or  two  crutches,  they  would  create  more  sympa- 
thy and  bring  more  into  their  purses;  for  how  many  will  indig- 
nantly turn  out  of  doors  a  lazy,  strong  and  healthful  beggar, 
who  will  feel  great  compassion,  and  give  largely  to  a  man  who 
is  crippled,  unable  to  work,  and  forced  to  drag  himself  painfully 
on  crutches?  Those  crutches  are  then  passports  from  door  to 
door.  They  are  the  very  keys  to  open  both  the  hearts  and  purses. 
But  the  day  comes  when  that  beggar  has  bought  a  pretty  good 
farm  with  his  stolen  alms;  or  when  he  is  really  tired,  disgusted 
with  his  crutches  and  wants  to  get  rid  of  them !  How  can  he  do 
that  without  compromising  himself  ? 

"  By  a  miracle !  Then,  he  will  sometimes  travel  again 
hundreds  of  miles  from  door  to  door,  begging  as  usual,  but  this 
time  he  asks  the  prayers  of  the  whole  family,  saying  :  '  I  am 
going  to  the  '  good  St.  Anne  du  Nord  '  to  ask  her  to  cure  my 
leg  (or  legs).  I  hope  she  will  cure  me.  as  she  has  cured  so  many 
others,  I  have  great  confidence  in  her  power!      Each  one  gives 


ki;!£^ilY>^ih^'A\1.5i-lit^^:^'^^'iK^;^,,. 


■iplmlpflppiipppipii 


330 


FIFTY    YEAHS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OK    ROME. 


I 


twice,  nay,  ten  times  as  much  as  before   to   the   poor   cripple 
making  him  promise  that  if    he   is  cured,  he  will  come  back  and 
show  himself,  that  they  may  bless  the  good  St.  Anne  with  him. 
When  he  arrives  here,  he  gives   me  sometimes  one,  sometimes 
five  dollars,  to  say  mass  for  him.     I  take  the  money,  for  I  would 
be  a  fool  to  refuse  it  when  I  know,  that  his  purse  has   been  so 
well    filled.       During  the   celebration   of    the    mass,    when    he 
receives  the  communion,  I  hear  generally,  a  great  noise,  cries  of 
joy!     A  miracle!     A  miracle!  1     The   crutches  are  thrown  on 
the  floor,  and  the  cripple  walks  as  well   as   you  or  I !     And  the 
last  act  of   that  religious  comedy  is  the  most  lucrative  one,  for 
he  fulfills  his  promise  of  stopping  at  every  house  he  had  ever 
been  seen  with  his  crutches.     He  narrates  how  he  was  miracu- 
lously cured,  how  his  feet  and   legs  became  suddenly  all  right. 
Tears    of  joy  and  admiration  flow  from  every  eye.     The  last 
cent  of  that  family  is  generally  given  to  the  impostor,  who  soon 
grows  rich  at  the  expense  of  his  dupes.     This  is  the  plain  but 
true   story   of    ninety-nine  out  of    every  hundred  of  the  cures 
wrought   in   my   church.      The   hundredth,   is    upon  people  as 
honest,  but,  pardon  me  the  expression,  as  blind  and    superstitions 
as  you  are;  they  are  really  cured,  for  they  were  really  sick.    But 
their  cures  are  the  natural  effects  of   the  great  effort  of  the  will. 
It  is  the  result  of  a  happy  combination  of  natural  causes  which 
work   together  on   the  frame,  and  kill  the  pain,  expel  the  dis- 
ease and  restore  the  health,  just  as  I  was  cured  of  a  most  horri- 
ble toothache,  some  years  ago.     In  the  paroxysm  I  went  to  the 
dentist  and  requested  him  to  extract  the  affected  tooth.     Hardly 
had  his  knife  and  other  surgical  instruments  come  before  my 
eyes  than  the  pain  disappeared.     I  quietly  took  my  hat  and  left, 
bidding  a  hearty  '  good-bye'  to  the  dentist,  who  laughed  at  me 
every  time  we  met,  to  his  heart's  content. 

"  One  of  the  weakest  points  of  our  religion  is  in  the  ridicul- 
ous, I  venture  to  say ,  diabolical  miracles,  performed  and  believed 
every  day  among  us,  with  the  so-called  relics  and  bones  of  the 
saints. 

"  But,  don't  you  know  that,  for  the  most  part,  these  relics 
are     nothing    but    chickens'   or    sheeps'     bones.       And     what 


>.•-•«« 


"^l!^^!'>pr,mirip 


'«f'sf!'if!a?if!f«ppw??^^ 


THE    M1RACI.es    OF    ROME. 


33' 


could  I  not  say,  were  I  to  tell  you  what  I  know  of  the  daily 
miraculous  impostures  of  the  scapulars,  holy  water,  chaplets  and 
med.ils  of  every  kind.  Were  I  a  pope,  I  would  throw  all  these 
mummeries,  which  come  from  paganism,  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  would  present  to  the  eyes  of  the  sinners,  nothing  but  Christ 
and  Him  crucified  as  the  object  of  their  faith,  invocatioii  and 
hope,  for  this  life  and  the  next,  just  as  the  Apostles  Paul,  Peter 
and  James  do  in  their  Epistles." 

I  cannot  repeat  here,  all  that  I  heard  that  night  from  that  old 
relative,  against  the  miracles,  relics,  scapulars,  purgatory,  false 
saints  and  ridiculous  practices  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  It 
would  take  too  long,  for  he  spoke  three  hours  as  a  real  Protes- 
tant. Sometimes  what  he  said  seemed  to  me  according  to 
common  sense,  but  as  it  was  against  the  practices  of  my  church, 
and  against  my  personal  practices,  I  was  exceedingly  scandalized 
and  pained,  and  not  at  all  convinced.  I  pitied  him  for  having  lost 
his  former  faith  and  piety.  I  told  him  at  the  end,  without  cere- 
mony :  "  I  heard,  long  ago,  that  the  bishops  did  not  like  you, 
but  I  knew  not  why.  However,  if  they  could  hear  what  you 
think  and  say  here  about  the  miracles  of  St.  Anne,  they  would 
surely  interdict  you." 

"Will  you  betray  mer"  he  added,  "and  will  you  report 
our  conversation  to  the  bishop  ?" 

"  No,  my  cousin,"  I  replied,  "  I  would  prefer  to  be  burned  to 
ashes.  T  will  not  sell  your  kind  hospitality  for  the  traitor's 
money." 

It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  we  parted  to  go  to 
our  sleeping  rooms.  But  that  night  was  again  a  sleepless  one 
to  me.  Was  it  not  too  sad  and  strange  for  me  to  see  that  that 
old  and  learned  priest  was  secretly  a  Protestant! 

The  next  morning  the  crowds  began  to  arrive,  not  by  hun- 
dreds, but  by  thousands,  from  the  surrounding  parij>hes.  The 
channel  between  "  L'Isle  D'Orleans "  and  St.  Anne,  was 
litterally  covered  with  boats  of  every  size,  laden  with  men  and 
women  who  wanted  to  hear  from  my  own  lips,  the  history  of 
my  miraculous  cure,  and  see,  with  their  own  eyes,  the  picture  of 
the  two  saints  who  had  appeared  to  me.     At  lo  a.  m.,  more 


mm^^m^&mmiwfm^^ 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 

than  10,000  people  were  crowded  inside  and  outsidef  the  wall 
of  the  Church. 

No  words  can  give  an  idea  of  my  emotion  and  of  the 
emotion  of  the  multitude  when,  after  telling  them  in  a  simple 
and  plain  way,  what  I  then  consiilered  a  miraculous  fact,  I  dis- 
closed the  picture,  and  presented  it  to  their  admiration  and 
worship.  There  were  tears  rolling  on  every  cheek  and  cries  of 
admiration  and  joy  from  every  Up. 

The  picture  represented  me  dying  in  my  bed  of  suffer- 
ings, and  the  two  saints  seen  at  a  distance  above  me  and 
stretching  their  hands  as  if  to  say :  "  You  will  be  cured."  It 
was  hung  on  the  walls,  in  a  conspicuous  place,  where  thousands 
and  thousands  have  come  to  worship  it  from  that  day  to  the 
year  1858,  when  the  curate  was  ordered  by  the  bishop  to  burn 
it,  for  it  had  pleased  our  merciful  God  that  very  year,  to  take 
away  the  scales  which  were  on  my  eyes  and  show  me  his 
saving  light,  and  I  had  published  all  over  Canada,  my  terrible, 
though  unintentional  error,  in  believing  in  that  false  miracle.  I 
was  so  honest  in  my  belief  in  a  miraculous  cure ;  and  the  appari- 
tion of  the  two  saints  had  left  such  a  deep  impression  on  mv 
mind,  that,  I  confess  it  to  my  shame,  the  first  week  after  my 
conversion,  I  very  often  said  to  myself:  "  How  is  it  that  I  now 
believe  that  the  Church  of  Rome  is  false,  when  such  a  miracle 
has  been  wrought  on  me  as  one  of  her  priests  ? " 

But,  our  God,  whose  mercies  are  infinite,  knowing  my 
honesty  when  a  slave  of  Popery,  was  determined  to  give  me 
the  full  understanding  of  my  errors  in  this  way. 

About  a  month  after  my  conversion,  in  1858,  I  had  to  visit 
a  dying  Irish  convert  from  Romanism,  who  had  caught  in 
Chicago,  the  same  fever  which  so  nearly  killed,  me  at  the 
Marine  Hospital  of  Quebec.  I  again  caught  the  disease,  and 
during  twelve  days,  passed  through  the  same  tortures  and  suffer- 
ed the  same  agonies  as  in  1837.  But  this  time,  I  was  reall)- 
happy  to  die;  there  was  no  fear  for  me  to  see  the  good  works  as 
a  grain  of  sand  in  my  favor,  and  the  mountains  of  my  iniquities 
in  the  balance  of  God  against  me.  I  just  had  given  up  my 
Pharisaical  holiness  of  old;  it  was  no  more  in  my  good  works, 


|piipiPiP'7?f?!^R!WJ5Wi^^ 


THE    MIRACLES    OF    ROME. 


333 


my  alms,  my  penances,  my  personal  efforts,  I  was  trusting  to 
be  saved ;  it  was  in  Jesus  alone.  My  good  works  were  no  more 
put  by  me  in  the  balance  of  the  justice  of  God  to  pay  my  debts 
and  to  appeal  for  mercy.  It  was  the  blood  of  Jesus,  the  Lamb 
slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  for  me,  which  was  in 
the  balance.  It  was  the  tears  of  Jesus,  the  nails,  the  crown  of 
thorns,  the  heavy  cross,  the  cruel  death  of  Jesus  only,  which 
was  there  to  pay  my  debts  and  to  cry  for  mercy.  I  had  no  fear 
then,  for  I  knew  that  I  was  saved  by  Jesus,  and  that  that  salva- 
tion was  a  perfect  act  of  His  love,  His  mercy  and  Hjs  power; 
consequently  I  was  glad  to  die. 

But  when  the  doctor  had  left  me,  the  thirteenth  day  of  my 
sufferings,  saying  the  very  same  words  of  the  doctors  of  Quebec : 
«  He  has  only  a  few  minutes  to  live,  if  he  be  not  already  dead." 
The  kind  friends  who  were  around  my  bed,  filled  the  room 
with  their  cries!  Although  for  three  or  four  days  I  had  not 
moved  a  finger,  said  a  single  word,  or  given  any  sign  of  life,  I 
was  perfectly  conscious.  I  had  heard  the  words  of  the  doctor  and  I 
was  glad  to  exchange  the  miseries  of  this  short  life  for  that 
eternity  of  glory  which  my  Savior  hati  bought  for  me.  I  only 
regretted  to  die  before  bringing  more  of  ray  dear  countrymen 
out  of  the  idolatrous  religion  of  Rome,  and  from  the  lips  of  my 
soul,  I  said:  "  Dear  Jesus,  I  am  glad  to  go  with  thee  just  now, 
but  if  it  be  thy  will  to  let  me  live  a  few  years  more,  that  I  may 
spread  the  light  of  the  gospel  among  my  countrymen;  grant 
me  to  live  a  few  years  more,  and  I  will  bless  thee  eternally,  with 
my  converted  countrymen,  for  thy  mercy.  This  prayer  had 
scarcely  reached  the  mercy  seat,  when  I  saw  a  dozen  bishops 
marching  toward  me,  sword  in  hand,  to  kill  me.  As  the  first 
sword  raised  to  strike  was  coming  down  to  split  my  head,  I 
made  a  desperate  effort,  wrenched  it  from  the  hand  of  my  would- 
be  r"urderer,  and  struck  such  a  blow  on  his  neck  that  the  head 
rolled  dov.'n  to  the  floor.  The  second,  third,  fourth,  and  so  on  to 
the  last,  rushed  to  kill  me; but  I  struck  such  terrible  blows  on  the 
necks  of  every  one  of  them,  that  twelve  heads  were  rolling  on 
the  floor  and  swimming  in  a  pool  of  blood.  In  my  excitement 
I  cried  to  my  friends  around  me:  "Do  you  not  see  the  heads 
rolling  and  the  blood  flowing  on  the  floor?" 


WW^'W^'m'^'''^^^^ 


334 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


And  suddenly  I  felt  a  kind  of  electric  shock  from  head  to  foot. 
I  was  cured !  perfectly  cured  ! !  I  asked  my  friends  for  some- 
thing to  eat;  I  had  not  taken  any  food  for  twelve  days.  And 
with  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude  to  God,  they  complied  with  my 
request. 

This  last  was  not  only  the  perfect  cure  of  the  body,  but  it 
was  a  perfect  cure  of  thp  soul.  I  understood  then  clearly  that 
the  first  was  not  more  miraculous  than  the  second.  I  had  a  per- 
fect understanding  of  the  diabolical  forgeries  and  miracles  of 
Rome.  It  was  in  both  cases,  I  was  not  cured  or  saved  by  the 
saints,  the  bishops  or  the  Popes,  buf  by  my  God,  through  his 
son  Jesus. 


wppffipw^p 


Chapter    XXXIII. 


UT  NOMINATION  AS  CTTRATE  OF  BBATTPOBT-DBaBADATION 
AND  BtTIN  OF  THAT  PI<AOB  THBOUOH  DBXTNKBNNBSS- 
VCX  OPPOSITION  TO  VCZ  NOMINATION  t7SEI.BSS-FBEPABA- 
TIONS  TO  ESTABLISH  A  TBMPBBANOB  SOCIBTT-I  WBITB 
TO  FATHBB  MATHBW  FOB  ADVIOB. 


THE  2 1st  of  September,  1838,  was  a  day  of  desolation  to 
me.  On  that  day  I  received  the  letter  of  my  bishop 
appointing  me  curate  of  Beauport. 

Many  times,  I  had  said  to  the  other  priests,  when  talking 
about  our  choice  of  the  different  parishes,  that  I  would  never 
consent  to  be  curate  of  Beauport. 

That  parish,  which  is  a  kind  of  suburb  of  Quebec,  was 
too  justly  considered  the  very  nest  of  the  drunkards  of  Canada. 
With  a  soil  of  unsurpassed  fertility,  inexhaustible  lime  quarries, 
gardens  covered  with  most  precious  vegetables  and  fruits, 
forests  near  at  hand,  to  furnish  wood  to  the  city  of  Quebec, 
at  their  doors,  the  people  of  Beauport  were,  nevertheless,  classed 
among  the  poorest,  most  ragged  and  wretched  people  of  Canada. 
For  almost  every  cent  they  were  getting  at  the  market  went  into 
the  hands  of  the  saloon-keepers. 

Hundreds  of  times  I  had  seen  the  streets  which  led  from  St. 
Roch  to  the  upper  town  of  Quebec  almost  impassable,  when 
the  drunkards  of  Beauport  were  leaving  the  market  to  go 
home. 

How  many  times  I  heard  them  fill  the  air  with  their  cries 
and  blasphemies ;  and  saw  the  streets  reddened  with  their  blood 
when  fighting  with  one  another,  like  mad  dogsl 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Begin,  who  was  their  cure  since  1825,  had 
accepted  the  moral  principles  of  the  great  Roman  Catholic 
"  Theologia  Liguori,"  which  says,  "  that  a  man  is  not  guilty  of 

335 


»w»if  !'jiT.w!"^''W'''!Hi»*i'i%  wm 


336 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  sin  of  drunkenness,  so  long  as  he  can  distinguish  between  a 
a  small  pin  anfl  a  load  of  hay."  Of  course  the  people  would 
not  find  thcns  'cs  guilty  of  sin,  so  long  as  their  eyes  could 
make  that  distinction. 

After  weeping  to  my  heart's  content  at  the  reading  of  the 
letter  from  my  bishop,  which  had  come  to  mc  as  a  thunderbolt, 
my  first  thought  was  that  my  misfortune,  though  very  great  was 
not  irretrievable.  I  knew  that  there  were  many  priests  who  were 
as  anxious  to  become  curates  of  Bcauport  as  I  was  opposed  to  it. 

My  hope  was  that  the  bishop  would  be  touched  by  my 
tears,  if  not  convinced  by  my  arguments,  and  that  he  would  not 
persist  in  putting  on  my  shoulders  a  burden  which  they  could 
not  carry. 

I  immediately  went  to  the  palace,  and  did  all  in  my  power 
to  persuade  his  lordship  to  select  another  priest  for  Beauport. 

He  listened  to  my  arguments  with  a  great  deal  of  patience 
and  kindness,  and  answ  ered : 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  you  forget  too  often,  that  '  im- 
plicit and  perfect  obedience'  to  his  superiors  is  the  virtue  of  a 
good  priest?  You  have  given  me  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and 
disappointment  by  refusing  to  relieve  the  good  bishop  Provcn- 
cher  of  his  too  heavy  burden.  It  was  at  my  suggestion,  you 
know  very  well,  that  he  had  selected  you  to  be  his  co-worker 
along  the  coasts  of  the  Pacific,  by  consenting  to  become  the 
first  Bishop  of  Oregon.  Your  obstinate  resistance  to  your 
superiors  in  that  circumstance,  and  in  several  other  cases,  is  one 
of  your  weak  points.  If  you  continue  to  follow  your  own 
mind  rather  than  obey  those  whom  God  has  chosen  to  guide 
you,  I  really  fear  for  your  future.  I  have  already  too  often 
yielded  to  your  rebellious  character.  Through  respect  to  myself, 
and  for  your  own  good,  to-day  I  must  force  you  to  obey  me. 
You  have  spoken  of  the  drunkenness  of  the  people  of  Beauport, 
as  one  of  the  reasons  why  I  should  not  put  you  at  the  head  of 
that  parish;  but  this  is  just  one  of  the  reasons  why  I  have 
chosen  you.  You  are  the  only  priest  I  know,  in  my  diocese, 
able  to  struggle  against  the  long-rooted  and  detestable  evil,  with 
a  hope  of  success. 


;•  ^'.w-^ikVilMiVtyifejijto^i^MiMi^MM 


fT''P(!iPPWI!P»"WR1!P)P5?T^ 


NOMINATED   CURATE   OF    REAUPORT. 


337 


" '  ^uod  seriptum  script um  est?  Your  name  is  entered  in  our 
official  registers  as  the  curate  of  Beauport;  it  will  remain  thero 
till  I  find  better  reasons  than  those  you  have  given  me  to  change 
my  mind.  After  allj  you  cannot  complain ;  Beauport  is  not  only 
the  most  beautiful  parishes  of  Canada,  but  it  is  one  of  the  most 
splendid  spots  in  the  world.  It  is,  besides,  a  parish  which  gives 
<rreat  revenues  to  its  curate.  In  your  beautiful  parsonage,  at  the 
door  of  the  old  capital  of  Canada,  you  will  have  the  privileges 
of  the  city,  and  the  enjoyments  of  some  of  the  most  splendid 
sceneries  of  this  continent.  If  you  are  not  satisfied  with  me 
to-day,  I  do  not  know  what  I  can  do  to  please  you." 

Though  far  from  being  reconciled  to  my  new  position,  I 
saw  there  was  no  help;  I  had  to  obey.  As  my  predecessor, 
Mr.  Begin,  was  to  sell  all  his  house  furniture,  before  taking 
charge  of  his  far  distant  parish.  La  Riviere  Quelle,  he  kindly 
invited  me  to  go  and  buy,  on  long  credit,  what  I  wished  for 
my  own  use,  which  I  did. 

The  whole  parish  was  on  the  spot  long  before  me,  partly  to 
show  their  friendly  sympathy  for  their  last  pastor,  and  partly  to 
see  their  new  curate.  I  was  not  long  in  the  crowd  without 
seeing  that  my  small  stature  and  my  leanness  were  making  a 
very  bad  impression  on  the  people,  who  were  accustomed  to  pay 
their  respects  to  a  comparatively  tall  man,  whose  large  and 
square  shoulders  were  putting  me  in  the  shade. 

Many  jovial  i-emarks,  though  made  in  half-suppressed  tones, 
came  to  my  eai-s,  to  tell  me  that  I  was  cutting  a  poor  figure  by 
the  side  of  my  jolly  predecessor. 

"  He  is  hardly  bigger  than  my  tobacco  box, "  said  one  not 
far  from  me:    "  I  think  I  could  put  him  in  my  vest  pocket." 

"Has  he. not  the  appearance  of  a  salted  sardine!"  whispered 
a  woman  to  her  neighbor,  with  a  hearty  laugh. 

Had  I  been  a  little  wiser,  I  could  have  redeemed  myself  by 
some  amiable  or  funny  words,  which  would  have  sounded  pleas- 
antly in  the  ears  of  my  new  parishioners. 

But,  unfortunately  for  me,  that  wisdom  is  not  among  the  gifts 
I  received  from  nature.  After  a  couple  of  hours  of  auction,  a 
large  cloth   was   suddenly   removed    from    a   long  table,  and 


mm 


iiiipPliiiPi!Pii«^|Pilii^^ 


338 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


presented  to  our  sight  an  incredible  number  ol  wine  and  beer 
glasses,  of  empty  decanters  and  bottles  of  all  sizes  and  quality. 

This  brought  a  burst  of  laughter  and  clapping  of  hands  from 
almost  every  one.  All  eyes  were  turned  towards  me,  and  I 
heard  from  hundreds  of  lips;     "  This  is  for  you,  Mr.  Chiniquy." 

Without  weighing  my  words,  I  instantly  answered :  "  I  do 
not  come  to  Beauport  to  buy  wine  glasses  and  bottles,  but  to 
break  them." 

"  These  words  fell  upon  their  ears  as  a  spark  of  fire  on  a 
train  of  powder.  Nine-tenths  of  that  multitude,  without  being 
very  drunk,  had  emptied  from  four  to  ten  glasses  of  beer  or 
rum,  which  Rev.  Mr.  Begin  himself  was  offering  them  in 
a  corner  of  the  parsonage.  A  real  deluge  of  insults  and  cursint^s 
overwhelmed  mc;  and  I  soon  saw  that  the  best  thing  I  could  do 
was  to  leave   the  place  without  noise,  and  by  the  shortest  way. 

I  immediately  went  to  the  bishop's  palace,  to  try  again  to 
persuade  his  lordship  to  put  another  curate  at  the  head  of  such  a 
people. 

"  You  see,  my  lord,"  I  said,  «'that  by  my  indiscreet  and  rash 
answer  I  have  forever  lost  the  respect  and  confidence  of  that 
people.  They  already  hate  me ;  their  brutal  cursings  have  fallen 
upon  me  like  balls  of  fire.  I  prefer  to  be  carried  to  my  grave 
next  Sabbath,  than  have  to  address  such  a  degraded  people.  I 
feel  that  I  have  neither  the  moral  or  the  physical  power  to  do 
any  good  there." 

"I  differ  from  you,"  replied  the  bishop.  "Evidently  the 
people  wanted  to  try  your  mettle,  by  inviting  you  to  buy  those 
glasses,  and  you  would  have  lost  yourself  by  yielding  to  their 
desire.  Now  they  have  seen  that  you  are  brave  and  fearless.  It 
is  just  what  the  people  of  Beauport  want;  I  have  known  them 
for  a  long  time.  It  is  true  that  they  are  drunkards;  but,  apart  from 
that  vice,  there  is  not  a  nobler  people  under  heaven.  They 
have,  literally,  no  education,  but  they  possess  marvellous  common 
sense,  and  have  many  noble  and  redeeming  qualities,  which  you 
will  soon  find  out.  You  took  them  by  surprise  when  you  boldly 
said  you  wanted  to  break  their  glasses  and  decanters.  Believe 
me,  they  will  bless  you  if,  by  the  grace  of  God,  you  fulfill  '^••^m 


ipppippipppipiiipiiPMiPiiii  iiiiwiiiiiiiiiiiiiii>'  >  >  ^'J '  II  n 


NOMINATED  CURATE  OF  BEAUPORT. 


339 


prophecy ;  though  it  will  be  a  miracle  if  you  succeed  in  making 
the  people  of  Beauport  sober.  But  you  must  not  despair.  Trust 
in  God;  fight  as  a  good  soldier,  and  Jesus  Christ  will  win  the 
victory." 

Those  kind  words  of  my  bishop  did  me  good,  though  I 
would  have  preferred  being  sent  tu  the  back  woods  of  Canada, 
than  to  the  great  parish  of  Beauport.  I  felt  that  the  only  thing 
that  I  had  to  do  was  to  trust  in  God  for  success,  and  to  fight  as 
if  I  were  to  gain  the  day.  It  came  to  my  mind  that  I  had  com- 
mitted a  great  sin  by  obstinately  refusing  to  become  bishop  of 
Oregon,  and  my  God,  as  a  punishment,  had  given  me  the  very 
parish  for  which  I  felt  an  almost  insurmountable  repugnance. 

Next  Sunday  was  a  splendid  day,  and  the  church  of  Beau- 
port was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  by  the  people,  eager  to  see 
and  hear,  for  the  first  time,  their  new  pastor. 

I  had  spent  the  last  three  days  in  prayers  and  fastings.  God 
knows  that  never  a  priest,  nor  any  minister  of  the  gospel, 
ascended  the  pulpit  with  more  exalted  views  of  his  sublime  func- 
tions than  I  did  that  day,  and  never  a  messenger  of  the  gospel 
had  been  more  terrified  than  I  was,  when  in  that  pulpit,  by  the  con- 
sciousness of  his  own  demerits,  inability  and  incompetency,  in  the 
face  of  the  tremendous  responsibilities  of  his  position.  My  first 
sermon  was  on  the  text:  "  Woe  unto  me  if  I  preach  not  the 
gospel"  (i  Cor.  ix.  i6).  With  a  soul  and  heart  filled  with  the 
profoundest  emotions,  a  voice  many  times  suffocated  by  uncon- 
trollable sobs,  I  expounded  to  them  some  of  the  awful  responsibil- 
ities of  a  pastor.  The  effect  of  the  sermon  was  felt  to  the  last 
day  of  my  priestly  ministry  in  Beauport. 

After  the  sermon,  I  told  them :  "  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of 
you.  As  it  is  the  first,  I  hope  you  will  not  rebuke  me.  I  have 
just  now  given  you  some  of  the  duties  of  your  poor  young  curate 
towards  you ;  I  want  you  to  come  again  this  afternoon  at  half 
past  two  o'clock,  that  I  may  give  you  some  of  your  duties 
towards  your  pastor."  At  the  appointed  hour  the  church  was 
11  more  crowded  than  in  the  morning,  and  it  seemed  to  me 
that  my  merciful  God  blessed  still  more  that  second  address 
•    '.n  the  first. 


*v,^ 


^BAay-^,^ 


CANADA, 


A> 


i^LlAU^^ 


■w-fwmmf?mmm^mm.mm^W!m^ 


340 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


The  text  was:  "  When  he  (the  shepherd)  putteth  forth  his 
own  sheep,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him,  for 
they  know  his  voice."  (J no.  x  14). 

Those  two  sermons  on  the  Sabbath  were  a  startling  innova- 
tion in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  of  Canada,  which  brought 
upon  me,  at  once,  many  bitter  remarks  from  the  bishop  and  sur- 
rounding curates.  Their  unanimous  verdict  was  that  I  wanted 
to  become  a  little  reformer.  They  had  not  the  least  doubt  that  in 
my  pride  I"wanted  to  show  to  the  people  "  that  I  was  the  most 
zealous  priest  of  the  country. "  This  was  not  only  whispered 
from  ear  to  ear  among  the  clergy,  but  several  times  it  was 
thrown  into  my  face  in  the  most  insulting  manner.  However,  my 
God  knew  that  my  only  motives  were,  first,  to  keep  my  people 
away  from  the  taverns,  by  having  them  before  their  altars  durin*'' 
the  greatest  part  oi  the  Sabbath  day ;  second,  to  impi'css  more 
on  their  minds  the  great  saving  and  regener;Uing  truths  I 
preached,  bypresenting  them  twice  on  the  same  day  under  dif- 
ferent aspects. 

I  iound  such  benefits  from  those  two  sermons,  that  I  contin- 
ued the  practice  during  the  four  years  I  remained  in  Beauport, 
though  I  had  to  suffer  and  hear,  in  silence,  many  humiliating 
and  cutting  remarks  from  many  co-priests. 

I  had  not  been  more  than  three  months  at  the  head  of  that 
parish,  when  I  determined  to  organize  a  temperance  society  on 
the  sane  principles  as  Father  Mathew,  in  Ireland. 

I  opened  my  mind,  at  first,  on  that  subject  to  the  bishop 
with  the  hope  that  he  would  throw  the  influence  of  his  position 
in  favor  of  the  new  association,  but,  to  my  great  dismay  and 
surprise,  not  only  did  he  turn  my  project  into  ridicule,  but  abso- 
lutely forbade  imj  to  think  any  more  of  such  an  innovation. 

"  These  temperance  societies  are  a  Protestant  scheme,"  lie 
said:  "  Preach  against  drunkenness,  but  let  the  respectable  peo- 
ple who  are  not  drunkards  alone.  St.  Paul  advised  his  disciple 
Timothy  to  drink  wine.  Do  not  try  to  be  more  zealous  than 
they  were  in  those  apostolic  days." 

I  left  the  bishop  much  disappointed,  but  did  not  give  up  my 
plan.     It  seemed  to  me  if  I  could  gain  the  neighboring  priests  to 


tt 


'Z  iiSvT^.?'  *-. . 


"n!51 


NOMINATED  CURATE  OF  BEAUFORT. 


34> 


join  with  me  in  my  crusade  I  wanted  to  preach  a^^ainst  the 
usage  of  intoxicating  drinks,  we  might  bring  about  a  glorious 
reform  in  Canada,  as  Father  Mathew  was  doing  in  Ireland. 

But  the  priests,  without  a  single  exception,  laughed  at  me, 
turned  my  plans  into  ridicule,  and  requested  me,  in  the  name  of 
common  sense,  never  to  speak  any  more  to  them  of  giving  up 
their  social  glass  of  wirx." 

I  shall  never  be  able  to  give  any  idea  of  my  sadness,  when  I 
saw  that  I  was  to  be  opposed  by  my  bishop  and  the  whole 
clergy  in  the  reform  which  I  considered  then,  more  and  more 
every  day,  the  only  plank  of  salvation,  not  only  of  my  dear  peo- 
ple of  Beauport,  but  of  all  Canada.  God  only  knows  the  tears  I 
shed,  the  long  sleepless  nights  I  have  passed  in  studying,  praying, 
-leditating  on  that  great  and  holy  work  of  Beauport.  I  had 
recourse  to  all  the  saints  of  heaven  for  more  strength  and  light; 
for  I  was  determined,  at  any  cost,  to  try  and  form  a  temperance 
society. 

But  <;very  time  I  wanted  to  begin,  I  was  frightened  by  the 
idea,  not  only  of  the  wrath  of  the  whole  clergy,  which  would 
hunt  me  down,  but  still  more  of  the  ridicule  of  the  whole  coun- 
try, which  would  overwhelm  me  in  case  of  a  failure.  In  these 
perplexities,  I  thought  I  would  do  well  to  write  to  Father 
Mathew  and  ask  him  his  advice  and  the  help  of  his  prayers. 
That  noble  apostle  of  temperance  of  Ireland  answered  me  in  an 
eloquent  letter,  and  pressed  me  to  begin  the  work  in  Canada 
as  he  had  done  in  Ireland,  relying  on  God,  without  paying  any 
attention  to  the  opposition  of  man. 

The  wise  and  Christian  words  of  that  great  and  worthy  Irish 
priest,  came  to  me  as  the  voice  of  God;  and  I  determined  to 
begin  the  work  at  once,  though  the  whole  world  should  be 
against  me. 

I  felt  that  if  God  was  in  my  favor,  I  would  succeed  in 
reforming  my  parish  and  my  country  in  spite  of  all  the  priests 
and  bishops  of  the  world,  and  I  was  right.  Before  putting  the 
plough  into  the  ground,  I  had  not  only  prayed  to  God  and  all 
his  saints,  almost  day  and  night,  durin  many  months,  but  I  had 
studied  all  the  best  books  written  in  England,  France  and  the 


iwrpr^'  •^^■:'^'^T^W9'.'f^'^.--m^^f!l!!^f.mil^ 


SiP^P'wWpipp'f 


WrT^^ 


34* 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE    CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


United  States,  on  the  evils  wrought  by  the  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks.  I  had  taken  a  pretty  good  course  of  anatomy  in  the 
Marine  Hospital  under  the  learned  Dr.  Douglas. 

I  was  then  well  posted  on  the  great  subject  I  was  to  bring 
before  my  country.  I  knew  the  enemy  I  was  to  attack.  And 
the  weapons  which  would  give  him  the  death  blow  were  in  my 
hands.  I  only  wanted  my  God  to  strengthen  my  hands  and 
direct  my  blows.  I  prayed  to  Him,  and  in  His  great  mercy  He 
heard  me. 


?^wPiW^"^ 


MB. 


:  intoxicating 
itomy   in   the 


was  to  bring 
ittack.  And 
ir  were  in  my 
ly  hands  and 
eat  mercy  He 


Chapter   XXXIV. 


•THB  HAin>  or  OOD  IN  THB  BSTABXiiefHHBNT  OF  THB  TBMPMB- 
ANOB  800ZBTT  IN  BBAT7POBT  AND  -yTOINITT. 


M 


'Y  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,"  saith  the  Lord.  And, 
we  may  add,  His  works  are  not  like  the  works  of  man. 
This  great  truth  has  never  been  better  exemplified  than  in  the 
marvellous  rapidity  with  which  the  great  temperance  reforma- 
tion grew  in  Canada,  in  spite  of  the  most  formidable  obstacles. 
To  praise  any  man  for  such  a  work  seems  to  me  a  kind  of  blas- 
phemy, when  it  is  so  visibly  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

I  had  hardly  finished  reading  the  letter  of  Ireland's  Apostle 
of  Temperance,  when  I  fell  on  my  knees  and  said :  "  Thou 
knowest,  O  my  God,  that  I  am  nothing  but  a  sinner.  There  is 
4io  light,  no  strength  in  thy  poor  unprofitable  servant.  There- 
fore, come  down  into  my  heart  and  soul,  to  direct  me  in  that 
temperance  reform  which  thou  hast  put  into  my  mind  to  estab- 
lish. Without  thee  I  can  do  nothing,  but  with  thee  I  can  do  all 
things." 

This  was  on  a  Saturday  night,  March  20th,  1839.  '^^^  "^^^^ 
morning  was  the  first  Sabbath  of  Lent.  I  said  to  the  people 
after  the  sermon :  "  I  have  told  you,  many  times,  that  I  sincerely 
believe  it  is  my  mission  from  God  to  put  an  end  to  the  unspeak- 
able miseries  and  crimes  engendered  every  day,  here  and  in  our 
whole  country,  by  the  use  of  in<:oxicating  drinks.  Alcohol  is 
the  great  enemy  of  your  souls  a»  your  bodies.  It  is  the  most 
implacable  enemy  of  your  wives,  your  husbands  and  your  chil- 
dren. It  is  the  most  formidable  enemy  of  our  dear  country  and 
our  holy  religion.  I  must  destroy  that  enemy.  But  I  cannot 
fight  alone.  I  must  form  an  army  and  raise  a  banner  in  your 
midst,  around  which  all  the  soldiers  of  the  gospel  will  rally. 

349 


Mfei-tim^t«yiteiilk-ataajaifcu.^i.^ 


iplipflpp^^ 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


Jesus  Christ  himself  will  be  our  general.  He  will  bless  and 
sanctify  us — He  will  lead  us  to  victory.  The  next  three  days 
will  be  consecrated  by  you  and  by  me  in  preparing  to  raise  that 
army.  Let  all  those  who  wish  to  fill  its  ranks,  come  and  pass 
these  three  days  with  me  in  prayer  and  meditation  at  the  feet  of 
our  sacred  altars.  Let  even  those  who  do  not  want  to  be 
soldiers  of  Christ,  or  to  fight  the  great  and  glorious  battles 
which  are  to  be  fought,  come  through  curiosity,  to  see  a  most 
marvellous  spectacle.  I  invite  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of 
our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  whom  alcohol  nails  anew  to  the  cross 
every  day.  I  invite  you  in  the  name  of  the  holy  Virgin  Mary, 
and  of  all  the  saints  and  angels  of  God,  who  are  weeping  In 
heaven  for  the  crimes  committed  every  day  by  the  use  of 
intoxicating  drinks.  I  invite  you  in  the  names  of  the  wives 
whom  I  see  here  in  yoifr  midst,  weeping  because  they  have 
drunkard  husbands.  I  invite  you  to  come  in  the  names  of  the 
fathers  whose  hearts  are  broken  by  drunkard  children.  I  invite 
you  to  come  in  the  name  of  so  many  children  who  arc  starvino-, 
naked  and  made  desolate  by  their  drunkard  parents.  I  invite 
you  to  come  in  the  name  of  your  immortal  souls,  which  are  to 
be  eternally  damned  if  the  giant  destroyer,  Alcohol,  be  not 
driven  from  our  midst.' 

The  next  morning,  at  eight  o'clock,  my  church  was  crammed 
by  the  people.  My  first  address  was  at  half-past  eight  o'clock, 
the  second  at  10.30  a.m.,  the  third  at  2  p.m.,  and  the  fourth  at 
five.  The  intervals  between  the  addresses  were  filled  by  beauti- 
ful hymns  selected  for  the  occasion. 

Many  times  during  my  discourse  the  sobs  and  the  cries  of 
the  people  were  such  that  I  had  to  stop  speaking,  to  mix  my  sobs 
and  my  tears  with  those  of  my  people.  That  first  day  seventv- 
five  men,  from  among  the  most  desperate  drunkards,  enrolled 
themselves  under  the  banner  of  Temperance.  The  second  day 
I  gave  again  four  addresses,  the  effects  of  which  were  still  more 
blessed  in  their  result.  Two  hundred  of  my  dear  parishioners 
were  enrolled  in  the  grand  army  which  was  to  fight  against 
their  implacable  enemy. 

But  it  would  require  the  hand  of  an   angel  to  write  the 


■  Mi-^^W'A'f'fwm!^ 


ESTABLISHMENT   OF    TEMPERANCE    SOCIETY. 


345 


history  of  the  third  day,  at  the  end  of  which,  in  the  midst  of 
tears,  sobs,  and  cries  of  joy,  three  hundred  more  of  that  noble 
people  swore,  in  the  presence  of  their  God,  never  to  touch,  taste, 
nor  handle  the  cursed  drinks  with  which  Satan  inundates  the 
earth  with  desolation,  and  fills  hell  with  eternal  cries  of  despair. 

During  these  three  days  more  than  two-thirds  of  my  people 
had  publicly  taken  the  pledge  of  temperance,  and  had  solemnly 
said  in  the  presence  of  God,  at  the  feet  of  their  altars,  «  For  the 
love  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  promise  that  I 
will  never  take  any  intoxicating  drink,  except  as  a  medicine.  I 
also  pledge  myself  to  do  all  in  my  power,  by  my  words  and 
example,  to  persuade  others  to  make  the  same  sacrifice." 

The  majority  of  my  people,  among  whom  we  counted  the 
most  degraded  drunkards,  were  changed  and  reformed,  not  by 
me,  surely,  but  by  the  visible,  direct  work  of  the  great  and 
merciful  God,  who  alone  can  change  the  heart  of  man. 

As  a  great  number  of  people  from  the  surrounding  parishes, 
•and  even  from  Quebec,  had  come  to  hear  me  the  third  day 
through  curiosity,  the  news  of  that  marvellous  work  spread  very 
quickly  throughout  the  whole  country.  The  press,  both  French 
and  English,  were  unanimous  in  their  praises  and  felicitations. 
But  when  the  Protestants  of  Quebec  were  blessing  God  for  that 
reform,  the  French  Canadians,  at  the  example  of  their  priests, 
denounced  me  as  a  fool  and  heretic. 

The  second  day  of  our  revival  I  had  sent  messages  to  four  of 
the  neighboring  curates,  respectfully  requesting  them  to  come 
and  see  what  the  Lord  was  doing,  and  help  me  to  bless  Him. 
But  they  refused.  They  answered  my  note  with  their  con- 
temptuous silence.  One  only,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Roy,  curate  of 
Charlesbourg,  deigned  to  write  me  a  few  words,  which  I  copy 
here : 

Rev.  Mr.  Chiniquy,  Curate  of  Beauport. 

My  dear  Confrere: — Please  forgive  me  if  I  cannot  forget  the  respect  I 
owe  to  myself,  enough  to  go  and  see  your  focleHes. 

Truly  yours, 

Pierre  Roy. 
Charlesbourg,  March  sth,  1839. 


■■•■•il 


i«-.. 


.tifei^iisi^fgaK 


«P?P!'P'!?!»Ff«K«WP»^l^^ 


346 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


The  indignation  ot  the  bishop  knew  no  bounds.  A  few  days 
after,  he  ordered  me  to  go  to  his  palace  and  give  an  account  of 
what  he  called  my  "  strange  conduct." 

When  alone  with  me,  he  said :  "  Is  it  possible,  Mr.  Chiniquy, 
that  you  have  so  soon  forgotten  my  prohibition  not  to  establish 
that  ridiculous  temperance  society  in  your  parish?  Had  you 
compromised  yourself  alone  by  that  Protestant  comedy — for  it 
is  nothing  but  that — I  would  remain  silent,  in  my  pity  for  you. 
But  you  have  compromised  our  holy  religion  by  introducing  a 
society  whose  origin  is  clearly  heretical.  Last  evening,  the 
venerable  Grand  Vicar  Demars  told  me  that  you  would  sooner 
or  later  become  a  Protestant,  and  that  this  was  your  first  step. 
Do  you  not  see  that  the  Protestants  only  praise  you?  Do  you 
not  blush  to  be  praised  only  by  heretics?  Without  suspecting 
it,  you  are  just  entering  a  road  which  leads  to  your  ruin.  You 
have  publicly  covered  yourself  with  such  ridicule  that  I  fear 
youi  usefulness  is  at  an  end,  not  only  in  Beauport,  but  in  all  my 
dioceise.  I  do  not  conceal  it  from  you :  my  first  thought,  when 
an  eye-witness  told  me  yesterday  what  you  had  done,  was  to 
interdict  you.  I  have  been  prevented  from  takin^;  that  step  only 
by  the  hope  that  you  will  undo  what  you  have  done.  I  hope 
that  you  will  yourself  dissolve  that  anti-Catholic  association,  and 
promise  tc  ptrt  an  ^^nd  to  these  novelties,  which  have  too  strong 
a  smell  of  heresy  to  be  tolerated  by  your  bishop." 

I  answered:  "My  lord,  your  lordship  has  not  forgotten  that 
it  was  absolutely  against  my  own  will  that  I  was  appointed 
curate  of  Beauport ;  and  God  knows  that  you'  have  only  to  say  a 
a  word,  and,  without  a  murmur,  I  will  give  you  my  resignation, 
that  you  may  put  a  better  priest  at  the  head  of  that  people, 
which  I  consider,  and  which  is  really,  to-day  the  noblest  and  the 
most  sober  people  of  Canada.  But  I  will  put  a  condition  to  the 
resignation  of  my  position.  It  is,  that  I  will  be  allowed  to 
publish  before  the  world  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Begin,  my  prede- 
cessor, has  never  been  troubled  by  his  bishop  for  having  allowed 
his  people,  during  twenty-three  years,  to  swim  in  the  mire  of 
drunkenness;  and  that  I  have  been  disgraced  by  my  bishop,  and 
turned  out  from  that  same  parish,  for  having  been  the  instru- 


liilfpppfpiplp^^vpppi 


ESTABLISHMENT   OF    TEMPERANCE    SOCIETY. 


347 


ment,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  in  making  them   the  most  sober 
people  of  Canada." 

The  poor  bishop  felt,  at  once,  that  he  could  not  stand  on  the 
ground  he  had  taken  with  me.  He  was  a  few  moments  without 
knowing  what  to  say.  He  saw  also  that  his  threats  had  no 
influence  over  me,  and  that  I  was  not  ready  to  undo  what  I  had 
done. 

After  a  painful  silence  of  a  minute  or  two,  he  said : 

"  Do  you  not  see  that  the  solemn  promises  you  have  extorted 
from  those  poor  drunkards  are  rash  and  unwise ;  they  will  break 
them  at  the  first  opportunity?  Their  future  state  of  degrada- 
tion, after  such  an  excitement,  will  be  worse  than  the  first." 

I  answered:  "I  would  partake  of  your  fears  if  that  change 
were  my  work ;  but  as  it  is  the  Lord's  work,  we  have  nothing 
to  fear.  The  works  of  men  are  weak  and  of  short  duration, 
but  the  works  of  God  are  solid  and  permanent. 

"  About  -the  prophecy  of  the  venerable  Mr.  Demars,  that  I 
have  taken  my  first  step  towards  Protestantism  by  turning  a 
drunken  into  a  sober  people,  I  have  only  to  say  that  if  that 
prophecy  be  true,  it  would  show  that  Protestantism  is  more  apt 
than  our  holy  religion  to  work  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  the  people.  I  hope  that  your  lordship  is  not  ready  to 
accept  that  conclusion,  and  that  you  will  not  then  trouble  your- 
self with  the  premises.  The  venerable  Grand  Vicar,  with 
many  other  priests,  would  do  better  to  come  and  see  what  the 
Lord  is  doing  in  Beauport,  than  to  slander  me  and  turn  false 
prophets  against  its  curate  and  people.  My  only  answer  to  the 
remarks  of  your  lordship,  that  the  Protestants  alone  praise  me, 
when  the  Roman  Catholic  priests  and  people  condemn  me, 
proves  only  one  thing,  viz.,  that  Protestants,  on  4his  question, 
understand  the  Word  of  God  and  have  more  respect  for  it  than 
we  Roman  Catholics.  It  would  prove  also  that  they  understand 
the  interests  of  humanity  better  than  we  do,  and  that  they  have 
more  generosity  than  we  have,  to  sacrifice  their  selfish  propensi- 
ties to  the  good  of  all.  I  take  the  liberty  of  saying  to  your  lord- 
ship, that  in  this,  as  in  many  other  things,  it  is  high  time  that 
we  should  open  our  eyes   to  our  false  position.      Instead  of 


''??rTSWf^ww^PfW^<P!pwf^^ 


348 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


remaining  at  the  lowest  step  of  the  ladder  of  one  of  the  most 
Christian  virtues,  temperance,  we  must  raise  ourselves  to  the 
top,  where  Protestants  are  reaping  so  many  precious  fruits. 
Besides,  would  your  lordship  be  kind  enough  to  tell  me  why  I 
am  denounced  and  abused  here,  and  by  my  fellow-priests  and 
my  bishop,  for  forming  a  temperance  society  in  my  parish,  when 
Father  Mathew,  who  wrote  me  lately  to  encourage  and  direct 
me  in  that  work,  is  publicly  praised  by  his  bishops  and  blessed 
by  the  Pope  for  covering  Ireland  with  temperance  societies? 

"Is  your  lordship  ready  to  prove  me  to  that  Samson  was  a 
heretic  in  the  camp  of  Israel  when  he  fulfilled  the  promise  made 
by  his  parents  that  he  would  never  drink  any  wine,  or  beer;  and 
John  the  Baptist,  was  he  not  a  heretic  and  a  Protestant  as  I  am, 
when,  to  obey  the  voice  of  God,  he  did  wh.it  I  do  to-day,  with 
my  dear  people  of  Beauport?" 

At  that  very  moment,  the  sub-secretary  entered  to  tell  the 
bishop  that  a  gentleman  wanted  to  see  him  immediately  on 
pressing  busmess,  and  the  bishop  abruptly  dismissed  me  to  my 
great  comfort;  and  my  impression  was  that  he  was  as  glad  to  get 
rid  of  me  as  I  was  to  get  rid  of  him. 

With  the  exception  of  the  secretary,  Mr.  Cazeault,  all  the 
priests  I  met  that  day  and  the  next  month,  either  gave  me  the 
cold  shoulder  or  overwhelmed  me  with  their  sarcasms.  One  of 
them  who  had  friends  in  Beauport,  was  bold  enough  to  try  to 
go  through  the  whole  parish  to  turn  me  into  ridicule  by  saying 
that  I  was  half  crazy  and  the  best  thing  the  people  could  do 
was  to  drink  moderately  to  my  health  when  they  went  to 
town. 

But  at  the  third  house  he  met  a  woman,  who,  after  listening 
to  the  bad  advice  he  was  giving  to  her  husband,  said  to  him :  "  I 
do  not  know  if  our  pastor  is  a  fool  in  making  people  sober,  but 
I  know  you  are  a  messenger  of  the  devil,  when  you  advise  my 
husband  to  drink  again.  You  know  that  he  was  one  of  the 
most  desperate  drunkards  of  Beauport.  You  personally  know  also 
what  blows  I  have  received  from  him  when  he  was  drunk; 
how  poor  and  miserable  we  were ;  how  many  children  had  to 
run  on  the  streets,  half  naked,  and  beg  in  order  not  to  starve 


>i|iiii'i.P|il|i|iPWIiiipiiiPPpiiPf^^ 


ESTABLISHMENT   OF    TEMPERANCE    SOCIETY. 


349 


with  me !  Now  that  my  husband  has  taken  the  pledge  of  tem- 
perance, we  have  every  comfort;  my  dear  children  are  well  fed 
and  clothed,  and  I  find  myself  as  in  a  little  paradise.  If  you  do 
not  go  out  of  this  house  at  once,  I  will  turn  you  out  with  my 
broomstick." 

And  she  would  have  fulfilled  her  promise,  had  not  the  priest 
had  the  good  sense  to  disappear  at  the  double  quick. 

The  next  four  months  after  the  foundation  of  the  society  in 
Beauport,  my  position  when  with  the  other  priests  was  very 
painful  and  humiliating.  I  consequently  avoided  their  company 
as  much  as  possible.  And  as  for  my  bishop,  I  took  the  resolu- 
tion never  to  go  and  see  him,  except  he  should  order  me  into  his 
presence.  But  my  merciful  God  indemnified  me  by  the  unspeak- 
able joy  I  had  in  seeing  the  marvelous  change  wrought  by  Him 
among  my  dear  people.  Their  fidelity  in  keeping  the  pledge 
was  really  wonderful,  and  soon  became  the  object  of  the  admir- 
ation of  the  whole  city  of  Quebec  and  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. The  change  was  sudden,  so  complete  and  so  permanent, 
that  the  scoflRng  bishop  and  priests  with  their  friends,  had,  at 
last,  to  blush  and  be  silent. 

The  public  aspect  of  the  parish  was  soon  changed,  the  houses 
were  repaired,  the  debts  paid,  the  children  well  clad.  But  what 
spoke  most  eloquently  about  the  marvelous  reform  was  that  the 
seven  thriving  saloons  of  Beauport  were  soon  closed,  and  their 
owners  forced  to  ^ake  other  occupations.  Peace,  happiness,  abund- 
ance and  industry,  every  where  took  the  place  of  the  riots,  fight- 
ing, blasphemies  and  the  squalid  misery  which  prevailed  before. 
The  gratitude  and  respect  of  that  noble  people  for  their  young 
curate  knew  no  bounds;  as  my  love  and  admiration  for  them 
cannot  be  told  by  human  words. 

However,  though  the  great  majority  of  that  good  people  had 
taken  the  pledge,  and  kept  it  honorably,  there  was  a  small 
minority,  composed  of  the  few  who  never  had  been  drunkards, 
who  had  not  yet  enrolled  themselves  under  our  blessed  banners. 
Though  they  were  glad  of  the  reform,  it  was  very  difficult  to 
persuade  them  to  give  up  their  social  glass!  I  thought  it  was 
my  duty  to  show  them  in  a  tangible  way,  what  I  had  so  often 


35© 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


proved  with  my  words  only,  that  the  drinking  of  the  social  glass 
of  wine,  or  of  heer,  is  an  act  of  folly,  if  not  a  crime.  I  asked  my 
kind  and  learned  friend.  Dr.  Douglas,  to  analyse,  before  the 
people,  the  very  wine  and  beer  used  by  them,  to  show  that  it 
was  nothing  else  but  a  disgusting  and  deadly  poison.  He  gran- 
ted my  favor.  During  four  days  that  noble  philanthropist 
extracted  the  alcohol,  which  is  not  only  in  the  most  common,  but 
in  the  most  costly  and  renowned  wines,  beer,  brandy  and 
whiskey.  He  gave  that  alcohol  to  several  cats  and  dogs,  which 
died  in  a  few  minutes  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  people. 

These  learned  and  most  interesting  experiments,  coupled 
with  his  eloquent  and  scientific  remarks,  made  a  most  profound 
impression.  It  was  the  corner-stone  of  the  holy  edifice  which 
our  merciful  God  built  with  his  own  hands  in  Beauport.  The 
few  recalcitrants  joined  with  the  rest  of  their  dear  friends  to 
show  to  our  dear  Canada  that  the  temperance  societies  are  noth- 
ing else  than  drops  of  living  water  which  comes  from  the  foun- 
tains of  eternal  life,  to  reform  and  save  the  world. 


Chapter    XXXV. 


FOXTNBATZON  OV  T3BMFBBAN0B  SOOXBTXB8  IN  THB  NBZOK- 
BOBZNO  PABZBHBS-PBOVIDBNTZAIi  ABBIVAL.  OF  KONSIGK 
NOB  DB  rOBBIK  JANBON,  BISHOP  OF  NANOY-HB  PUBUCX.T 
DBFBNDS  MB  AQAINST  THB  BISHOP  OF  QUBBBO  Ain>  FOB- 
BVBB  BBBAKS  THB  OPPOSITION  OF  THB  OLBBOT. 


THE  people  of  Beauport  had  scarcely  been  a  year  enrolled 
under  the  banners  of  temperance,  when  the  seven  thriving 
taverns  of  that  parish  were  deserted  and  their  owners  forced  to 
try  some  more  honorable  trade  for  a  living.  This  fact,  published 
by  the  whole  press  of  Quebec,  more  than  anything  forced  the 
opponents,  especially  among  the  clergy,  to  silence,  without  abso- 
lately  reconciling  them  to  my  views.  However,  it  was  becom- 
ing every  day  more  and  more  evident  to  all  that  the  good  done 
in  Beauport  was  incalculable,  both  in  a  material  and  moral  point 
of  view.  Several  of  the  best  thinking  people  of  the  surround- 
ing parishes  began  to  say  to  one  another:  "Why  should  we 
not  try  to  bring  into  our  midst  this  temperance  reformation 
which  is  doing  so  much  good  in  Beauport  ?"  The  wives  of 
drunkards  would  say:  "  Why  does  not  our  curate  do  here, 
what  the  curate  of  Beauport  has  done  there  ?" 

On  a  certain  day,  one  of  those  unfortunate  women  who  had 
received,  with  a  good  education,  a  rich  inheritance,  which  her 
husband  had  spent  in  dissipation,  came  to  tell  me  that  she  had 
gone  to  her  curate  to  ask  him  to  establish  a  temperance  society 
in  his  parish,  as  we  had  done  in  Beauport ;  but  he  had  told  her 
«ta  mind  her  own  business."  She  had  then  respectfully 
requested  him  to  invite  me  to  come  and  help  to  do  for  his  par- 
ishoners  what  I  had  done  for  mine,  but  she  had  been  sternly 
rebuked  at  the  mention  of  my  name.  The  poor  woman  was 
weeping  when  she  said :    "  Is  it  possible  that  our  priests  are  so 

3S' 


35a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


indifferent  to  our  sufferings,  and  that  they  will  let  the  demon  of 
drunkenness  torture  us  as  long  as  we  live,  when  God  gives  uh 
such  an  easy  and  honorable  way  to  destroy  his  power  for  ever?" 

My  heart  was  touched  by  the  tears  of  that  lady,  and  I  said  to 
her:  "  I  know  a  way  to  put  an  end  to  the  opposition  of  your 
curate,  and  force  him  to  bring  among  you  the  reformation  you 
so.  much  desire;  but  it  is  a  very  delicate  matter  for  me  to 
mention  to  you.  I  must  rely  upon  your  most  sacred  promise  of 
secrecy,  before  opening  my  mind  to  you  on  that  subject." 

"  I  take  my  God  to  witness,"  she  answered,  "  that  I  will 
never  reveal  your  secret."  Well,  madam,  if  I  can  rely  upon 
your  discretion  and  secrecy,  I  will  tell  you  an  infallible  way  to 
force  your  priest  to  do  what  has  been  done  here." 

*'  Oh!  for  God's  sake,"  she  said,  "  tell  me  what  to  do." 
I  replied:   "  The  first  time  you  go  to  confession,  say  to  your 
priest  that  you  have  a  new  sin  to  confess  which  is  very  dificult 
to  reveal  to  him.      He  will  press  you  more  to  confess  it.     You 
will  then  say: 

"  *  Father,  I  confess  I  have  lost  confidence  in  you.'  Being 
asked  '  Why  ? '  You  will  tell  him  :  « Father,  you  know  the  bad 
treatment  I  have  received  from  my  drunken  husband,  as  well  as 
hundred  of  other  wives  in  your  parish,  from  theirs;  you  know 
the  tears  we  have  shed  on  the  ruin  of  our  children,  who  are 
destroyed  by  the  bad  examples  of  their  drunken  fathers;  you 
know  the  daily  crimes  and  unspeakable  abominations  caused  by 
the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks;  you  could  dry  our  tears  and  make 
us  happy  wives  and  mothers,  you  could  convert  our  husbands 
and  save  our  children  by  establishing  the  society  of  temperance 
here  as  it  is  in  Beauport,  and  you  refuse  to  do  it.  How,  then, 
can  I  believe  you  are  a  good  priest,  and  that  there  is  any  charity 
and  compassion  in  you  for  us  ?" 

"  Listen  with  a  respectful  silence  to  what  he  will  tell  you ; 
accept  his  penance,  and  when  he  asks  you  if  you  regret  that  sin, 
answer  him  that  you  cannot  regret  it  till  he  has  taken  the  provi- 
dential means  which  God  ofTers  him  to  convert  the  drunkards. 

"  Get  as  many  other  women  whom  you  know  are  suffering 
as  you  do,  as  you  can,  to  go  and  confess  to  him  the  same  thing; 


DEPENDED    BY    THE    BISHOP   OF    NANCY. 


353 


and  you  will  sec  that  his  obstinuncy  will  melt   as  the  snow 
before  the  rays  of  the  sun  in  May." 

She  was  a  very  intelligent  lady:  She  saw  at  once  that  she  had 
in  hand  an  irresistible  power  to  face  her  priest  out  of  liis  shame- 
ful and  criminal  indifference  to  the  welfare  of  his  people.  A  f ort- 
ni"-ht  later  she  came  to  tell  me  that  she  had  done  what  I  had  ad- 
vised  her  and  that  more  than  fifty  other  respectable  women  had 
confessed  to  their  curate  that  they  had  lost  confidence  in  him, 
oil  account  of  his  lack  of  zeal  and  charity  for  his  people. 

My  conjectures  were  correct.  The  poor  priest  was  beside 
himself,  when  forcetl  every  day  to  hear  from  the  very  lips  of 
liis  most  respectable  female  parishioners,  tiiat  they  were  losinj^ 
confidence  in  him.  He  feared  lest  he  should  lose  his  fine  parish 
near    Quebec,  and  be  sent  to  some  of  the  backwoods  of  Canada. 

Three  weeks  later  he  was  knocking  at  my  door,  where  he  had 
not  been  since  the  establishment  of  the  temperance  society.  He 
was  very  pale,  and  looked  anxious.  I  could  see  in  his  counte- 
nance that  I  owed  the  honor  of  this  visit  to  his  fair  penitents. 
However,  I  was  happy  to  see  him.  He  was  considered  a  good 
priest,  and  had  been  one  of  my  best  friends  before  the  forma- 
tion of  the  temperance  society.  I  invited  him  to  dine  with  me, 
and  made  him  feel  at  home  .is  much  as  possible,  for  I  knew  by 
his  embarrassed  manner  that  he  .had  a  very  difficult  proposition 
to  make.     I  was  not  mistaken.     He  at  last  said: 

"Mr.  Chiniquy,  we  had,  at  first,  great  prejudices  against 
your  temperance  society;  but  we  see  its  blessed  fruits  in  the 
great  transformation  of  Beauport.  Would  you  be  kind  enough 
to  preach  a  retreat  of  temperance,  during  three  days,  to  my 
people,  as  you  have  done  here  ? " 

I  answered:  "Yes,  sir;  with  the  greatest  pleasure.  But  it  is 
on  condition  that  you  will  yourself  be  an  example  of  the  sacri- 
fice, and  the  first  to  take  the  solemn  pledge  of  temperance,  in 
the  presence  of  your  people." 

« Certainly,"  he  answered ;  "  for  the  pastor  must  be  an 
example  to  his  people." 

Three  weeks  later  his  parish  had  nobly  followed  the  example 
of  Beauport,  and  the  good  cur.nte  had  no  words  to  express  his 


pf|!fiJ?fJPfl»WPI|W?R»W|r^^ 


HPPPliiPPiP^IMili 


354 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


joy.  Without  losing  a  day,  he  went  to  the  two  other  curates  of 
what  is  called  "  La  Cote  de  Beaupre,"  persuaded  them  to  do 
what  he  had  done,  and  six  weeks  after  all  the  saloons  from 
Ueauport  to  St.  Joachim  were  closed ;  and  it  would  have  been 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  persuade  any  one  in  that  whole 
region  to  drink  a  glass  of  any  intoxicating  drink. 

Little  by  little,  the  country  priests  were  thus  giving  up  their 
prejudices,  and  were  bravely  rallying  around  our  glorious  banners 
of  temperance.  But  my  bishop,  though  less  severe,  was  still 
very  cold  toward  me.  At  last  the  good  providence  of  God 
forced  him,  through  a  great  humiliation,  to  count  our  society 
among  the  greatest  spiritual  and  temiwral  blessings  of  the  age. 

At  the  end  of  August,  1840,  the  public  press  i'lformed  us 
that  the  Count  de  Forbin  Janson,  Bishop  de  Nancy,  in  France, 
was  just  leaving  New  York  for  Montreal.  That  bishop,  who 
was  the  cousin  and  minister  to  Charles  the  Tenth,  had  been  sent 
into  exile  by  the  French  people,  after  the  king  had  lost  his 
crown  in  the  Revolution  of  1S30.  Father  Mathew  had  told  me, 
in  one  of  his  letters,  that  this  bishop  had  visited  him,  and  blessed 
his  work  in  Ireland,  and  had  also  persuaded  the  Pope  to  send 
him  his  apostolical  benediction. 

I  saw  at  once  the  importance  of  gaining  the  approbation  of 
this  celebrated  man,  before  he  had  been  prejudiced  by  the  bishop 
against  our  temperance  srcieties.  I  asked  and  obtained  leave  of 
absence  for  a  few  days  .'  nd  went  to  Montreal,  which  I  reached 
just  an  hour  after  the  i^rench  bishop.  I  went  immjdiately  to 
pay  my  homage  to  him,  told  him  all  about  our  temperance  work, 
asking  him,  in  the  name  of  God,  to  throw  bravely  the  weight  of 
his  great  name  and  position  in  the  scale  in  favor  of  our  temper- 
ance societies.  He  promised  he  would,  adding:  "I  am  perfectly 
persuaded  that  drunkenness  is  not  only  the  great  and  common 
sin  of  the  people,  but  still  more  of  the  priests  in  America,  as 
well  as  in  Ireland.  The  social  habit  of  drinking  the  detestable 
and  poisonous  wines,  brandies  and  beer  used  on  this  continent, 
and  in  the  northern  parts  of  Europe,  where  the  vine  cannot 
grow,  is  so  general  and  strong,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
save  the  people  from  becoming  drunkards,  except  through  an 


|^wfpiipwi..ijij|ip|jy|p||jpp 


DEFENDED    BY    THE    BISHOP   OF    NANCY. 


355 


association  in  which  the  elite  of  society  will  work  together  to 
change  the  old  and  pernicious  habits  of  common  life.  I  have 
seen  Father  Mathew,  who  is  doing  an  incalculable  good  in 
Ireland;  and,  be  sure  of  it,  I  shall  do  all  in  my  power  to  streng- 
then your  hands  in  that  great  and  good  work.  But  do  not  say 
to  anybody  that  you  have  seen  me." 

Some  days  later,  the  Bishop  of  Nancy  was  in  Quebec,  the 
truest  of  the  Seminary,  and  a  grand  dinner  was  given  in  his 
honor,  to  which  more  than  one  hundred  priests  were  invited, 
with  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec,  his  coadjutor,  N.  G.  Turgeon, 
and  the  Bishop  of  Montreal,  M.  Q.  R.  Bourget. 

As  one  of  the  youngest  curates,  I  had  taken  the  last  seat, 
which  was  just  opposite  the  four  bishops,  from  whom  I  was 
separated  only  by  the  breadth  of  the  table.  When  the  rich  and 
rare  viands  had  been  well  disposed  of,  and  the  most  delicate 
fruits  had  replaced  them,  bottles  of  the  choicest  wines  were 
brought  on  the  table  in  incredible  numbers.  Then  the  superior 
of  the  college,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Demars,  knocked  on  the  table  to 
command  silence,  and  rising  on  his  feet,  he  said  at  the  top  of  his 
voice :  "  Please,  my  lord  bishops,  and  all  of  you,  reverend  gentle- 
men, let  us  drink  to  the  health  of  my  Lord  Count  de  Forbin 
Janson,  Primate  of  Lorraine  and  Bishop  of  Nancy." 

The  bottles  passing  around  were  briskly  emptied  into  the 
large  glasses  put  before  every  one  of  the  guests.  But  when  the 
wine  was  handed  to  me  I  passed  it  to  my  neighbor  without 
taking  a  drop,  and  filled  my  glass  with  water.  My  hope  was 
that  nobody  had  paid  any  attention  to  what  I  had  done;  but  I 
was  mistaken.  The  eyes  of  my  bishop,  my  Lord  Signaie,  were 
upon  me.  With  a  stern  voice,  he  said:  "Mr.  Chiniquy,  what 
lire  you  doing  there?  Put  wine  in  your  glass,  to  drink  with  us 
tlie  health  of  Mgr.  de  Nancy." 

These  unexpected  words  fell  upon  me  as  a  thunderbolt,  and 
really  paralyzed  me  with  terror.  I  felt  the  approach  of  the 
most  terrible  tempest  I  had  ever  experienced.  My  blood  ran 
cold  in  my  veins;  I  could  not  utter  a  word.  For  what  could  I 
say  there,  without  compromising  myself  forever.  To  openly 
resist  my  bishop,  in  the  presence  of  such  an  august  assembly, 


m^: 


rs:.  -^-^r^  :■  •■^.  -j>f^ir;^>-H^^-^«.^>7v.>.y.t'.<,v:-j«^ 


356 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


seemed  impossible.     But  to  obey  him  was  also  impossible;  for  I 

had  promised  my  God  and  my  country  never  to  drink  any  wine. 

I   thought,  at   first,  that   I   could  disarm    my   superior   by  my 

modesty  and  my  humble  silence.     However,  I  felt  that  all  eyes 

were  upon  me.     A  real  chill  of  terror  and  unspeakable  anxiety 

was  running   through   my  whole  frame.     My  heart  began  to 

beat  so  violently  that  I  could  not  breathe.     I  wished  then  I  had 

followed  my  first  impression,  which  was  not  to  come   to  that 

dinner.     I  think  I  would  have  suffocated  had  not  a  few  tears 

rolled  down  from  my  eyes,  and  helped  the  circulation  of  my 

blood.     The  Rev.  Mr.  Laf ranee,  who  was  by  me,  nudged  me 

me,  and  said:  "  Do  you  not  hear  the  order  of  i-py  Lord  Signaie? 

Why  do  you  not  answer,  by  doing  what  you  are  requested  to 

dc?"     I  still  remained  mute,  just  as  if  nobody  had  spoken  to 

r.ie.     My  eyes  were  cast  down;    I  wished  then  I  were  dead. 

The  silence  of  death  reigning  around  the  tables  told  me  that 

every  one  was  waiting  for  my  answer ;  but  my  lips  were  sealed. 

After  a  minute  of  that  silence,  which  seemed  as  long  as  a  whole 

year,  the  bishop,  with  a  loud  and  angry  voice  which  filled  the 

large  room,  repeated :  "  Why  do  you  not  put  wine  in  your  glass, 

and  drink  to  the  health  of  my  Lord  Forbin  Janson,  as  the  rest 

of  us  are  doing?" 

I  felt  I  could  not  be  silent  any  longer.  "  My  lord,"  I  said, 
with  a  subdued  and  trembling  voice,  "  I  have  put  in  my  glass 
what  I  want  to  drink.  I  have  promised  my  God  and  my 
country  that  I  would  never  drink  any  more  wine." 

The  bishop,  forgetting  the  respect  he  owed  to  himself  and 
to  those  around  him,  answered  me  in  the  most  insulting  manner: 
"  You  are  nothing  but  a  fanatic,  and  you  want  to  reform  us." 

These  words  struck  me  as  the  shock  of  a  galvanic  battery, 
and  transformed  me  into  a  new  man.  It  seemed  as  if  they  had 
added  ten  feet  to  my  stature  and  a  thousand  pounds  to  my 
weight.  I  forgot  that  I  was  the  subject  of  that  bishop,  and 
remembered  that  I  was  a  man,  in  the  presence  of  another  man. 
I  raised  my  head  and  opened  my  eyes,  and  as  quick  as  lightning 
I  rose  to  my  feet,  and  addressing  the  Grand  Vicar  Demars, 
superior  of  the  seminary,  I  said  with  calmness:  "  Sir,  was  it  that 


^jjjgjtj^^^t^ 


!''W'l4f|l!J^lJ!fpPfPI|iy||j|P|^^ 


DEFENDED    BY    THE    BISHOP    OF    NANCY. 


357 


I  might  be  insulted  at  your  table  that  you  have  invited  me  here? 
Is  it  not  your  duty  to  defend  my  honor  when  I  am  here,  your 
guest?  But,  as  you  seem  to  forget  what  you  owe  to  your 
guests,  I  will  take  my  own  defense  against  my  unjust  aggressor." 
Then,  turning  towards  the  Bishop  de  Nancy,  I  said :  "  My  Lord 
de  Nancy,  I  appeal  to  your  lordship  from  the  unjust  sentence  of 
niv  own  bishop.  In  the  name  of  God,  and  of  His  Son,  Jesus 
Christ,  I  request  you  to  tell  us  here  if  a  priest  cannot,  for  his 
Saviour's  sake,  and  for  the  good  of  his  fellow-men,  as  well  as 
for  his  own  self-denial,  give  up  forever  the  use  of  wine  and 
other  intoxicating  drinks,  without  being  abused,  slandered  and 
insulted,  as  I  am  here,  in  your  presence  ?  " 

It  was  evident  that  my  words  had  made  a  deep  impression 
on  the  whole  company.  A  solemn  silence  followed  for  a  few 
seconds,  which  was  interrupted  by  my  bishop,  who  said  to  the 
Bishop  dc  Nancy :  "  Yes,  yes,  my  lord ;  give  us  your  sentence." 

No  words  can  give  an  idea  of  the,  excitement  of  every  one  in 
that  multitude  of  priests,  who,  accustomed  from  their  infancy 
abjectly  to  submit  to  their  bishop,  were,  for  the  first  time,  in  the 
presence  of  such  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  between  a  powerless, 
humble,  unprotected  young  curate  and  his  all-powerful,  proud 
and  haughty  archbishop. 

The  Bishop  of  Nancy  at  first  refused  to  grant  my  request. 
He  felt  the  difficulty  of  his  position ;  but  after  Bishop  Signaic 
had  united  his  voice  to  mine,  to  press  liim  to  give  his  verdict,  he 
rose  and  said: 

"  My  Lord  Archbishop  of  Quebec,  and  you,  Mr.  Chiniquy, 
please  withdraw  your  request.  Do  not  press  me  to  give  my 
views  on  such  a  new,  but  important  subject.  It  is  only  a  few 
days  since  I  came  in  your  midst.  It  will  not  do  that  I  should  so 
soon  become  your  judge.  The  responsibility  of  a  judgment  in 
such  a  momentous  matter  is  too  great.     I  cannot  accept  it." 

But  when  the  same  pressing  request  was  repeated  by  nine- 
tenths  of  that  vast  assembly  of  priests;  and  that  the  archbishop 
pressed  him  more  and  more  to  pronounce  his  sentence,  he  raised 
his  eyes  and  hands  to  heaven,  and  made  a  silent  but  ardent  prayer 
to  God.     His  countenance  took  an  air  of  dignity,  which  I  might 


HP!PP!?PfP!!pp?^^ 


358 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


call  majesty,  which  gave  him  more  the  appearance  of  an  old 
prophet  than  of  a  man  of  our  day.  Then  casting  his  eyes  upon 
his  audience,  he  remained  a  considerable  time  meditating.  All 
eyes  were  upon  him,  anxiously  waiting  for  the  sentence.  There 
was  an  air  of  grandeur  in  him,  at  that  moment,  which  seemed  to 
tell  us  that  the  purest  blood  of  the  great  kings  of  France  was 
flowing  in  his  veins.  At  last,  he  opened  his  lips,  but  it  was 
again  pressingly  to  request  me  to  settle  the  difficulty  with  the 
archbishop  among  ourselves,  and  to  discharge  him  of  that  respon- 
sibility. But  we  both  refused  again  to  grant  him  his  request, 
and  pressed  him  to  give  his  judgment.  All  this  time,  I  was 
standing,  having  publicly  said  that  I  would  never  sit  again  at 
that  table  unless  that  insult  was  wiped  away. 

Then  he  said  with  unspeakable  dignity :  "  My  Lord  of 
Quebec!  Here,  before  us,  is  our  young  priest,  Mr.  Chiniquy, 
who,  once  on  his  knees,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  his  angels, 
for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  good  of  his  own  soul  and  the 
good  of  his  country,  has  promised  never  to  drink !  We  are  the 
witnesses  that  he  is  faithful  to  his  promise,  though  he  has  been 
pressed  to  break  it  by  your  lordship. 

"  And  because  he  keeps  his  pledge  with  such  heroism,  your 
lordship  has  called  him  a  fanatic !  Now,  1  am  requested 
by  every  one  here,  to  pronounce  my  \erdii't  on  that  painfid 
occurrence.  Here  it  is.  Mr.  Chiniqu}-  drinks  n<.  wine!  l^ut,  if  I 
look  through  the  past  ages,  when  God  liimself  Mas  ruling  his 
own  people,  through  his  prophets,  1  see  Samson,  who,  by  the 
special  order  of  God,  never  drank  wine  or  any  other  intoxicating 
drink.  If  from  the  Old  Testament,  I  pa*^  to  the  New ,  I  sec 
John  the  Baptist,  the  precursor  of  our  Savior  Jesus  Christ,  who 
to  obey  the  command  of  God,  ne^cr  drank  any  wine!  !  When 
I  look  at  Mr.  Chiniquy,  and  see  Samson  at  his  right  liiiiul  to 
protect  him ;  and  John  the  Baptist  at  his  left  to  bless  him,  I  find 
his  position  so  strong  and  impregnable,  that  I  would  not  daru 
attack  or  condemn  him!" 

These  wor '  were  pronounced  in  the  most  eloquent  and 
digniBed  manr  ,  and  were  listened  to  with  a  most  respectful 
and  breathless  i    ention. 


ipipjllippipuip^ 


PWW 


IPPP^P 


DEFENDED    BY    THE    BISHOP    OF    NANCY. 


359 


Bishop  de  Nancy,  keeping  his  gravity,  sat  down,  emptied  his 
wine  glass  into  a  tumbler,  filled  it  with  water  and  drank  to 
my  health. 

The  poor  archbishop  was  so  completely  confounded  and 
humiliated,  that  every  one  felt  for  him.  The  few  minutes  spent 
at  the  table  after  this  extraordinary  act  of  justice  seemed 
oppressive  to  every  one.  Scarct  ly  any  one  dared  look  at  his 
neighbor,  or  speak,  except  in  a  low  and  subdued  tone,  as  when  a 
great  calamity  has  just  occurred. 

Nobody  thought  of  drinking  his  wine ;  and  the  health  of  the 
Bishop  de  Nancy  was  left  undrunk.  But  a  good  number  of 
priests  filled  their  glasses  with  water,  and  giving  me  a  siicnt 
sign  of  approbation,  drank  to  my  health. 

The  society  of  temperance  had  been  dragged  by  her  enemies 
to  the  battle-field,  to  be  destroyed ;  but  she  bravely  fought,  and 
gained  the  victory.  Now,  she  was  called  to  begin  her  triumoh- 
ant  march  through  our  dear  Canada. 


ipp*^ 


Chapter   XXXVI. 

THE  GK>D  OF  BOMB  EATEN  37  A  RAT. 

HAS  God  given  us  ears  to  hear,  eyes  to  see,  and  intelligence 
to  understand?  The  Pope  says,  no!  But  the  Son  of  God 
says,  yes.  One  of  the  most  severe  rebukes  of  our  Saviour  to 
His  disciples,  was  for  their  not  paying  sufficient  attention  to 
what  their  eyes  had  seen,  their  ears  heard,  and  their  intelligence 
perceived.  "Perceive  ye  not  yet,  neither  understand?  Have 
ye  your  heart  yet  hardened  ?  Having  eyes,  see  ye  not,  having 
ears,  hear  ye  not?  and  do  not  ye  remember?" — (Mark  viii.  17, 
18.) 

This  solemn  appeal  of  our  Saviour  to  our  common  sense,  is 
the  most  complete  demolition  of  the  whole  fabric  of  Rome.  The 
f*.Hy  that  a  man  ceases  to  believe  that  God  would  give  us  our 
senses  and  our  intelligence  to  ruin  and  deceive  us,  but  that  they 
were  given  to  guide  us,  he  is  lost  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  The 
Pope  knows  it;  hence  the  innumerable  encyclicals,  laws,  and 
regulations  by  which  the  Roman  Catholics  are  warned  not  to 
trust  the  testimony  of  their  ears,  eyes,  or  intelligence. 

"  Shut  your  eyes,"  says  the  Pope  to  his  priests  and  people;  "I 
will  keep  mine  opened,  and  I  will  see  for  you.  Shut  your  ears, 
for  it  is  most  dangerous  for  you  to  hear  what  is  said  in  the  world. 
I  will  keep  my  ears  opened,  and  will  tell  you  what  you  must 
know.  Remember  that  to  trust  your  own  intelligence,  in  the 
research  of  truth,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God,  is 
sure  perdition.  If  you  want  to  know  anything,  come  to  me:  I 
am  the  only  sure  infallible  fountain  of  truth,"  saith  the  pope. 

And  this  stupendous  imposture  is  accepted  by  the  people  and 
the  priests  of  Rome  with  a  mysterious  facility,  and  retained 
with  a  most  desolating  tenacity. 


JL 


rnipif^flpi^^lS^fiwi^^ 


^TTn 


THE  GOD  OF  ROMB  EATEN  BY  A  RAT. 


361 


It  is  to  them  what  the  iron  ring  is  to  the  nose  of  the  ox, 
when  a  rope  is  once  tied  to  it.  The  poor  animal  loses  its  self- 
control.  Its  natural  strength  and  energies  will  avail  it  nothing; 
it  must  go  left  or  right,  at  the  will  of  the  one  who  holds  the 
end  >-  f  the  rope. 

R  jader,  please  have  no  contempt  for  the  unfortunate  priests 
and  r  eople  of  Rome,  but  pity  them,  when  you  see  them  walking 
in  'ne  ways  into  which  intelligent  beings  ought  not  to  take  a 
st,p.  They  cannot  help  it.  The  ring  of  the  ox  is  at  their  nose, 
and  the  Pope  holds  the  end  of  the  rope.  Had  it  not  been  for 
that  ring,  I  would  not  have  been  long  at  the  feet  of  the  wafer 
god  of  the  Pope.  Let  me  tell  you  one  of  the  shining  rays  of 
truth,  which  were  evidently  sent  by  our  merciful  God,  with  a 
mio'hty  power,  to  open  my  eyes.  But  I  could  not  follow  it;  the 
iron  ring  was  at  my  nose ;  and  the  Pope  was  holding  the  end  of 
tlie  rope. 

This  was  after  I  had  been  put  at  the  head  of  the  magniticent 
parish  of  Beauport,  in  the  spring  of  1S40.  There  was  living  at 
«La  jeune  Lorette,"  an  old  retired  priest,  who  was  blind.  He 
was  born  in  France,  where  he  had  been  condemned  to  death, 
under  the  Reign  of  Terror.  Escaped  from  the  guillotine,  he 
had  fled  to  Canada,  where  the  bishop  of  Quebec  had  put  him  in 
the  elevated  post  of  Chaplain  of  the  Ursuline  Nunneiy.  He 
had  a  fine  voice,  was  a  g(K)d  musician,  and  had  some  pretensions 
to  the  title  of  poet.  Having  composed  a  good  number  of  church 
hymns,  he  had  been  called  "  Pere  Cantiquc;"  but  his  real  name 
was  "  Pere  Daule."  His  faith  and  piety  were  of  the  most 
exalted  character  among  the  Roman  Catholics;  though  these  did 
not  prevent  him  from  being  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  jovial 
men  I  e^'or  saw.  But  his  blue  eyes,  sweet  as  the  eyes  of  the 
dove;  his  ime  yellow  hair  falling  on  his  shoulders  as  a  golden 
fleece;  his  white  rosy  checks,  and  his  c()nstantly  smiling  lips, 
had  been  too  much  for  the  tender  hearts  of.  the  good  nuns.  It 
was  not  a  secret  that  "Pere  Cantiquc,"  when  young,  had  made 
several  interesting  conquests  in  the  monastery.  There  was  no 
wonder  at  that.  Indeed,  how  could  that  young  and  inexperien- 
ced butterflv  escape  damagiiiij;  liis  golden  wings,  at  the  number- 


362 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


less  burning  lamps  of  the  fair  virgins?  But  the  mantle  of 
charity  had  been  put  on  the  wounds  which  the  old  warrior  had 
received  on  that  formidable  battlefield,  from  which  even  the 
Davids,  Samsons,  Solomons,  and  many  others  had  escaped  only 
after  being  mortally  wounded. 

To  help  the  poor  blind  priest,  the  curates  around  Quebec 
used  to  keep  him  by  turn  in  their  parsonages,  and  give  him  the 
care  and  marks  of  respect  due  to  his  old  age.  After  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Roy,  curate  of  Charlesbourg,  had  kept  him  five  or  six 
weeks,  I  had  taken  him  to  my  parsonage.  It  was  in  the  month 
of  May — a  month  entirely  consecrated  to  the  worship  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  to  whom  Father  Daule  was  a  most  devoted  priest. 
His  zeal  was  I'eally  inexhaustible,  when  trying  to  prove  to  us 
how  Mary  was  the  surest  foundation  of  the  hope  and  salvation 
of  sinners ;  how  she  was  constantly  appeasing  the  just  wrath  of 
her  son  Jesus,  who,  were  it  not  for  his  love  and  respect  to  her, 
would  have  long  since  crushed  us  down. 

The  Councils  of  Rome  have  forbidden  the  blind  priests  to 
say  their  mass;  but  on  account  of  high  piety,  he  had  got  from 
the  Pope  the  privilege  of  celebrating  the  short  mass  of  the 
Virgin,  which  he  knew  perfectly  by  heart.  One  morning, 
when  the  old  priest  was  at  the  altar,  saying  his  mass,  and  I  was 
in  the  vestry,  hearing  the  confessions  of  the  people,  the  young 
servant  boy  came  to  me  in  haste,  and  said,  "  Father  Daulc  calls 
you ;  please  come  quick." 

Fearing  something  wrong  had  happened  to  my  old  friend,  I 
lost  no  time,  and  ran  to  him.  I  found  him  nervously  tapping  the 
altar  with  his  two  hands,  as  in  an  anxious  search  of  some  very 
precious  thing.  When  very  near  to  him,  I  said :  "What  do  you 
want?"  He  answered  with  a  shriek  of  distress:  "The  good 
god  has  disappeared  from  the  altar.  He  is  lost!  J'ai  perdu  le 
Bon  Dicu.  II  est  disparu  de  dessus  I'autel!"  Hoping  that  he 
was  mistaken,  and  that  he  had  only  thrown  away  the  good  god, 
"  Le  Bon  Dieu,"  on  the  floor,  by  some  accident,  I  looked  on  the 
altar,  at  his  feet,  everywhere  I  could  suspect  that  the  good  god 
might  have  been  moved  away  by  some  mistake  of  the  hand. 
But  the  most  minute  search  was  of  no  avail ;  the  good  god  could 


?^lW^?*i»«<»"'T'npi|WfpffSif!^ — "^^"iT^ 


THE  GOD  OF  ROME  EATEN  BY  A  HAT. 


363 


not  be  found.  I  really  felt  stunned.  At  first,  remembering  the 
thousand  miracles  II  '  read  of  the  disappearance,  and  marvellous 
changes  of  form  o'  .  j  wafer  god,  it  came  to  my  mind  that  we 
were  in  the  presence  of  some  great  miracle;  and  that  my  eyes 
were  to  see  some  of  these  great  marvels  of  which  the  books  of 
the  Church  of  Rome  are  filled.  But  1  had  soon  to  change  my 
mind,  when  a  thou^  it  flashed  through  my  memory  which 
chilled  the  blood  in  my  veins.  The  church  of  Beauport  was 
inhabited  by  a  multitude  of  the  boldest  and  most  insolent  rats  I 
have  ever  seen.  Many  times,  when  saying  my  mass,  I  had  seen 
the  ugly  nose  of  several  of  them,  who,  undoubtedly  attracted  by 
the  smell  of  the  fresh  wafer,  wanted  to  make  their  breakfast 
with  the  body,  blood,  soul,  and  divinity  of  my  Christ.  But,  as 
I  was  constantly  in  motion,  or  praying  with  a  loud  voice,  the  rats 
had  invariably  been  frightened  and  fled  away  into  their  secret 
quarters.  I  felt  terror-stricken  by  the  thought  that  the  good 
god  (Le  Bon  Dieu)  had  been  taken  away  and  eaten  by  the 
rats. 

Father  Daule  so  sincerely  believed  what  all  the  priests  of 
Rome  are  bound  to  believe,  that  he  had  the  power  to  turn  the 
wafer  into  God,  that,  after  he  had  pronounced  the  words  by 
which  the  great  marvel  was  wrought,  he  used  to  pass  from  five 
to  fifteen  minutes  in  silent  adoration.  He  was  then  as  motionless 
as  a  marble  statue,  and  his  feelings  were  so  strong  that  often 
torrents  of  tears  used  to  flow  from  his  eyes  on  his  cheeks. 
Leaning  my  head  towards  the  distressed  old  priest,  I  asked  him: 
"Have  you  not  remained,  as  you  are  used,  a  long  time  motion- 
less, in  adoring  the  good  god,  after  the  consecration?" 

He  quickly  answered,  "Yes;  but  what  has  this  to  do  with 
the  loss  of  the  good  god  ? " 

I  replied  in  a  low  voice,  but  with  a  real  accent  of  distress 
and  awe,  "  Some  rats  have  dragged  and  eaten  the  good  god ! " 

"  What  do  you  say  ? "  replied  Father  Daule.  "  The  good 
god  carried  away  and  eaten  by  rats!" 

"Yes,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  about  it." 

"My  God!  my  God!  what  a  dreadful  calamity  upon  me  I'* 
rejoined  the  old  man;  and  raising  his  hands  and   his  eyes  to 


3^4 


FIFTY    YKAIIS    IN    THE    CIIUHCH    OF    ROME. 


heaven,  he  cried  out  again,  "My  God!  my  God!  Why  have 
you  not  taken  away  my  Ufe  before  such  a  misfortune  could  fall 
upon  mc!"  lie  could  not  speak  any  longer;  his  voice  was 
choked  by  his  sobs. 

At  first  I  di(\  not  know  what  to  say;  a  thousand  thoughts, 
some  very  grave,  some  exceedingly  ludicrous,  crossed  my  mind 
more  rapidly  than  T  can  say  them.  I  stood  there,  as  nailed  to 
the  floor,  by  the  old  priest,  who  was  wecijing  as  a  child,  till  he 
asked  me,  with  a  voice  broken  by  his  sobs,  "What  must  I  do 
now?"  I  answered  him:  "The  Church  has  foreseen  occur- 
rences of  that  kind,  and  provided  for  them  the  remedy.  The 
only  thing  you  have  to  do  is  to  get  a  new  wafer,  consecrate  it, 
and  continue  your  mass  as  if  nothing  strange  had  occurred.  I 
will  go  and  get  you,  just  now,  new  bread."  I  went,  without 
losing  ;i  inomcnt,  to  the  vestry,  got  and  brought  a  new  wafer, 
vviiicii  he  consecrated  and  turned  into  a  new  god,  and  finished 
his  mass,  as  I  had  told  him.  After  it  was  over,  I  took  the  dis- 
consolate old  priest  by  the  hand  to  my  parsonage  for  breakfast. 
But  all  along  the  way  he  rent  the  air  with  his  cries  of  distress. 
He  would  hardly  taste  anything,  for  his  soul  was  really  drowned 
in  a  sea  of  distress.  I  vainly  tried  to  calm  his  feelings,  by  tellinjr 
him  that  it  was  no  fatilt  of  his;  that  this  strange  and  sad  occui- 
rence  was  not  the  first  of  that  kind;  that  it  had  been  calmly  fore- 
seen by  the  Church,  which  had  told  us  what  to  do  in  these 
circumstances;  that  there  was  no  neglect,  no  fault,  no  offence 
against  God  or  man  on  his  part. 

But  as  he  would  not  pay  the  least  attention  to  what  I  said,  I 
felt  the  only  thing  I  had  to  do  was  to  remain  silent,  and  respect 
his  grief,  by  telling  him  to  unburden  his  heart  by  his  lamenta- 
tions and  tears.  * 

I  had  hoped  that  his  good  common  sense  would  help  him  to 
overcome  his  feelings,  but  I  was  mistaken ;  his  lamentations  were 
as  long  as  those  of  Jeremiah,  and  the  expressions  of  his  grief  as 
bitter. 

At  last  I  lost  patience,  and  said :  "  My  dear  Father  Dauk', 
allow  me  to  tell  you  respectfully  that  it  is  quite  time  to  stop 
these  lamentations  and  tears.     Our  great  and  just  God  cannot 


P"'?P'"W!W5,fW.'V  -"'VPf  ™ 


THE  GOD  OF  ROME  EATEN  BY  A  RAT. 


365 


like  such  an  excess  of  sorrow  and  regret  about  a  thing  which 
was  only,  and  entirely,  under  the  control  of  His  power  and 
eternal  wisdom." 

"What  do  you  say  there?"  replied  the  old  priest,  with  a 
vivacity  which  resembled  anger. 

« I  say  that,  as  it  was  not  in  your  power  to  foresee  or  to 
avoid  that  occurrence,  you  have  not  the  least  reason  to  act  and 
speak  as  you  do.  Let  us  keep  our  regrets  and  our  tears  for  our 
sins:  we  have  both  coTjmitted  many;  we  cannot  shed  too  many 
tears  on  them.  But  there  is  no  sin  here,  and  there  must  be 
some  reasonable  limits  to  our  sorrow,  if  anybody  had  to  weep 
and  regret  without  measure  what  has  happened,  it  would  be 
Christ.  For  He  alone  could  foresee  that  event,  and  He  alone 
could  prevent  it.  Had  it  been  His  will  to  oppose  this  sad  and 
mysterious  fact,  it  was  in  His,  not  in  our  power  to  prevent  it. 
lie  alone  has  suffered  from  it,  because  it  was  His  will  to 
suffer  it."  • 

«  Mr.  Chiniquy,"  he  replied,  "  you  are  quite  a  young  man, 
and  I  see  you  have  the  want  of  attention  and  experience  which 
are  often  seen  among  young  priests.  You  do  not  pay  a  suffi- 
cient attention  to  the  awful  calamity  which  has  just  occurred  in 
your  church.  If  you  had  more  faith  and  piety  you  would  weep 
with  me,  instead  of  laughing  at  my  grief.  How  can  you  speak 
so  lightly  of  a  thing  which  makes  the  angels  of  God  weep? 
Our  dear  Saviour  dragged  and  eaten  by  rats!  Oh!  great  God! 
does  not  this  surpass  the  humiliation  and  horrors  of  Calvary?" 

"  My  dear  Father  Daulc,"  I  replied, ."  allow  me  respectfully 
to  tell  you  that  I  understand,  as  well  as  you  do,  the  nature  of 
the  deplorable  event  of  this  morning.  I  would  have  given  my 
blood  to  prevent  it.  But  let '  us  look  at  that  fact  in  its  proper 
light.  It  is  not  a  moral  action  for  us ;  it  did  not  depend  on  our 
will  more  than  the  spots  of  the  sun.  The  only  one  who  i» 
accountable  for  that  fact  is  our  God !  For,  again  I  say,  that  He 
was  the  only  one  who  could  foresee  and  prevent  it.  And,  to 
give  you  plainly  my  own  mind,  I  tell  you  here  that  if  I  were 
God  Almighty,  and  a  miserable  rat  would  come  to  eat  me,  I 
would  strike  him  dead  before  he  could  touch  me." 


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366 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


There  is  no  need  of  confessing  it  here;  every  one  who  reads 
these  pages,  and  pays  attention  to  this  conversation,  will  under- 
stand that  my  former  so  robust  faith  in  my  priestly  power  of 
changing  the  wafer  into  my  God  had  melted  away  and  evapo- 
rated fiom  my  mind,  if  not  entirely,  at'least  to  a  great  extent. 

Great  and  new  lights  had  flashed  through  my  soul  in  that 
hour;  evidently  my  God  wanted  to  open  my  eyes  to  the  awful 
absurdities  and  impieties  of  a  religion  whose  god  could  be 
dragged  and  eaten  by  rats.  Had  T  been  faithful  to  the  saving 
lights  which  were  in  me  then,  I  was  saved  in  that  very  hour; 
and  hefore  the  end  of  that  day  I  would  have  broken  the  shame- 
ful chains  by  which  the  Pope  had  tied  my  neck  to  his  idol  of 
bread.  In  that  hour  it  seemed  to  me  evident  that  the  dogma  of 
transubstantiation  was  a  most  monstrous  imposture,  and  my 
priesthood  an  insult  to  God  and  man. 

My  intelligence  said  to  me  with  a  thundering  voice :  "  Do 
not  remain  any  longer  the  priest  of  a  god  whom  you  make  every 
day,  and  whom  the  rats  can  eat." 

Though  blind.  Father  Daule  understood  very  well,  by  the 
stern  accents  of  my  voice,  that  my  faith  in  the  god  whom  he 
had  created  that  morning,  and  whom  the  rats  had  eaten,  had 
been  seriously  modified,  if  not  entirely  crumbled  down.  He 
remaincvi  silent  for  some  time,  after  which  he  invited  me  to 
sit  by  him;  and  he  spoke  to  me  with  a  pathos  and  an  authority 
which  my  youth  and  his  old  age  alone  could  justify.  He  gave 
me  the  most  awful  rebuke  I  ever  had;  he  really  opened  on  my 
poor  wavering  intelligence,  soul  and  heart,  all  the  cataracts  of 
heaven.  He  overwhelmed  me  with  a  deluge  of  Holy  Fathers, 
Councils,  and  infallible  Popes  who  had  believed  and  preached 
before  the  whole  world,  in  all  ages,  the  dogma  of  transub- 
stantiation. 

If  I  had  paid  attention  to  the  voice  of  my  intelligence,  and 
accepted  the  lights  which  my  merciful  God  was  giving  me,  I 
could  easily  have  smashed  the  arguments  of  the  old  priest  of 
Rome.  But  what  has  the  intelligence  to  do  in  the  Church 
of  Rone?  What  could  my  intelligence  say?  I  was  forbidden 
to  hear  it.     What  was  the  weight  of  my  poor,  isolated  intelli- 


jg^ggljjjgmmmm 


THE    GOD   OF    ROME    EATEN    BY    A    RAT. 


367 


gence,  when  put  in  the  balance  against  so  many  learned,  holy, 
infallible  intelligences? 

Alas!  I  was  not  aware  then  that  the  weight  of  the  intelli- 
gence of  God,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  was  on  my 
side;  and  that,  weighted  against  the  intelligence  of  the  Popes,  they 
wore  greater  than  all  the  words  against  a  grain  of  sand. 

One  hour  after,  shedding  tears  of  regret,  I  was  at  the  feet  of 
Father  Daule,  in  the  confessional  box,  confessing  the  great  sin  I 
had  committed  by  doubting,  for  a  moment,  of  the  power  of  the 
priests  to  change  a  wafer  into  God. 

The  old  priest,  whose  voice  had  been  like  a  lion's  voice  when 
speaking  to  the  unbelieving  curate  of  Beauport,  had  become 
sweet  as  the  voice  of  a  lamb  when  he  had  me  at  his  feet,  con- 
fessing my  unbelief.  He  gave  me  my  pardon.  For  my  pen- 
ance he  forbade  1  le  ever  to  say  a  word  on  the  sad  end  of  the 
god  he  had  created  that  morning;  for,  said  he:  "This  would 
destroy  the  faith  of  the  most  sincere  Roman  Catholics."  For 
the  other  part  of  the  penance  I  had  to  go  on  my  knees  every 
day,  during  nine  days,  before  the  fourteen  images  of  the  way  of 
the  cross,  and  say  a  penitential  psalm  before  every  picture,  which 
I  did.  But  the  sixth  day  the  skin  of  my  knees  was  pierced,  and 
tlie  blood  was  flowing  freely.  I  suffered  real  torture  every  time 
I  kneeled  down,  and  at  every  step  I  made.  But  it  seemed  to  me 
that  these  terrible  tortures  were  nothing  compared  to  my  great 
iniquity ! 

I  had  rufused,  for  a  moment,  to  believe  that  a  man  can 
create  his  god  with  a  wafer!  and  I  had  thought  that  a  church 
which  adores  a  god  eaten  by  ratsy  must  be  an  idolatrous  church ! 


pi«ip!iiiipi,iW^ 


Chapter   XXXVII. 


VISIT  OF  A  PBOTEST ANT  STBANGEB-HE  THBOWS  AN  ABROW 
INTO  M7  PBIBSTIiT  SOUL  NEVEB  TO  BB  TAKEN  OUT. 


A  FEW  days  before  the  arrival  of  Bishop  de  Forbin  Janson,  I 
was  alone  in  my  study,  considering  my  false  position 
towards  my  ecclesiastical  superiors,  on  account  of  my  establish- 
ing the  temperance  society  against  their  formal  protest.  My 
heart  was  sad.  My  partial  success  had  not  blinded  me  to  the 
reality  of  my  deplorable  isolation  from  the  great  mass  of  the 
clergy.  With  very  few  exceptions,  they  were  speaking  of  me 
IS  a  dangerous  man.  They  had  even  given  me  the  nickname  of 
"Ze  reformateur  au  petit  pied''''  (small-sized  reformer)  and 
were  losing  no  opportunity  of  shov/ing  me  their  supreme  con- 
tempt and  indignation,  for  what  they  called  my  obstinacy. 

In  that  sad  hour,  there  were  many  clouds  around  my  horizon, 
and  my  mind  was  filled  with  anxiety ;  when,  suddenly,  a  stranger 
knocked  at  my  door.  He  was  a  good-sized  man,  his  smilling 
lips  and  honest  face  were  beaming  with  the  utmost  kindness- 
His  large  and  noble  forehead  told  me,  at  once,  that  my  visitor 
was  a  man  of  superior  intellect.  His  whole  mien  was  that  of  a 
true  gentleman. 

He  pressed  my  hand  with  the  cordiality  of  an  old  friend  and, 
giving  me  his  name,  he  told  me  at  once  the  object  of  his  visit, 
in  these  words: 

"I  do  not  come  here  only  in  my  name;  but  it  is  in  the  name 
of  many,  if  not  of  all,  the  English-speaking  people  of  Quebec 
and  Canada;  I  want  to  tell  you  our  admiration  for  the  great 
reform  you  have  accomplished  in  Beauport.  We  know  the 
stern  opposition  of  your  superiors  and  fellow-priests  to  your 
efforts,  and  we  admire  you  more  for  that. 

3« 


*5«! 


Jif; 


VISIT    OF    A    PROTESTANT    STRANGER. 


369 


•  «  Go  on,  sir,  you  have  on  your  side  the  great  God  of  Heaven, 
who  has  said  to  us  all :  *  Look  not  thou  upon  the  wine  when  it 
is  red,  when  it  giveth  its  color  in  the  cup,  when  it  moveth  itself 
aright.  At  the  last,  it  biteth  like  a  serpent,  it  stingeth  like  an 
adder.' 

"  Take  courage,  sir,"  ht  added ;  "  you  have,  on  your  side,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  Jesus  Christ  himself,  who  has  inspired  his 
Apostle  Paul  to  say :  '  I  will  not  drink  any  wine  if  it  can  be  a 
cause  of  sin  to  my  neighbor.'  Fear  not  man,  sir,  when  God  the 
Father,  and  his  son,  Jesus  Christ,  are  on  your  side.  If  you  find 
any  opposition  from  some  quarter;  and  if  deluded  men  turn  you 
into  ridicule  when  you  are  doing  such  a  Christian  work,  bless  the 
Lord.  For  Jesus  Christ  has  said:  'Blessed  are  they  who  do 
hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled. 
Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you  and  persecute  you, 
and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you,  falsely,  for  my 
sake.' 

"  I  come  also  to  tell  you,  sir,  that  if  there  are  men  who 
oppose  you,  there  are  many  more  who  are  praying  for  you  day 
and  night,  asking  our  Heavenly  Father  to  pour  upon  you  his 
most   abundant  blessings. 

"  Intoxicating  drinks  are  the  curse  of  this  young  country.  It 
is  the  most  deadly  foe  of  every  father  and  niother,  the  most 
implacable  ennemy  of  every  child  in  Canada.  It  is  the  ruin  of 
our  rich  families,  as  well  as  the  destruction  of  the  poor, 

"  The  use  of  intoxicating  drinks,  under  any.  form,  or  pretext, 
is  an  act  of  supreme  folly ;  for  alcohol  kills  the  body  and  damns 
the  soul  of  its  blind  victims. 

"  You  have,  for  the  first  time,  raised  the  glorious  banners  of 
temperance  among  the  French  Canadian  people ;  though  you  are 
alone, to-day,  to  lift  it  up;  be  not  discouraged.  For,  before 
long,  you  will  see  your  intelligent  countrymen  rallying  around  it, 
to  help  you  to  fight  and  conquer. 

"  No  doubt,  the  seed  you  sow  to-day  is  often  watered  with 
your  tears.  But,  before  long,  you  will  reap  the  richest  crop; 
and  your  heart  will  be  filled  with  joy,  when  your  grateful 
country  will  bless  your  name." 


370 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


After  a  few  other  sentences  of  the  same  elevated  senti> 
tnents,  he  hardly  gave  me  time  enough  to  express  my  feelings  of 
gratitude, and  said:  "I  know  you  are  very  busy,  I  do  not  want 
to  trespass  upon  your  time.  Good-bye,  sir:  May  the  Lord  bless 
you,  and  be  your  keeper  in  all  your  ways." 

He  pressed  my  hand,  and  soon  disappeared.  I  would  try, 
in  vain,  to  express  what  I  felt  when  alone  with  my  God,  after 
that  strange  and  providential  visit.  My  first  thought  was  to  fall 
on  my  knees  and  thank  that  merciful  God  for  having  sent  me 
such  a  messenger  to  cheer  me  in  one  of  the  darkest  hours  of  my 
life ;  for  every  word  from  his  lips  had  fallen  on  my  wounded  soul 
as  the  oil  of  the  Good  Samaritan  on  the  bleeding  wounds  of  the 
traveler  to  Jericho.  There  had  been  such  an  elevation  of 
thought,  such  a  ring  of  true,  simple,  but  sublime  faith  and  piety; 
such  love  of  man  and  fear  of  God  in  all  that  he  had  said.  It 
was  the  first  time  that  I  had  heard  words  so  comformable  to  my 
personal  views  and  profound  convictions  on  that  subject.  That 
stranger,  whose  visit  had  passed  as  quickly  as  the  visit  of  an 
angel  from  God,  had  filled  my  heart  with  such  joy  and  surprise 
at  the  unexpected  news  that  all  tlie  English-speaking  people  of 
Canada  were  praying  for  me! 

However,  I  did  not  fall  on  my  knees  to  thank  God;  for  my 
sentiments  of  gratitude  to  God  were  suddenly  chilled  'uy  the 
unspeakable  humiliation  I  felt  when  I  considered  thfa  that 
stranger  was  a  Protestant  I 

The  comparison  I  was  forced  to  make  between  the  noble 
sentiments,  the  high  philosophy,  the  Christian  principles  of  that 
Protestant  layman,  with  the  low  expressions  of  contempt,  the 
absolute  want  of  generous  and  Christian  thoughts  of  my  bishop 
and  my  fellow-priests  when  they  were  turning  into  ridicule  that 
temperance  society  which  God  was  so  visibly  presenting  to  us  as 
the  best,  if  not  the  only  way,  to  save  the  thousands  of  drunkards 
who  were  perishing  around  us,  paralyzed  my  lips,  bewildered 
my  mind,  and  made  it  Impossible  for  me  to  utter  a  word  of 
prayer.  My  first  sentiments  of  joy  and  of  gratitude  to  God 
soon  gave  way  to  sentiments  of  unspeakable  shame  and  distress. 

I  was  forced  to  acknowledge  that  these  Protestants,  whom 


VISIT   OF    A   PROTESTANT   STRANGER. 


37  » 


my  Church  had  taught  me,  through  all  her  councils,  to 
anathematize  and  curse  as  the  damned  slaves  and  followers  of 
Satan,  were,  in  their  principles  of  morality,  higher  above  us 
than  the  heavens  are  above  the  earth!  I  had  to  confess  to 
myself  that  those  heretics,  whom  my  Church  had  taught  me  to 
consider  as  rebels  against  Christ  and  His  Church,  knew  the 
laws  of  God  and  followed  them  much  more  closely  than  our- 
selves. They  had  raised  themselves  to  the  highest  degree  of 
Christian  temperance,  when  my  bishops,  with  their  priests,  were 
swimming  in  the  deadly  waters  of  drunkenness! 

A  voice  seemed  crying  to  me,  "  Where  is  the  superiority  of 
holiness  of  your  proud  Church  of  Rome  over  those  so-called 
heretics,  who  follow  more  closely  the  counsels  and  precepts  of 
the  gospel  of  Christ?" 

I  tried  to  stifle  that  voice,  but  I  could  not.  Louder  and 
louder,  it  was  heard  asking  me,  "Who  is  nearer  God?  The 
bishop  who  so  obstinately  opposes  a  reform  which  is  so  evidently 
according  to  the  Divine  Word,  or  those  earnest  followers  of  the 
gospel  who  make  the  sacrifice  of  their  old  and  most  cherished 
usages  with  such  pleasure,  when  they  see  it  is  for  the  good  of 
their  fellow-men  and  the  glory  of  God  ? " 

I  wished  then  to  be  a  hundred  feet  below  the  ground,  in 
order  not  to  hear  those  questions  answered  within  my  soul. 
But  there  was  no  help ;  I  had  to  hear  them,  and  to  blush  at  the 
reality  before  my  eyes. 

Pride!  yes,  diabolical  pride!  is  the  vice,  far  excellence^  oi 
every  priest  of  Rome.  Just  as  he  is  taught  to  believe  and  say 
that  his  church  is  far  above  every  other  church,  so  he  is  taught 
to  believe  and  say  that,  as  a  priest,  he  is  above  all  the  kings, 
emperors,  governors  and  presidents  of  this  world.  That  pride 
is  the  daily  bread  of  the  pope,  the  bishop,  the  priests,  and  even 
the  lowest  layman  in  the  Church  of  Rome. 

It  is  also  the  great  secret  of  their  power  and  strength.  It  is 
this  diabolical  pride  which  nerves  them  with  an  iron  will,  to 
bring  down  everything  to  their  feet,  subject  every  human  being 
to  their  will,  and  tie  every  neck  to  the  wheels  of  their  chariot. 
It  is  this  fearful  pride  which  so  often  gives  them  that  stoical 


37* 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


patience  and  indomitable  courage  in  the  midst  of  the  most  cruel 
pain,  or  in  the  face  of  the  most  appalling  death,  which  so  many 
deluded  Protestants  take  for  Christian  courage  and  heroism. 
The  priest  of  Rome  believes  that  he  is  called  by  God  Almighty 
to  rule,  subdue  and  govern  the  world;  with  all  those  preroga- 
tives that  he  fancies  granted  him  by  heaven,  he  builds  up  a  high 
pyramid,  on  the  top  of  which  he  sets  himself,  and  from  that 
elevation  looks  down  with  the  utmost  contempt  on  the  rest  of 
the  world. 

If  anyone  suspects  that  I  exaggerate  in  thus  speaking  of  the 
pride  of  the  priest,  let  him  read  the  following  haughty  words 
which  Cardinal  Manning  puts  on  the  lips  of  the  Pope  in  one  of 
his  lectures: 

"I  acknowledge  no  civil  power;  I  am  the  subject  of  no 
prince.  I  am  more  than  this.  I  claim  to  be  the  supreme  judge 
and  director  of  the  conscience  of  men :  of  the  peasant  who  tills 
his  field,  and  of  the  prince  who  sits  upon  the  throne;  of  the 
household  that  lives  in  the  shade  of  privacy,  and  the  legislator 
that  makes  laws  for  the  kingdom.  I  am  the  sole,  last,  supreme 
judge  of  what  is  right  or  wrong." 

Is  it  not  evident  that  the  Holy  Ghost  speaks  of  this  pride  of 
the  priests  and  of  the  Pope,  the  high  priest  of  Rome,  when  he 
says:  "That  man  of  sin,  that  son  of  perdition,  who  opposeth 
and  exalteth  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God,  or  that  is 
worshipped,  so  that  he,  as  God,  sits  in  the  temple  of  God, 
showing  himself  that  he  is  God." 

That  caste  pride  which  was  in  me,  though  I  did  not  see  it 
then,  as  it  is  in  every  priest  of  Rome,  though  he  does  not 
suspect  it,  had  received  a  rude  check,  indeed,  from  that  Pro- 
testant visitor.  Yes,  I  must  confess  it,  he  had  inflicted  a  deadly 
wound  on  my  priestly  pride;  he  had  thrown  a  barbed  arrow 
into  my  priestly  soul  which  I  tried  many  times,  but  always  in 
vain,  to  take  away.  The  more  I  attempted  to  get  rid  of  this 
arrow,  the  deeper  it  went  through  my  very  bones  and  marrow. 
That  strange  visitor,  who  caused  me  to  pass  so  many  hours  and 
days  of  humiliation,  when  forcing  me  to  blush  at  the  inferiority 
of  the  Christian  principles  of  my  Church  compared  with  those 


VISIT   OF    A   PROTESTANT   STRANGER. 


373 


of  the  Protestants,  is  well  known  in  Canada,  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain  as  the  founder  and  first  editor  of  two  of  the 
best  religious  papers  of  America,  the  Montreal  Witness  and  the 
New  Tork  Witness.     His  name  is  John  Dougall. 

As  he  is  still  living,  I  am  happy  to  have  this  opportunity  of 
thanking  and  blessing  him  again  for  the  visit  he  paid  to  the 
young  curate  of  Beauport  forty-five  years  ago. 

I  was  not  aware  then  that  the  wounds  inflicted  by  that 
unknown  but  friendly  hand  was  one  of  the  great  favors 
bestowed  upon  me  by  my  merciful  God ;  but  I  understand  it 
now.  Many  rays  of  light  have  since  come  from  the  wounds 
which  my  priestly  pride  received  that  day.  Those  rays  of  light 
helped  much  to  expel  the  darkness  which  surrounded  me,  by 
leading  me  to  see,  in  spite  of  myself,  that  the  vaunted  holiness 
of  the  Church  of  Rome  is  a  fraud. 


Chapter   XXXVIII. 

aXBOTION  OFTHB  OOLTTICN  OF  TEMPBBANOB-80HOOI.  BTHLD. 
XNOS-ADDBBSSB8-A  NOBIiE  AND  TOXTOHZNO  AOT  OF  THE 
PEOPLB  OF  BBAXTPOBT. 


THE  battle  fought  and  gained  at  the  grand  dinner  of  the 
Quebec  Seminary  by  the  society  of  temperance  had  been 
decisive. 

The  triumph  was  as  complete  as  it  was  glorious.  Hereafter 
her  march  to  the  conquest  of  Canada  was  to  be  a  triumph.  Her 
blessed  banners  were  soon  to  be  planted  over  all  the  cities, 
towns  and  villages  of  my  dear  country. 

To  commemorate  the  expression  of  their  joy  and  gratitude  to 
God  to  the  remotest  generations,  the  people  of  Beauport 
erected  the  beautiful  Column  of  Temperance,  which  is  still  seen 
half-way  between  Quebec  and  the  Montmorency  Falls.  The 
Bishop  de  Nancy,  my  Lord  Forbin  Janson,  blessed  that  first 
monument  of  temperance,  September  7th,  1841,  in  the  midst 
of  an  immense  multitude  of  people. 

The  parishes  of  St.  Peter,  St.  John,  St.  Famille  (Orleans 
Island),  with  St.  Michel  were  the  first,  after  Lange  Gardien, 
Chateau  Richer,  St.  Anne  and  St.  Joachin,  to  request  me  to 
preach  on  temperance. 

Soon  after,  the  whole  population  of  St.  Roch,  Quebec,  took 
the  pledge  with  a  wonderful  unanimity,  and  kept  it  long  with 
marvellous  fidelity.  In  order  to  show  to  the  whole  country 
their  feelings  of  gratitude,  they  presented  me  with  a  fine  picture 
of  the  Column  of  Temperance  and  a  complimentary  address, 
written  and  delivered  by  one  of  the  most  promising  young  men 
of  Quebec,  Mr.  John  Cauchon,  who  was  raised  some  years  later 
to  the  dignity  of  a  Cabinet  Minister,  and  who  has  been  the 
worthy  lieutenant-governor  of  Manitoba. 

374 


KRKCTION    OF    THK    COLUMN    OF    TEMPERANCE. 


375 


That  address  was  soon  followed  by  another  from  the  citizens 
of  Quebec  and  Beauport,  presented  along  with  my  portrait,  by 
Mr.  Joseph  Parent,  then  editor  of  the  Canadien,  and  afterwards 
Provincial  Secretary  of  Canada. 

What  a  strange  being  man  is!  How  fickle  are  his  judg- 
ments! In  1842,  they  had  no  words  sufficiently  flattering  to 
praise  the  very  man  in  the  face  of  whom  they  were  spitting  in 
1838,  for  doing  the  very  same  thing!  Was  I  better  for  estab- 
lishing the  society  of  temperance  in  1842  than  I  was  in  estab- 
lishing it  in  1838?  No!  And  was  I  worse  when,  in  1838, 
bishops,  priests  and  people  were  abusing,  slandering  and  giving 
me  bad  names  for  raising  the  banners  of  temperance  over  my 
country,  than  I  was  in  continuing  to  lift  it  up  in  1842?     No! 

The  sudden  and  complete  judgments  of  men  in  such  a  short 
period  of  time  had  the  good  and  providential  effect  of  filling  my 
mind  with  the  most  supreme  indifTerence,  not  to  say  contempt, 
for  what  men  thought  or  said  of  me. 

Yes!  this  sudden  passage  from  condemnation  to  that  of 
praise,  when  I  was  doing  the  very  same  work,  had  the  good 
effect  to  cure  me  of  that  natural  pride  which  one  is  apt  to  feel 
when  publicly  applauded  by  men. 

It  is  to  that  knowledge,  acquired  when  young,  that  I  owe 
the  preservation  of  my  dignity  as  man  and  priest,  when  all  my 
bishops  and  their  priests  were  arrayed  against  me  at  the  dining 
table  of  the  Seminary  of  Quebec.  It  is  that  knowledge,  also,  that 
taught  me  not  to  forget  that  I  was  nothing  but  a  worm  of  the 
dust  and  an  unprofitable  servant  of  God,  when  the  same  men 
overwhelmed  me  with  their  unmerited  praises. 

Let  not  my  readers  think,  however,  that  I  was  absolutely 
indifferent  to  this  change  of  public  feeling.  For  no  words  can 
tell  the  joy  I  felt  at  the  assurance  which  these  public  manifesta- 
tions afforded  me  that  the  cause  of  temperance  was  to  triumph 
everywhere  in  my  country. 

Let  me  tell  here  a  fact  too  honorable  to  the  people  of  Beau- 
port  to  be  omitted.  As  soon  as  the  demon  of  intemperance  was 
driven  from  my  parish,  I  felt  that  my  first  duty  was  to  give  my 
attention  to  education,  which  had  been  so  shamefully  neglected 


376 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


by  my  predecessors  that  there  was  not  u  single  school  in  the 
parish  worthy  of  that  name.  I  proposed  my  plan  to  the  people, 
asked  their  co-operation,  and  set  to  work  without  delay. 

I  began  by  erecting  the  fine  stone  school-house  near  the 
church,  on  the  site  of  the  old  parsonage;  the  old  walls  were 
pulled  down,  and  on  the  old  foundation  a  good  structure  was 
soon  erected  with  the  free  collections  raised  in  the  village.  But 
the  work  was  hardly  half  finished  when  I  found  myself  without 
a  cent  to  carry  it  on.  I  saw  iit  once  that,  having  no  idea  of  the 
value  of '  education,  the  people  would  murmur  at  my  asking  any 
more  money.  I  therefore  sold  my  horse,  a  fine  animal  given 
me  by  a  rich  uncle,  and  with  the  money  finished  the  building. 

My  people  felt  humiliated  and  pained  at  seeing  their  pastor 
obliged  to  walk  when  going  to  Quebec  or  visiting  the  sick. 
They  said  to  each  other:  «*  Is  it  not  a  burning  shame  for  us  to 
have  forced  our  young  curate  to  sell  his  fine  horse  to  build  our 
school-houses,  when  it  would  have  been  so  easy  to  do  that  work 
ourselves?     Let  us  repair  our  faults." 

On  my  return  from  establishing  the  society  of  temperance  in 
St.  John,  two  weeks  later,  my  servant  man  said  to  me: 

"  Please,  Mr.  le  Cure,  come  to  the  stable  and  see  a  very 
curious  thing." 

"What  curious  thing  can  there  be?"  I  answered. 

"  Well,  sir,  please  come  and  you  will  see." 

What  was  both  my  surprise  and  pleasure  to  find  one  of  the 
most  splendid  Canadian  horses  there,  as  mine !  For  my  servant 
said  to  me :  "  During  your  absence  the  people  have  raised  five 
hundred  dollars,  and  bought  this  fine  horse  for  you.  They  say 
they  do  not  want  any  longer  to  see  their  curate  walking  in  the 
mud.  When  they  drove  the  horse  here,  that  I  might  present 
him  to  yoii  as  a  surprise  on  your  arrival,  I  heard  them  saying 
that,  with  the  temperance  society,  you  have  saved  them  more 
than  five  hundred  dollars  every  week-  in  money,  time  and  health, 
and  that  it  was  only  an  act  of  justice  to  give  you  the  savings  of 
a  week." 

The  only  way  of  expressing  my  gratitude  to  my  noble 
people,  was  to  redouble  my  exertions  in  securing  the  benefits  of 


ERECTION  OK  THE  COLUMN  OF  TEMPERANCE. 


377 


a  good  education  to  their  children.  I  soon  proposed  to  the 
people  to  build  another  school-house  two  miles  distant  from  the 
first. 

But  I  was  not  long  without  seeing  that  this  new  enterprise 
was  to  be  still  more  uphill  work  than  the  first  one  among  the 
people,  of  whom  hardly  one  in  fifty  could  sign  his  name. 

♦'  Have  not  our  fathers  done  well  without  those  costly 
schools?"  said  many.  ''What  is  the  use  of  spending  so  much 
money  for  a  thing  that  dues  not  add  a  day  to  our  existence,  nor 
an  atom  to  our  comfort  ?" 

I  soon  felt  confronted  by  such  a  deadly  indifference,  not  to 
say  opposition,  on  the  part  of  my  best  farmers,  that  I  feared  for 
a  few  days  lest  I  had  really  gone  too  far.  The  last  cent  of  my 
own  revenues  was  not  only  given,  but  a  little  personal  debt 
created  to  meet  the  payments,  and  a  round  sum  of  $500  had  to 
be  found  to  finish  the  work.  I  visited  the  richest  man  '^f  Benu- 
port  to  ask  him  to  come  to  my  rescue.  Forty  yeart,  ijefore  he 
had  come  to  T.;  iiport  bare-footed,  without  a  cent,  to  work.  He 
had  employed  his  first  earned  dollars  in  purchasing  somo  rum, 
with  which  he  had  doubled  his  money  in  two  hours;  and  had 
continued  to  double  his  money,  at  that  rate,  in  the  same  way, 
till  he  was  worth  nearly  $200,000. 

He  had  then  stopped  selling  rum,  to  invest  his  money  in  city 
properties.  He  answered  me :  "  My  dear  curate,  I  would  have 
no  objections  to  give  you  the  $500  yoi?  want,  if  I  had  not  met 
the  Grand  Vicar  Demars  yesterday,  wfto  warned  me,  as  an  old 
friend,  against  what  he  calls  your  dangerous  and  exaggerated 
views  in  reference  to  the  education  of  the  people.  He  advised 
me,  for  your  own  good,  and  the  good  of  the  people,  to  do  all  in 
my  power  to  induce  you  to  desist  from  your  plan  of  covering 
our  parishes  with  schools." 

"Will  you  allow  me,"  I  answered,  "to  mention  our  conversa- 
tion to  Mr.  Demars,  and  tell  him  what  you  have  just  said  about 
his  advising  you  to  oppose  me  in  my  efforts  to  promote  the  inter- 
ests of  education  ?*' 

"  Yes,  sir,  by  all  means,"  answered  Mr.  Des  Roussell.  « I 
allow  you  to  repeat  to  the  venerable  superior  of  the  Seminary  of 


378 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Quebec,  what  he  s?id  to  me  yesterday ;  it  was  not  a  secret,  for 
there  were  several  other  farmers  of  Beauport  to  whom  he  said 
the  very  same  thing.  If  you  ignore  that  the  priests  of  Quebec 
are  opposed  to  your  plan!>  of  educating  our  children  you  must  be 
the  only  one  who  does  not  know  it,  for  it  is  a  public  fact.  Your 
difficulties  in  raising  the  funds  you  want  come  only  from  the 
opposition  of  the  rest  of  the  clergy  to  you  in  this  matter;  we 
have  plenty  of  money  in  Beauport  to-day,  and  we  would  feel 
happy  to  help  you.  But  you  understand  that  our  good  will  be 
somewhat  cooled  by  the  opposition  of  men  whom  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  respect."  / 

I  replied :  "  Do  you  not  remember,  my  dear  Mr.  Des 
Roussell,  that  those  very  same  priests  opposed  me  in  the  same 
way,  in  ray  very  first  efforts  to  establish  the  temperance  society 
in  your  midst?" 

"  Yes,  sir,"  he  answered  with  a  smile,  "  we  remember  it  well, 
but  you  have  converted  them  to  your  views  now." 

«  Well,  my  dear  sir,  I  hope  we  shall  convert  them  also  in 
this  question  of  education." 

The  very  next  morning,  I  was  knocking  at  the  door  of  the 
Rev.  Grand  Vicar  Demars,  after  I  had  tied  my  splendid  horse 
in  the  courtyard  of  the  Seminary  of  Quebec.  I  was  received 
with  the  utmost  marks  of  courtesy.  Without  losing  any  time, 
I  repeated  to  the  old  Superior  what  Mr.  Des  Roussell  had  told 
me  of  his  opposition  to  my  educational  plans,  and  respectfully 
asked  him  if  it  were  true. 

The  poor  Grand  Vicar  seemed  as  if  thunder-struck  by  my 
abrupt,  though  polite  question.  He  tried,  at  first,  to  explain 
what  he  had  said,  by  taking  a  long  circuit,  but  I  mercilessly 
brought  him  to  the  point  at  issue,  and  forced  him  to  say  "  Yes,  I 
said  it." 

I  then  rejoined  and  said :  "  Mr.  Grand  Vicar,  I  am  only  a 
child  before  you,  when  comparing  my  age  with  yours;  however, 
I  have  the  honor  to  be  the  curate  of  Beauport,  it  is  in  that 
capacity,  that  I  respectfully  ask  you  by  what  right  you 
oppose  my  plans  for  educating  our  children!" 

"  I  hope,  Mr.  Chiniquy,"  he  answered, "  that  you  do  not  mean 


ERECTION    OF    THE    COLUMN    OF    TEMPERANCE. 


379 


to  say  that  I  am  the  enemy  of  education;  for  I  would  answer 
you  that  this  is  the  first  house  of  education  on  this  continent,  and 
that  I  was  at  its  head  before  you  were  born.  I  hope  that  I  have 
the  right  to  believe  and  say  that  the  old  Superior  of  the  Semin- 
ary of  Quebec  understands,  as  well  as  the  young  curate  of  Beau- 


port, 


the  advanlajie  of 


a  good 


education.      But  I  will  repeat  to 


you  what  I  said  to  Mr.  Des  Roussell,  that  it  is  a  great  mistake  to 
introduce  such  a  general  system  of  education  as  you  want  to  do 
in  Beauport.  Let  every  parish  have  its  well-educated  notary, 
doctor,  merchants,  and  a  few  others  to  do  the  public  business; 
that  is  enough.  Our  parishes  of  Canada  are  models  of  peace 
and  harmony  under  the  direction  of  their  good  curates,  but  they 
will  become  tmmanageable  the  very  day  your  system  of  educa- 
tion spreads  abroad ;  for  then  all  the  bad  propensities  of  the 
heart  will  be  developed  with  an  irresistible  force.  Besides,  you 
know  that  since  the  conquest  of  Canada  by  Protestant  England, 
the  Protestants  are  waiting  for  their  opportunity  to  spread  the 
Bible  among  our  people.  The  only  barrier  we  can  oppose  to 
that  danger,  is  to  have  in  future,  as  in  the  past,  only  a  very  limi- 
ted number  of  our  people  who  can  read  or  write.  For  as  soon 
as  the  common  people  are  able  to  read,  they  will,  like  Adam  and 
Eve,  taste  the  forbidden  fruit ;  they  will  read  the  Bible,  turn 
Protestant,  and  be  lost  for  time  and  eternity." 

In  my  answer,  among  other  things,  I  said :  "  Go  into  the 
country,  look  at  the  farm  which  is  well-cultivated,  ploughed  with 
attention  and  skill,  richly  manured,  and  sown  with  good  seed,  is 
it  not  infinitely  more  pleasant  and  beautiful  to  live  on  such  a  farm, 
than  on  one  which  is  neglected,  unskillfuUy  managed  and  cover- 
ed with  noxious  weeds?  Well,  the  difTerence  between  a  well- 
educated  and  an  uneducated  people  is  still  greater  in  my  mind. 

"  I  know  that  the  priests  of  Canada,  in  general,  have  your 
views,  and  it  is  for  that  reason  that  the  parish  of  Beauport  with 
its  immense  revenues  has  been  left  without  a  school  worthy  the 
name,  from  its  foundation  till  my  going  there.  But  my  views 
are  absolutely  different.  And  as  for  your  fear  of  the  Bible.  I 
confess  we  are  antipodes  to  each  other.  I  consider  that  one  of 
the  greatest  blessings  God  has  bestowed  upon  me,  is  that  I  have 


38o 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


read  the  Bible,  when  I  was  on  my  mother's  knees.  I  do  not  even 
conceal  from  you,  that  one  of  my  objects  in  giving  a  good 
education  to  every  boy  and  girl  of  Beauport,  is  to  put  the  gospel 
of  Christ  in  their  hands,  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  read  it." 

At  the  end  of  our  conversation,  which  was  very  excited  on 
both  sides,  though  kept  in  the  bounds  of  politeness  during  nearly 
two  hours,  I  said :  "  Mr.  Grand  Vicar,  I  did  not  come  here  to 
convert  you  to  ptiy  views,  this  would  have  been  impertinence  on 
my  part;  "or  can  you  convert  me  to  yours,  if  you  are  trying  it, 
for  you  know  I  have  the  bad  reputation  of  being  a  hard  case;  I 
came  to  ask  you,  as  a  favor,  to  let  me  work  according  to  my 
conscience  in  a  parish  which  is  mine  and  not  yours.  Do  not 
interfere  any  more  in  my  affairs  between  me  and  my  parishon- 
ers,  than  you  would  like  me  to  interfere  in  the  management  of 
your  Seminary.  As  you  would  not  like  me  to  criticize  vou 
before  your  pupils  and  turn  you  into  ridicule,  please  cease 
adding  to  my  difficulties  among  my  people,  by  continueing  in 
the  future  what  you  have  done  in  the  past. 

"  You  know,  Mr.  Grand  Vicar,  that  I  have  always  respected 
you  as  my  father;  you  have  many  times  been  my  adviser,  my 
confessor  and  my  friend ;  I  hope  you  will  grant  me  the  favor  I 
ask  fiom  you  in  the  name  of  our  common  Saviour.  It  is  for 
the  spiritual  and  temporal  good  of  the  people  and  pastor  of 
Beauport  that  I  make  this  prayer." 

That  old  priest  was  a  kind-hearted  man;  these  last  words 
melted  his  heart.  He  promised  what  I  wanted,  and  we  parted 
from  each  other  on  better  terms  than  I  had  expected  at  first. 

When  crossing  the  courtyard  of  the  Seminary,  I  saw  the 
Archbishop  Signaie,  who,  coming  from  taking  a  ride,  had  stopped 
to  look  at  my  horse  and  admire  it.  When  near  him,  I  said; 
*«My  lord,  this  is  a  bishop's  horse  and  ought  to  be  iti  your 
hands." 

"  It  is  what  I  was  saying  to  my  secretary,"  replied  the  bishop. 
**How  long  is  it  since  you  got  it?" 

"  Only  a  few  days  ago,  my  lord." 

"  Have  you  any  intention  of  selling  it?" 

"  I  would,  if  it  would  please  my  bishop."     I  replied. 


f 


ERECTION   OF    THE   COLUMN   OF    TEMPERANCE. 


381 


«'  What  is  the  price?"  asked  the  bishop. 

♦«  Those  who  gave  it  to  me  paid  $500  for  it,"  I  replied. 

"Oh!  Oh  I  that  is  too  dear,"  rejoined  the  bishop,  "  with  five 
hundred  dollars,  we  can  get  five  good  horses.  Two  hundred 
would  be  enough." 

"Your  lordship  is  joking.  Were  I  as  rich  as  I  am  poor,  one 
thousand  dollars  would  not  take  that  noble  animal  from  my 
hands,  except  to  have  it  put  in  the  carosse  of  my  bishop. 

"Go  and  make  a  check  of  two  hundred  dollars  to  the 
order  of    Mr.    Chiniquy,"   said     the  bishop   to    his    sub-secre- 


tary, 


Mr.  Bclisle." 


When  the  secretary  had  gone  to  make  the  check,  the  bishop 
being  alone  with  me,  took  from  his  portfeuille  three  bank  bills 
of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  and  put  them  into  my  hands,  saying : 
"This  will  make  up  your  $500,  when  my  secretary  gives 
you  the  check.  But  please  say  nothing  to  anybody,  not  even  to 
my  secretary.  I  do  not  like  to  have  my  private  affairs  talked  of 
around  the  corners  of  the  streets.  That  horse  is  the  most 
splendid  I  ever  saw,  and  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  having 
sold  it  to  me." 

I  was  also  very  glad  to  have  $500  in  hand.  For  with  $300 
I  could  finish  my  school-house,  and  there  was  $200  more  to 
begin  another,  three  miles  distant. 

Just  two  weeks  later,  when  I  was  dressing  myself  at  sunrise, 
my  servant  man  came  to  my  room  and  said:  "  There  are  twenty 
men  on  horseback  who  want  to  speak  to  you." 

"Twenty  men  on  horseback  who  want  to  speak  to  me  I"  I 
answered.     t'Are  you  dreaming?" 

"I  do  not  dream,"  answered  my  young  man;  "there  they 
are  at  the  door,  on  horseback,  waiting  for  you." 

I  was  soon  dressed,  and  in  the  presence  of  twenty  of  my  best 
farmers,  on  horseback,  who  had  formed  themselves  in  a  half- 
circle  to  receive  me. 

"What  do  you  want,  my  friends?"  I  asked  them. 
One  of  them,  who  had  studied  a  few  years  in  the  Seminary 
of  Quebec,  answered : 

"  Dear  pastor,  we  come  in  the  name  of  the  whole  people  of 


382 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Beauport,  to  ask  your  pardon  for  having  saddened  your  heart 
by  not  coming  as  we  ought  to  your  lielp  in  the  superhuman 
efforts  you  make  to  give  good  schools  to  our  children.  This  is 
the  result  of  our  ignorance.  Having  never  gone  to  school  our- 
selves, the  greater  part  of  us  have  never  known  the  value  of 
education.  But  the  heroic  sacrifices  you  have  made  lately  have 
opened  our  eyes.  They  ought  to  have  been  opened  at  the 
sale  of  your  first  horse.  But  we  were  in  need  of  another  lesson 
to  understand  our  meanness.  However,  the  selling  of  the 
second  horse  has  done  more  than  anything  else  to  awaken  us 
from  our  shameful  lethargy.  The  fear  of  receiving  a  new 
rebuke  from  us,  if  you  made  another  appeal  to  our  generosity, 
has  forced  you  to  make  that  new  sacrifice.  The  first  news  came 
to  us  as  a  thunderbolt.  But  there  is  always  some  light  in  a 
thunderbolt;  through  that  light  we  have  seen  our  profound 
degradation,  in  shutting  our  ears  to  your  earnest  and  paternal 
appeals  in  favor  of  our  own  dear  children.  Be  sure,  dear 
pastor,  that  we  are  ashamed  of  our  conduct.  From  this  day, 
not  only  our  hearts  but  our  purses  are  yours,  in  all  you  want  to 
do  to  secure  a  good  education  for  our  families.  However,  our 
principal  object  in  coming  here  to-day  is  not  to  say  vain  words, 
but  to  do  an  act  of  reparation  and  justice.  Our  first  thought, 
when  we  heard  that  you  had  sold  the  horse  we  had  given  you, 
was  to  present  you  with  another.  We  have  been  prevented 
from  doing  this  by  the  certainty  that  you  would  sell  it  again, 
either  to  help  some  poor  people  or  to  build  another  school-house. 
As  we  cannot  bear  to  see  our  pastor  walking  in  the  mud  when 
going  to  the  city,  or  visiting  us,  we  have  determined  to  put 
another  horse  into  your  hands,  but  in  such  a  way  that  you  will 
not  have  the  right  to  sell  it.  We  ask  you,  then,  as  a  favor,  to 
select  the  best  horse  here  among  these  twenty  Which  are  before 
you,  and  to  keep  it  as  long  as  you  remain  in  our  midst,  which 
we  hope  will  be  very  long.  It  will  be  returned  to  its  present 
possessor  if  you  leave  us ;  and  be  sure,  dear  pastor,  that  the  one 
of  us  who  leaves  his  horse  in  your  hands  will  be  the  most  happy 
and  proudest  of  all." 

When  speaking  thus,  that  noble-hearted  man  had  several 


ERECTION    OF    THE    COLUMN   OF    TEMPERANCE. 


383 


times  been  unable  to  conceal  the  tears  which  were  rolling  down 
his  cheeks,  and  more  than  once  his  trembling  voice  had  been 
choked  by  his  emotion. 

I  tried  in  vain  at  first  to  speak.  My  feelings  of  gratitude 
and  admiration  could  be  expressed  only  with  my  tears.  It  took 
some  time  before  I  could  utter  a  single  word.  At  last  I  said: 
"  My  dear  friends,  this  is  too  much  for  your  poor  pastor.  I 
feel  overwhelmed  by  this  grand  act  of  kindness.  I  do  not  say 
that  I  thank  you — the  word  thank  is  too  small  —  too  short 
and  insignificant  to  tell  you  what  your  poor  unworthy  pastor 
feels  at  what  his  eyes  see  and  his  ears  hear  just  now.  The 
great  and  merciful  God,  who  has  put  those  sentiments  into  your 
hearts,  alone  can  repay  yeu  for  the  joy  with  which  you  fill  my 
soul.  I  would  hurt  your  feelings,  I  know,  by  not  accepting 
your  offering:  I  accept  it.  But  to  punish  your  speaker,  Mr. 
Parent,  for  his  complimentary  address,  I  will  take  his  horse,  for 
the  time  I  am  curate  of  Beauport,  which,  I  hope,  will  be  till  I 
die."     And  I  laid  my  hand  on  the  bridle  of  the  splendid  animal. 

There  was  then  a  struggle  which  I  had  not  expected.  Every 
one  of  the  nineteen  whom  I  left  with  their  horses  began  to  cry : 
"Oh!  do  not  take  that  horse;  it  is  not  worth  a  penny;  mine  is 
much  stronger,"  sajd  one.  "  Mine  is  much  faster,"  cried  out 
another.  "  Mine  is  a  safe  rider,"  said  a  third.  Every  one 
wanted  me  to  take  his  horse,  and  tried  to  persuade  me  that  it 
was  the  best  of  all;  they  really  felt  sorry  that  they  were  not 
able  to  change  my  mind. 

Has  any  one  ever  felt  more  happy  than  I  was  in  the  midst 
of  these  generous  friends? 

The  memory  of  that  happy  hour  will  never  pass  away  from 
my  mind. 


Chapter  XXXIX. 

SSKT  TO  SXrOOEED  BEV.  KB.  VABXN,  OUBATE  OF  KAM0X7BASKA 
STEBN  OPPOSITION  07  THAT  OTTBATE  AND  THE  STTBBOXmi)- 
INO  PBIBSTS  AND  PEOPI<B  -  HOT7BS  07  DESOLATION  IN 
KAKOXTBASKA-THE  GOOD  KASTEB  ALLATS  THE  TEUPEST, 
AND  BIDS  THE  WAVES  BE  STILI.. 


ON  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  August,  1842,  we  blessed  and 
opened  the  seventh  school  of  Beauport.  From  that  day 
all  the  children  were  to  receive  as  good  an  education  as  could  be 
given  in  any  country  place  of  Canada.  Those  schools  had  been 
raised  on  the  ruins  of  the  seven  taverns  which  had  so  long 
spread  ruin,  shame,  desolation  and  death  over  that  splendid 
parish.  My  heart  was  filled  with  an  unspeakable  joy  at  th' 
sight  of  the  marvel  ous  things  which,  by  the  hand  of  God,  had 
been  wrought  m  such  a  short  time. 

At  about  two  P.M.  of  that  never-to-be-forgotten  day,  after  I 
had  said  my  vespers,  and"  was  alone,  pacing  the  alleys  of  my 
garden,  under  the  shade  of  the  old  maple  trees  bordering  the 
northern  part  of  that  beautiful  spot,  I  was  reviewing  the 
struggles  and  the  victories  of  these  last  four  years :  it  seemed 
that  everything  around  me,  not  onM  the  giant  trees  which  were 
protecting  me  from  the  burning  sun,  but  even  the  humblest 
grasses  and  flowers  of  my  garden,  had  a  voice  to  tell  me,  "  Bless 
the  Lord  for  His  mercies." 

At  my  feet  the  majestic  St.  Lawrence  was  rolling  its  deep 
waters;  beyond,  the  old  capital  of  Canada,  Quebec,  with  its 
massive  citadel,  its  proud  towers,  its  bristling  cannons,  its 
numerous  houses  and  steeples,  with  their  tin  roofs  reflecting 
the  light  of  the  sun  in  myriads  of  rays,  formed  such  a  spectacle 
of  fairy  beauty  as  no  pen  can  describe.     The  fresh  breeze  from 


r^rnr^*^' 


'  'I  --fip/H 


SENT    TO   KAMOURASKA. 


385 


the  river,  mingled  with  the  perfume  of  the  thousand  flowers  of 
my  parterre,  bathed  me  in  an  atmosphere  of  fragrance.  Never 
yet  had  I  enjoyed  life  as  at  that  hour.  All  the  sanguine  desires 
of  my  heart  and  the  holy  aspirations  of  my  soul  had  been  more 
than  realized.  Peace,  harmony,  industry,  abundance,  happiness, 
religion  and  education  had  come  on  the  heels  of  temperance,  to 
crladden  and  cheer  the  families  which  God  had  entrusted  to  me. 
The  former  hard  feelings  of  my  ecclesiastical  superiors  had  been 
changed  into  sentiments  and  acts  of  kindness,  much  above  my 
merits.  With  the  most  sincere  feelings  of  gratitude  to  God,  I 
said  with  the  old  prophet,  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  ny  soul." 

By  the  great  mercy  of  God  that  parish  of  Beauport,  which 
at  first  had  appeared  to  me  as  a  bottomless  abyss  in  which  I  was 
to  perish,  had  been  changed  for  me  into  an  earthly  paradise. 
There  was  only  one  desire  in  my  heart.  It  was  that  I  never 
should  be  removed  f :  om  it.  Like  Peter  on  Mount  Tabor,  I 
wanted  to  pitch  my  tent  in  Beauport  to  the  end  of  my  life.  But 
the  rebuke  which  had  shamed  Peter  came  as  quickly  as  light- 
ning to  show  me  the  folly  and  vanity  of  my  dreams. 

Suddenly  the  carrosse  of  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  came  in 
sight,  and  rolled  down  to  the  door  of  the  parsonage.  The  sub- 
secretary,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Belisle,  alighting  fiom  it,  directed  his 
steps  towards  the  garden,  where  he  had  seen  me,  and  handed 
me  the  following  letter  from  the  Right  Rev.  Turgeon, 
Coadjutor  of  Quebec: 

My  dear  Mens.  Chiniquy: 

His  lordship  Bishop  Signaie  and  I  wish  to  confer  with  you  or.  a  most 
important  matter.  We  have  sent  our  carriage  to  bring  you  to  Quebec. 
Please  come  without  the  least  delay. 

Truly  yours, 

*  Flav.  Turgeon. 

One  hour  after,  I  was  with  the  two  bishops.  My  Lord 
Signaie  said : 

«  Monseigneur  Turgeon  will  tell  you  why  we  have  sent  for 
you  in  such  haste." 

"  Mons.  Chiniquy,"  said  Bishop  Turgeon,  "  is  not  Kamour- 
aska  your  birthplace?" 


^,jplfljfllpililpplilillpi^^ 


386 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


*'  Yes,  my  lord." 

"  Do  you  like  that  place,  and  do  you  interest  yourself  much 
in  its  welfare  ? " 

''Of  course,  my  lord,  I  like  Kamouraska;  not  only  because 
it  is  my  birthplace,  and  the  most  happy  years  of  my  youth  were 
spent  in  it,  but  also  because.  In  my  humble  opinion,  the  beauties 
of  its  scenery,  the  purity  of  its  atmosphere,  the  fine  manners  and 
proverbial  intelligence  of  its  people,  make  it  the  very  gem  of 
Canada." 

"  You  know,"  rejoined  the  bishop,  "  that  Rev.  Mons.  Varin 
has  been  too  infirm,  these  last  years,  to  superintend  the  spiritual 
interest  of  that  important  place,  it  is  impossible  to  continue  put- 
ting a  young  vicar  at  the  head  of  such  a  parish,  where  hundreds 
of  the  best  families  of  our  aristocracy  of  Quebec  and  Montreal 
resort  every  summer.  We  have,  too  long,  tried  that  experi- 
ment of  young  priests  in  the  midst  of  such  a  people.  It  has 
been  a  failure.  Drunkenness,  luxury  and  immoralities  of  the 
most  degrading  kind  are  eating  up  the  very  life  of  Kamouraska 
to-day.  Not  less  than  thirty  illegitimate  births  are  known  and 
registered  in  different  places  from  Kamouraska  these  last  twelve 
months.  It  is  quite  time  to  stop  that  state  of  affairs,  and  you 
are  the  only  one,  Mons.  Chiniquy,  on  whom  we  can  rely  for  that 
great  and  difficult  work." 

These  words  passed  through  my  soul  as  a  two-edged  sword. 
My  lips  quivered,  I  felt  as  if  I  were  choking,  and  my  tongue, 
with  difficulty  muttered :  "  My  lord,  I  hope  it  is  not  your  inten- 
tion to  remove  me  from  my  deai  parish  of  Beauport." 

"  No,  Mons.  Chiniquy,  we  will  not  make  use  of  our  authori- 
ty, to  break  the  sacred  and  sweet  ties  which  unite  you  to  the 
parish  of  Beauport.  But  we  will  put  before  your  conscience  the 
reasons  we  have  to  wish  you  at  the  head  of  the  great  and  im- 
portant parish  of  Kamouraska. 

For  more  than  an  hour,  the  two  bishops  made  strong  appeals 
to  my  charity  for  the  multitudes  who  were  sunk  into  the  abyss 
of  drunkenness  and  every  vice,  and  had  no  one  to  save 
them. 

«'  See  how  God  and  men  are  blessing  you  to-day,"  added  the 


mmm^^w^mww^^^^^^^^' 


SENT   TO   KAMOURASKA. 


387 


Archbishop  Signaie,  for  what  you  have  done  inBeauportI  Will 
they  not  bless  you  still  more,  if  you  save  that  great  and  splendid 
parish  of  Kamouraska,  as  you  have  saved  Boauportr  Will 
not  a  double  crown  be  put  upon  upon  your  forehead  by  your 
bishops,  your  country  and  your  God,  if  you  consent  to  be  the 
instrument  of  the  mercies  of  God  towards  the  people  of  your 
own  birth-place,  and  the  surrounding  country,  as  you  have  just 
been  for  Beauport  and  its  surrounding  parishes?  Can  you 
rest  and  live  in  peace  now  in  Beauport,  when  you  hear  day  and 
night  the  voice  of  the  multitudes  who  cry :  '  Come  to  our  help, 
we  are  perishing  ?'  What  will  you  answer  to  God,  at  the  last 
day,  when  He  will  show  you  the  thousands  of  precious  souls 
lost  at  Kamouraska,  because  you  refused  to  go  to  their  rescue? 
As  Monseigneur  Turgeon  has  said,  we  will  not  make  use  of 
our  authority  to  force  you  to  leave  your  present  position;  we 
hope  that  the  prayers  of  your  bishops  will  be  enough  for  you. 
We  know  what  a  great  sacrifice  it  will  be  for  you  to  leave 
Beauport  to-day ;  but  do  not  forget  that  the  greater  the  sacrifice, 
the  more  precious  will  the  crown  be." 

My  bishops  had  spoken  to  me  with  such  kindness!  Their 
paternal  and  friendly  appeals  had  surely  more  power  over  me 
than  orders.  Not  without  many  tears;  but  with  a  true  good 
will,  I  consented  to  give  up  the  prospects  of  peace  and  comfort 
which  were  in  store  for  me  in  Beauport,  to  plunge  myself  again 
into  a  future  of  endless  troubles  and  warfare,  by  going  to 
Kamouraska. 

There  is  no  need  of  saying  that  the  people  of  Beauport  did 
all  in  their  power  to  induce  the  bishops  to  let  me  remain  among 
them  some  time  longer.  But  the  sacrifice  had  to  be  made.  I 
gave  my  farewell  address  on  the  2nd  Sabbath  of  September;  in 
the  midst  of  indescribable  cries,  sobs  and  tears,  and  on  the  17th 
of  the  same  month,  I  was  on  my  way  to  Kamouraska.  I  had 
left  everything  behind  me  at  Beauport,  even  to  my  books,  in 
order  to  be  freer  in  that  formidable  conflict  which  seemed  to  be 
in  store  for  me  in  my  new  parish. 

When  I  took  leave  of  the  bishop  of  Quebec,  they  showed 
me  a  letter  just  received  by  them  from  Mons.  Varin,  filled  with 


f-'wy^ 


m''Kyf"'^~ 


388 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  most  bitter  expressions  of  indignation  on  account  of  the 
choice  of  such  a  fanatic  and  fire-brand  as  Chiniquy,  for  a  place 
as  well  known  for  its  peaceful  habits  and  harmony  among  all 
classes."     The  last  words  of  the  letter  were  as  follows: 

"  The  clergy  and  people  of  Kamouraska  and  vicinity  consider 
the  appointment  of  Mons.  Chiniquy  to  this  parish  as  an  insult, 
and  we  hope  and  pray  that  your  lordship  may  change  your 
mind  on  the  subject." 

In  showing  me  the  letter,  my  lord  Signaie  and  Turgeon 
said :  "  We  fear  that  you  will  have  more  trouble  than  we 
expected  with  the  old  curate  and  his  partisans,  hut  we  commend 
you  to  the  grace  of  God  and  the  protection  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
remembering  that  our  Saviour  has  said :  '  Fear  not,  I  have  over- 
come the  world.'" 

I  arrived  at  Kamouraska  the  21st  of  September,  1842,  on 
one  of  the  finest  days  of  the  year.  But  my  heart  was  filled  with 
an  unspeakable  desolation,  for  all  along  the  way,  the  curates  had 
told  me  that  the  people,  with  their  old  pastor,  were  unanimous 
in  their  opposition  to  my  going  there.  It  was  even  rumored 
that  the  doors  of  the  church  would  be  shut  against  me,  the  next 
Sunday.  To  this  bad  news  were  added  two  very  strange  facts. 
My  brother  Achilles,  who  was  living  at  St.  Michel,  was  to  drive 
me  from  that  place  to  St.  Roch  des  Aulnets,  whence  my  other 
brother  Louis,  would  take  me  to  Kamouraska.  But  we  had  not 
traveled  more  than  five  or  six  miles,  when  the  wheel  of  the 
newly  finished  and  beautifully  painted  buggy,  having  struck  a 
stone,  the  seat  was  broken  into  fragments,  and  we  both  fell  to 
the  ground. 

By  chance,  as  my  brother  was  blessing  the  man  who  had  sold 
hirn  that  rig  for  a  new  and  first-class  conveyance,  a  traveler 
going  the  same  way  passed  by.  I  asked  him  for  a  place  in  his 
caleche,  bade  adieu  to  my  brother,  and  consoled  him  by  saying: 
"As  you  have  lost  your  fine  buggy  in  my  service,  I  will  give 
you  a  better  one." 

Two  days  after,  my  second  brother  was  driving  me  to  my 
destination,  and  when  about  three  or  four  miles  from  Kamour- 
aska, his  fine  horse  stepped  on  a  long  nail  which  was  on  the 


mum 


''lmf^f'T'^"''W*!"J'm^ 


SENT   TO   KAMOURASKA. 


389 


road,  fell  down  and  died  in  the  nwful  convulsions  of  tetanus.  I 
touk  leave  of  him,  and  consoled  him  also  by  promising  to  give 
him  another  horse. 

Another  carriage  took  me  safely  to  thj  end  of  my 
journey.  However,  having  to  pass  by  the  church,  which  was 
about  200  yards  from  the  parsonage,  I  dismissed  my  driver  at 
the  door  of  the  sacred  edifice,  and  took  my  satchel  in  hand, 
which  was  my  only  baggage,  entered  the  church  and  spent  more 
than  an  hour  in  fervent  prayers,  or  rather  in  cries  and  tears.  I 
felt  so  heart-sick  that  I  needed  tha  t  hour  of  rest  and  prayer. 
The  tears  I  shed  there  relieved  my  burdened  spirit. 

A  few  steps  from  me,  in  the  cemetery,  lay  the  sacred  remains 
of  my  beloved  mother,  whose  angelic  face  and  memory  were 
constantly  before  me.  Facing  me  was  the  altar  where  I  had 
made  my  first  communion ;  at  my  left,  was  the  pulpit  which  was 
to  be  the  battlefield  where  I  had  to  fight  the  enemies  of  my 
people,  and  of  my  God,  who,  I  had  been  repeatedly  told,  were 
cursing  and  grinding  their  teeth  at  me.  But  the  vision  of  that 
old  curate  I  had  soon  to  confront,  and  who  had  written  such  an 
impudent  letter  against  me  to  the  bishops,  and  the  public  opposi- 
tion of  the  surrounding  priests  to  my  coming  into  their  midst, 
were  the  most  discouraging  aspects  of  my  new  position.  I  felt 
as  it  my  soul  had  been  crushed.  My  very  existence  seemed  an 
unbearable  burden. 

^  My  new  responsibilities  came  so  vividly  before  my  mind  in 
that  distressing  hour,  that  my  courage  for  a  moment  failed  me. 
I  reproached  myself  for  the  act  of  folly  in  yielding  to  the 
request  of  the  bishops.  It  seemed  evident  that  I  had 
accepted  a  burden  too  heavy  for  me'  to  bear.  But  I  prayed 
with  all  the  fervor  of  my  soul  to  God  and  to  the  Virgin  Mary, 
and  wept  to  my  heart's  content. 

There  is  a  marvellous  power  in  the  prayers  and  tears  which 
come  from  J:he  heart.  I  felt  as  a  new  man.  I  seemed  to  hear 
the  trumpet  of  God  calling  me  to  the  battlefield.  My  only 
business  then  was  to  go  and  fight,  relying  on  Him  alone  for 
victory.  I  took  my  travelling  bag,  went  out  of  the  church  and 
walked  slowly  towards  the  parsonage,  which  has  been  burnt 


ill 


^^i^^^^^^f^'^f^^'^^^^^W^ 


^Pfp" 


390 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OP    ROME. 


since.  It  was  a  splendid  two-storey  building,  eighty  feet  in 
length,  with  capacious  cellars.  It  had  been  built  shortly  after 
the  conquest  of  Canada,  as  a  store  for  contraband  goods;  but 
after  a  few  years  of  failure  became  the  parsonage  of  the  parish. 

The  Rev.  Mons.  Varin,  though  infirm  and  sick,  had 
watched  me  from  his  window,  and  felt  bewildered  at  my  enter- 
ing the  church  and  remaining  so  long. 

I  knocked  at  the  first  door,  but  as  nobody  answered,  I  opened 
it,  and  crossed  the  first  large  room  to  knock  at  the  second  door; 
but,  here  also,  no  answer  came  except  from  two  furious  little  dogs. 
I  entered  the  room,  fighting  the  dogs,  which  bit  me  several 
times.  I  knocked  at  the  third  and  fourth  doors  with  the  same 
result — no  one  to  receive  me. 

I  knew  that  the  next  was  the  old  curate's  sleeping-room.  At 
my  knocking,  an  angry  voice  cried  out:  "  Walk  in." 

I  entered,  made  a  step  toward  the  old  and  infirm  curate,  who 
was  sitting  in  his  large  arm  chair.  As  I  was  about  to  salute 
him,  he  angrily  said:  "  The  people  of  Beauport  have  made  great 
efforts  to  keep  you  in  their  midst,  but  the  people  of  Kamouraska 
will  make  as  great  efforts  to  turn  you  out  of  this  place." 

"  Mons.  le  Cure,"  I  answered  calmly,  "  God  knoweth  that 
I  never  desired  to  leave  Beauport  for  this  place.  But  I  think  it 
is  that  great  and  merciful  God  who  has  brought  me  here  by  the 
hand ;  and  I  hope  He  will  help  me  to  overcome  all  opposition* 
from  whatever  quarter  it  may  come." 

He  replied  angrily :  *'  Is  it  to  insult  me  that  you  call  me 
« Mons.  le  Cure?'  I  am  no  more  the  curate  of  Kamouraska. 
You  are  the  curate  now,  Mr.  Chiniquy." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  my  dear  Mr.  Varin;  you  are  still,  I 
hope  you  will  remain  all  your  life,  the  honored  and  beloved 
curate  of  Kamouraska.  The  respect  and  gratitude  I  owe  you 
have  caused  me  to  refuse  the  titles  and  honors  which  our  bishop 
wanted  to  give  me. 

"  But,  then,  if  I  am  the  curate,  what  are  you  ?  "  replied  the 
old  priest,  with  more  calmness. 

"  I  am  nothing  but  a  simple  soldier  of  Christ,  and  a  sower  of 
the  good  seed  of  the  gospel!"  I  answered.     "When  I  fight  the 


[WH  '.fSW  \w«l|f»,,wf. 


8BNT   TO    KAMOURASKA. 


39« 


common  enemy  in  the  plain,  as  Joshua  did,  you,  like  Moses,  will 
stand  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  lift  up  your  hands  to  Heaven, 
send  your  prayers  to  the  mercy-seat,  and  we  will  gain  the  day. 
Then  both  will  bless  the  God  of  our  salvation  for  the  victory." 

"  Well  !  well  I  this  is  beautiful,  grand  and  sublime,"  said  the 
old  priest,  with  a  voice  filled  with  friendly  emotions.  *'  But 
where  is  your  household  furniture,  your  library  ?" 

"My  household  furniture,"  I  answered, "is  in  this  little  bag, 
which  I  hold  in  my  hand.  I  do  not  want  any  of  my  books  as 
long  as  I  have  the  pleasure  and  honor  to  be  with  the  good 
Mons.  Varin,  who  will  allow  me,  I  am  sure  of  it,  to  ransack  his 
splendid  library,  and  study  his  rare  and  learned  books." 

"  But,  what  rooms  do  you  wish  to  occupy  ? "  rejoined  the 
good  old  curate. 

"As  the  parsoi.'fe  is  yours  and  not  mine,"  I  answered, 
« please  tell  me  wh  a  you  want  me  to  sleep  and  rest.  I  will 
accept,  with  gratitude,  any  room  you  will  offer  me,  even  if  it 
were  in  your  cellar  or  granary.  I  do  not  want  to  bother  you  in 
any  way.  When  I  was  young,  a  poor  orphan  in  your  parish, 
some  twenty  years  ago,  were  you  not  a  father  to  me?  Please 
continue  to  look  upon  me  as  your  own  child,  for  I  have  always 
loved  you  and  considered  you  as  a  father,  and  I  still  do  the  same. 
Were  you  not  my  guide  and  adviser,  in  my  first  steps  in  the 
ways  of  God?  Please  continue  to  be  my  guide  and  adviser 
to  the  end  of  your  life.  My  only  ambition  is  to  be  your  right- 
hand  man,  and  to  learn  from  your  old  experience  and  your 
sincere  piety,  how  to  live  and  work  as  a  good  priest  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

I  had  not  finished  the  last  sentence  when  the  old  man  burst 
into  tears,  threw  himself  into  my  arms,  pressed  me  to  his  heart, 
bathed  me  with  his  tears  and  said,  with  a  voice  half -suffocated 
by  his  sobs:  "Dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  forgive  me  the  evil  things  I 
have  written  and  said  about  you.  You  are  welcome  in  my  par- 
sonage, and  I  bless  God  to  have  sent  me  such  a  young  friend,  who 
will  help  me  to  carry  the  burden  of  my  old  age." 

I  then  handed  him  the  bishop's  letter,  which  had  confirmed 
all  I  had  said  about  my  mission  of  peace  towards  him. 


pllp?pplilfppp^ 


I.W'S ■!(!''.'"'  ''"IS 


39» 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


r 


From  that  day  to  his  death,  which  occurred  six  months  after, 
I  never  had  a  more  sincere  friend  than  Mr.  Varin. 

I  thanked  God,  who  had  enabled  me  at  once,  not  only  to 
disarm  the  chief  of  my  opponents,  but  to  transform  him  into  my 
most  sincere  and  devoted  friend.  My  hope  was  that  the  people 
would  soon  follow  their  chief  and  be  reconciled  to  me,  but  I  did 
not  expect  that  this  would  be  so  soon  and  from  such  an  unfor'?- 
seen  and  unexpected  cause. 

The  principle  reason  the  people  had  to  oppose  my  coming  to 
Kamouraska  was  that  I  was  the  nephew  of  the  Hon.  Amable 
Dionnc,  who  had  made  a  colossal  fortune  at  their  expense.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Varin,  who  was  always  in  his  debt,  was  also  forced 
by  the  circumstances,  to  buy  everything,  both  for  himself  and 
the  church,  from  him,  and  had  to  pay  without  murmur  the  most 
exorbitant  prices  for  everything. 

In  that  way,'the  church  and  the  curate,  though  they  had  very 
large  revenues,  had  never  enough  to  clear  their  accounts.  When 
the  people  heard  that  the  nephew  of  Mons.  Dionne  was  their 
curate,  they  said  to  each  other:  "Now  our  poor  church  is  for- 
ever  ruined,  for  the  nephew  will,  still  more  than  the  curate, 
favor  his  uncle,  and  the  uncle  will  be  less  scrupulous  than  ever  in 
asking  most  unreasonable  prices  for  his  merchandise." 

They  felt  they  had  more  than  fallen  from  Charybdis  into  Scylla. 

The  very  next  day  after  my  arrival,  the  beadle  told  ^r.'^  that 
the  church  needed  a  few  yards  of  cottoti  for  some  repairs,  and 
asked  mc  if  he  would  not  go,  as  usual,  to%Mr.  Dionne's  store. 
I  told  him  to  go  there  first,  ask  the  price  of  that  article,  and  then 
go  to  the  other  stores,  ordering  him  to  buy  at  the  clicapcst  one. 
Thirty  cents  was  asked  at  Mr.  Dionne's,  and  only  fifteen  cents  at 
Mr.  St.  Pierre's;  of  course,  we  bought  at  the  hitter's  stoi-c. 

The  day  was  not  over,  before  this  apparently  insignificant 
fact  was  known  all  over  the  parish,  and  was  taking  the  most 
extraordinary  and  unforeseen  proportions. 

Farmers  would  meet  with  their  neighbors  and  contrratulate 
themselves  that,  at  last,  the  yoke  imposed  upon  them  by  the  old 
curate  and  Mr.  Dionne,  was  broken ;  that  the  taxes  they  had  to 
pay  the  store  were  at  an  end,  with  the  monopoly  which  had  cost 


iSPiSPPfiP" 


SENT   TO   KAMOURASKA. 


393 


them  so  much  money.  Many  came  to  Mr.  St.  Pierre,  to  hear  from 
his  own  lips  that  their  new  curate  had,  at  once,  freed  them  from 
what  they  considered  the  long  and  ignominious  bondage,  against 
which  they  had  so  often,  but  so  vainly  protested.  For  the  rest 
of  the  week,  this  was  the  only  subject  of  conversation.  They 
congratulated  themselves,  that  they  had,  at  last,  a  priest  with 
such  an  independent  and  honest  mind,  that  he  would  not  do  them 
any  injustice,  even  to  please  a  relative  in  whose  house  he  had 
spent  the  years  of  his  childhood. 

This  simple  act  of  fair  play  towards  that  people  won  over 
their  aflfection.  Only  one  little  dark  spot  remained  in  their 
minds  against  me.  They  had  been  told  that  the  only  subject  on 
which  I  could  preach  was:  Rum,  whiskey  and  drunkenness, 
And  it  seemed  to  them  exceedingly  tedious  to  hear  nothing  else 
from  the  curate,  particurlaly  when  they  were  more  than  ever 
determined  to  continue  drinking  their  social  glasses  of  brandy, 
rum  and  wine. 

There  was  an  immense  crowd  at  church,  the  next  Sunday. 
My  text  was:  "  As  the  Father  has  loved  me,  so  have  I  loved 
you."  Showing  them  how  Jesus  had  proved  that  He  was  their 
friend. 

But  their  sentiments  of  piety  and  pleasure  at  what  they  had 
heard  were  nothing  compared  to  their  surprise  when  they  saw 
that  I  preached  nearly  an  hour  without  saying  a  word  on  whis- 
key, rum  or  beer. 

People  are  often  compared  to  the  waters  of  the  sea,  in  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  When  you  see  the  roaring  waves  dashing  on 
thut  rock  to-day,  as  if  they  wanted  to  demolish  it,  do  not  fear 
that  this  fury  will  last  long.  The  very  next  day,  if  the  wind  has 
changed,  the  same  waters  will  leave  that  rock  alone,  to  spend 
their  fury  on  the  opposite  rock.  So  it  was  in  Kamouraska. 
They  were  full  of  indignation  and  wrath  when  I  set  my  feet  in 
their  midst ;  but  a  few  days  later,  ihose  very  men  would  have 
given  the  last  drop  of  their  blood  to  protect  me.  The  deaf 
Saviour  had  evidently  seen  the  threatening  storm  which  was  to 
destroy  His  poor  unprofitable  servant.  He  had  heard  the  roar- 
ing waves  which  were  dashing  against  me.  So  he  came  down 
and  bid  the  storm  "  be  still  "  and  the  waves  be  cal'm. 


V<rxT"^^Kf^f'"^^*y''>W^ 


Chapter  XL. 

OBOANIZATION  OF  TEMPERANCE  SOOIETXES  IN  KAUOUBAS- 
KA  AND  STTBBOnNDINO  COt7NTB7-THE  QIBI.  IN  THE  OABB 
OF  A  MAN  IN  THE  SEBVTCE  OF  THE  OTTBATES  OF  QT7EBE0 
AND  EBOTTIiEMENTS-FBIGHTENED  BT  THE  SCANDALS 
SEEN  EVEBTWHEBE-aiVE  T7P  MT  PABISH  OF  KAMOXTB 
ASKA  TO  JOIN  THE  "  OBIiATES  OF  MABTIMMACTTI^TE  OF 
LONGTTEH.." 

TWO  days  after  my  arrival  at  Kamouraska,  1  received  a  letter 
from  the  surrounding  priests,  Jit  the  head  of  whom  was 
the  Grand  Vicar  Mailloux,  expressing  the  hope  that  I  would  not 
try  to  form  any  temperance  society  in  my  new  parish,  as  I  had 
done  in  Beauport;  for  the  good  reasons  they  said,  that  drunken- 
ness was  not  prevailing  in  that  part  of  Canada,  as  it  was  in  the 
city  of  Quebec.  I  answered  them,  politely,  that  so  long  as  I 
should  be  at  the  head  of  this  new  parish,  I  would  try,  as  had  I 
ever  done,  to  mind  my  own  business,  and  I  hoped  that  my 
neighboring  friends  would  do  the  same.  Not  long  after,  I  saw 
that  the  curates  felt  ashamed  of  their  vain  attempt  to  intimidate 
me. 

The  next  Sabbath,  the  crowd  was  greater  than  at  the  first. 
Having  heard  that  the  merchants  were  to  start  the  next  day, 
with  their  schooners,  to  buy  their  winter  provisions  of  rum,  I 
said,  in  a  very  solemn  way,  before  my  sermon : 

"  My  friends,  I  know  that,  to-morrow,  the  merchants  leave 
for  Quebec  to  purchase  their  rum.  Let  me  advise  them,  as  their 
best  friend,  not  to  buy  any ;  and  as  the  ambassador  of  Christ,  I 
forbid  them  to  bring  a  single  drop  of  those  poisonous  drinks 
here.  It  will  surely  be  their  ruin,  if  they  pay  no  atten- 
tion  to  this  friendly  advice;  for  they  will  not  sell  a  single 
drop  of  it,  after  next  Sabbath.     That  day,  I  will  show  to  the  in- 

39* 


?^w?^?^*/^ 


,m 


THE    GIRL    IN    THE    GARB    OF    A    MAN. 


395 


telligent  people  of  this  parish,  that  rum  and  all  the  other  drugs, 
sold  here,  under  the  name  of  brandy,  wine  and  beer,  are  nothing 
else  than  disgusting,  deadly,  and  cursed  poisons." 

I  then  preached  on  the  words  of  our  Saviour:  "Be  always 
ready ;  for  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  when  the  Son  of 
Man  cometh."  Though  the  people  seemed  much  pleased  and  im- 
pressed by  that  second  sermon,  they  felt  exceedingly  irritated  pt 
my  few  warning  words  to  the  merchants.  When  the  service  was 
over,  they  all  rallied  around  the  merchants  to  tell  them  not  to 
mind  what  they  had  heard. 

«  If  our  young  curate,"  said  they,  "  thinks  he  will  lead  us  by 
the  nose,  as  he  has  done  with  the  drunkards  of  Beauport,  he  will 
soon  see  his  mistake.  Instead  of  one  hundred  tons,  as  you 
brought  last  fall,  bring  us  two  hundred,  this  year;  we  will  drink 
them  to  his  health.  We  have  a  good  crop  and  we  want  to 
spend  a  jolly  winter." 

It  is  probable  that  the  church  of  Kamouraska  had  never  seen 
within  its  walls  such  a  crowd  as  on  the  second  Sabbath  of  October, 
1842.  It  was  literally  crammed.  Curiosity  had  attracted  the 
people  who,  not  less  eager  to  hear  my  first  grand  sermon  agdinst 
rum,  than  to  see  the  failure  they  expected,  and  wished,  of  my 
first  efforts  to  form  a  temperance  society.  Long  before  the 
public  service,  at  the  door  of  the  church,  as  well  as  during  the 
whole  preceding  week,  the  people  had  pledged  themselves  never 
to  give  up  their  strong  drink,  and  never  to  join  the  temperance 
society. 

But  what  are  the  resolutions  of  man  against  God  ?  Is  He 
not  their  master? 

The  half  of  that  first  sermon  on  temperance  was  not  heard, 
when  that  whole  multitude  had  forgotten  their  public  promises. 
The  hearts  were  not  only  touched — they  were  melted  and  chang- 
ed by  God,  who  wanted  to  show,  once  more,  that  His  works  of 
mercy  were  above  all  the  works  of  His  hands. 

From  the  very  first  day  of  my  arrival  in  Kamouraska,  I  had 
made  a  serious  and  exact  inquiry  about  the  untold  miseries  brought 
upon  the  people  by  intoxicating  drinks. 

I  had  found  that,  during  the  last  twenty  years,  twelve  men 


•■*-' 


4i 


f 

I 


w 


W-^^X^-{1^:      '^"l^WWW- 


39^ 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


had  been  drowned  and  eight  had  been  frozen  to  death,  who  had 
left  twenty  widows  and  sixty  orphans  in  the  most  distressing 
poverty.  Sixty  farmers  had  lost  their  lands  and  had  been 
obliged  to  emigrate  to  other  places,  where  they  were  suffering 
all  the  pangs  of  poverty  from  the  drunkenness  of  their  parents* 
several  Other  families  had  their  properties  mortgaged  for  their 
whole  value,  to  the  rum  merchants,  and  were  expected,  every 
day,  to  be  turned  out  from  their  inheritances,  to  pay  their  rum 
bills.  Seven  mothers  had  died  in  delirium  tremens,  one  had 
hung  herself,  another  drowned  herself  when  drunk.  One  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  had  been  paid  to  the  rum  merchants 
during  the  last  fifteen  years.  Two  hundred  thousand  more  was 
due  to  the  storekeeper;  three  fourths  of  which  were  for  strono- 
drink.  Four  men  had  been  murdered,  among  whom  was  their 
landlord,  Achilles  Tache,  from  their  drunken  habits! 

When  I  had  recapitulated  all  these  facts,  which  were  public 
and  undeniable,  and  depicted  the  desolation  of  the  ruined  famil- 
ies, composed  of  their  own  brothers,  sisters  and  dear  children; 
when  I  brought  before  their  minds,  the  tears  of  the  widows,  the 
cries  of  the  starving  and  naked  children,  the  shame  of  the  famil- 
ies, the  red  hands  of  the  murderers  and  the  mangled  bodies  of 
their  victims;  the  eternal  cries  of  the  lost  from  drunkenness,  the 
broken-hearted  fathers  and  mothers  whose  children  had  been 
destroyed  by  strong  drink;  when  I  proved  to  them  that  there 
was  not  a  single  one  in  their  midst  who  had  not  suffered,  either 
in  his  own  person,  or  in  that  of  his  father  or  mother,  brothers, 
sisters  or  children.  Yes,  when  I  had  given  them  the  simple  and 
awful  story  of  the  crimes  committed  in  their  midst ;  the  ruin  and 
deaths,  the  misery  of  thousands  of  precious  souls  for  whom 
Christ  died  in  vain,  the  church  was  filled  with  such  sobs  and 
cries  that  I  often  could  not  be  heard.  Many  times  my  voice 
was  drowned  by  the  indescribable  confusion  and  lamentation  of 
that  whole  multitude.  Unable  to  contain  myself,  several  times 
I  stopped  and  mingled  my  sobs  and  cries  with  those  of  my 
people. 

When  the  sermon,  which  lasted  two  hours,  was  finished,  I 
asked  all  those  who  were  determined  to  help  me  in  stoppingthe 


W^IWWWmfWmmw^ 


m 


THE    GIRL    IN    THE    GARB   OF    A    MAN. 


397 


ravages  of  intoxicating  drinks,  in  drying  the  tears  which  they 
caused  to  flow,  and  saving  the  precious  souls  they  were  destroy- 
ing, to  come  forward  and  take  the  public  pledge  of  temperance 
by  kissing  a  crucifix  which  I  held  in  my  hand.  Thirteen  hun- 
dred and  ten  came. 

Not  fifty  of  the  people  had  refused  to  enrol  themselves 
under  the  blessed  and  glorious  banners  of  temperance!  and  these 
few  recalcitrants  came  forward,  with  a  verj-  few  exceptions,  the 
ncAt  time  I  spoke  on  the  subject. 

The  very  same  day,  the  wives  of  the  merchants  sent  des-' 
patches  to  their  husbands  in  Quebec,  to  tell  them  what  had  been 
done,  and  not  a  single  barrel  of  intoxicating  drinks  was  brought 
hy  them.  The  generous  cxximple  of  the  admirable  people  of 
Kamouraska  spoke  with  an  Irresistible  eloquence  to  the  other 
parishes  of  that  district,  and  before  long,  the  blessed  banners  of 
temperance  floated  over  all  the  populations  of  St.  Pascal,  St. 
Andrew,  Isle  Verte,  Cacouna,  Riviere  du  Loup,  Rimouski, 
Matane,  St.  Anne,  St.  Roch,  Madawaska,  St.  Benoit,  St.  Luce 
etc.,  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  Eboule- 
ments.  La  Malbaye,  and  the  other  parishes  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river;  and  tlie  people  kept  their  pledge  with  such  fidelity 
that  the  trade  in  rum  was  literally  killed  in  that  part  of  Canada, 
as  It  had  been  in  Beauport  and  its  vicinity. 

The  blessed  fruits  of  this  reform  were  soon   felt  and  seen 
everywhere,  in  the  public  prosperity  and  the  spread  of  education. . 
Kamouraska,  which  was  owing  $300,000,  to  the  merchanto  in 
1843,  had  not  only  paid  its  interest,  but  had  reduced  its  debt  to 
only  $ioo,ooQ,  when  I  left  it  to  go  to  Montreal  in  1846. 

God  only  knows  my  joy  at  these  admirable  manifestations  of 
his  mercies  towards  my  country.  However,  the  joys  of  man  are 
never  without  their  mixture  of  sadness. 

In  the  good  providence  of  God,  being  invited  by  all  the 
curates  to  establish  temperance  societies  among  their  people,  I 
had  the  sad  opportunity,  as  no  priest  ever  had  in  Canada,  to 
know  the  secret  and  public  scandals  of  each  parish.  When  I 
went  to  the  Eboulements,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  invited 
by  the  Rev.  Noel  Toussignant,  I  learned  from  the  very  lips  of 


ipfjffW^^riWPPii^^ 


f-*- 


398 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


that  young  priest,  and  the  ex-priest  Tetreau,  the  history  of  the 
most  shameful  scandals. 

In  1830,  a  young  priest  of  Quebec,  called  Derome,  had  fallen 
in  love  with  one  of  his  young  female  penitents  of  Vercheres, 
where  he  had  preached  a  few  days,  and  he  had  persuaded  her  to 
follow  him  to  the  parsonage  of  Quebec.  The  better  to  conceal 
their  iniquity  from  the  public,  he  persuaded  his  victim  to  dress 
herself  as  a  young  man,  and  throv\r  her  dress  into  the  river,  to 
make  her  parents  and  the  whole  parish  believe  that  she  was 
drowned.  I  had  seen  her  many  times  at  the  parsonage  of 
Quebec,  under  the  name  of  Joseph,  and  had  much  admired  her 
refined  manners,  though  more  than  once  I  was  very  much 
inclined  to  think  that  the  smart  Joseph  was  no  one  else  than  a 
lost  girl.  But  the  respect  I  had  for  the  curate  of  Quebec  (who 
was  the  coadjutor  of  the  bishop)  and  his  young  vicars,  caused 
me  to  reject  those  suspicions  as  unfounded.  However,  many 
even  among  the  first  citizens  of  the  city  had  the  same  suspicions, 
and  they  pressed  me  to  go  to  the  coadjutor  and  warn  him ;  but  I 
refused,  and  told  those  gentlemen  to  do  that  delicate  work  them- 
selves, and  they  did  it. 

The  position  of  that  high  dignitary  and  his  vicar  was  not 
then  a  very  agreeable  one.  Their  bark  had  evidently  drifted 
into  dangerous  waters.  To  keep  Joseph  among  themselves  was 
impossible,  after  the  friendly  advice  from  such  high  quarters, 
and  to  dismiss  him  was  not  less  dangerous.  He  knew  too  well 
how  the  curate  of  Quebec,  with  his  vicars,  were  keeping  their 
vows  of  celibacy,  to  dismiss  him  without  danger  to  themselves; 
a  single  word  from  his  lips  would  destroy  them.  Happily  for 
them,  Mr.  Clement,  then  curate  of  the  Eboulements,  was  in 
search  of  such  a  servant,  and  took  him  to  his  parsonage,  after 
persuading  the  bishop-coadjutor  to  give  Joseph  a  large  sum  of 
money  to  seal  his  lips. 

Things  went  on  pretty  smoothly  between  Joseph  and  the 
priest  for  several  years,  till  some  suspicions  arose  in  the  minds  of 
the  sharp-sighted  people  of  the  parish,  who  told  the  curate  that 
it  would  be  safer  and  more  honorable  for  him  to  get  rid  of  his 
servant.     In  order  to  put  an  end  to  those  suspicions,  and  to 


i««j».i.. 


THE    GIRL   IN    THE    GARB   OF    A    MAN. 


399 


retain  him  in  the  parsonage,  the  curate  persuaded  him  to  marry 
the  daughter  of  a  poor  neighbor. 

The  three  bans  were  published,  and  the  two  girls  were  duly 
married  by  the  curate,  who  continued  his  criminal  intimacies,  in 
the  hope  that  no  one  would  trouble  him  any  more  on  that 
subject.  But  not  long  after  he  was  removed  to  La  Petite 
Riviere,  and  in  1838  the  Rev.  M.  Tetreau  was  appointed  curate 
of  the  Eboulements.  This  new  priest,  knowing  nothing  of  the 
abominations  which  his  predecessor  had  practiced,  continued  to 
employ  Joseph.  One  day,  when  Joseph  was  working  at  the 
gate  of  the  parsonage,  in  the  presence  of  several  people,  a 
stranger  came  and  asked  him  if  Mr.  Tetreau  was  at  home. 

"  Yes,  sir,  Mr.  Curate  is  at  home,"  answered  Joseph;  "but 
as  you  seem  a  stranger  to  the  place,  would  you  allow  me  to  ask 
you  from  what  parish  you  come  ? " 

"  I  am  not  ashamed  of  my  parish,"  answered  the  stranger. 
« I  come  from  Vercheres." 

At  the  word  "  Vercheres,"  Joseph  turned  sc  pale  that  the 
stranger  was  puzzled.  He  looked  carefully  at  him,  and  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Oh !  my  God !  What  do  I  see  here  ?  Genevieve !  Gene- 
vieve I  over  whom  we  have  mourned  so  long  as  drowned  I 
Here  you  are,  disguised  as  a  man ! " 

"Dear  uncle"  (it  was  her  uncle);  "for  God's  sake,  not  a 
word  more  here!" 

But  it  was  too  late;  the  people  who  were  there  had  heard 
the  uncle  and  the  niece.  Their  long  and  secret  suspicions  were 
well-founded.  One  of  their  former  priests  had  kept  a  girl, 
under  the  disguise  of  a  man,  in  his  house;  and  to  blind  his 
people  more  thoroughly,  he  had  married  that  girl  to  another,  in 
order  to  have  them  both  in  his  house  when  he  pleased,  without 
awakening  any  suspicion! 

The  news  went,  almost  as  quickly  as  lightning,  from  one 
end  to  the  other  of  the  parish,  and  spread  all  over  the  country, 
on  both  sides  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  I  had  heard  of  that  horror, 
but  I  could  not  believe  it.  However,  I  bad  to  believe  it,  when, 
on  the  spot,  I  heard  from  the  lips  of  the  ex-curate,  M.  Tetreau, 


'i. 


%'. 


400 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


and  the  new  curate,  M.  Noel  de  Toussignant,  and  fro'ti  the  lips 
of  the  landlord,  the  Honorable  Laterriere,  the  following  details, 
which  had  come  to  light  only  a  short  time  before. 

The  justice  of  the  peace  had  investigated  the  matter,  in  the 
name  of  public  morality.  Joseph  was  brought  before  the 
magistrates,  who  decided  that  a  physician  should  be  charged  to 
make,  not  a  fost  mortem^  but  an  ante-mortem  inquest.  The 
Honorable  Laterriere,  who  made  the  inquest,  declared  that 
Joseph  was  a  girl,  and  the  bonds  of  marriage  were  legally  dis- 
solved. 

In  the  same  time,  the  curate  M.  Tetreau,  had  sent  a  dispatch 
to  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop-coadjutor  of  Quebec,  informing  him 
that  the  young  man  whom  he  had  kept  in  his  house,  several 
years,  was  legally  proved  a  girl;  a  fact  which,  I  need  hardly 
state,  was  well  known  by  the  bishop  and  his  vicars  I  They  im- 
mediately sent  a  trustworthy  man  with  iC5cx),  to  induce  the  girl 
to  leave  the  country  without  delay,  lest  she  were  prosecuted  and 
sent  to  the  penitentiary.  She  accepted  the  offer,  and  crossed  the 
lines  to  the  United  States  with  her  $2,000,  where  she  was  soon 
married,  and  where  she  still  lives. 

I  wished  that  this  story  had  never  been  told  me,  or  at  least, 
that  I  might  be  allowed  to  doubt  some  of  its  circumstances;  but 
there  was  no  help.  I  was  forced  to  acknowledge  that  in  my 
Church  of  Rome,  there  was  such  corruption  from  head  to  foot, 
which  could  scarcely  be  surpassed  in  Sodom.  I  remember 
what  the  Rev.  Mr.  Perras  had  told  me  of  the  tears  and  desola- 
tion of  Bishop  Plessis,  when  he  had  discovered  that  all  the  priests 
of  Canada,  with  the  exception  of  three,  were  atheists. 

I  would  not  be  honest,  did  I  not  confess  that  the  person- 
al knowledge  of  that  fact,  which  I  learned  in  all  its  scandalous 
details  from  the  very  lips  of  unimpeachable  witnesses,  saddened  me, 
and  for  a  time,  shook  my  faith  in  my  religion,  to  its  foundation. 
I  felt  secretly  ashamed  to  belong  to  a  body  of  men  so  completely 
lost  to  every  sense  of  honesty,  as  the  priests  and  bishops  of 
Canada.  I  had  heard  of  many  scandals  before.  The  infamies 
of  the  grand  vicar  Manceau  and  Quiblier  of  Montreal,  Cadieux 
at  Three  Rivers,  and  Viau  at  Riviere  Quelle.     The  public  acts 


THE    GIRL    IN    THE    GARn    OF    A    MAN. 


401 


of  depravity  of  the  priests  Lelievre,  Tabeau,  Pouliot,  Belisle, 
Brunet,  Quevillon,  Huot,  Lajuste,  Rabby,  Crcvier,  Bellccourt, 
Valle,  Mignault,  Noel,  Pinet,  Duguez,  Davely  and  many  others, 
were  known  by  mc,  as  well  as  by  the  whole  clergy.  But  the 
abominations  of  which  Joseph  was  the  victim  seemed  to  over- 
step the  conceivable  limits  of  infamy.  For  the  first  time,  I  sin- 
cerely regretted  that  I  was  a  priest.  The  priesthood  of  Rome 
seemed  then,  to  me,  the  very  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  of  Rev- 
elation, about  the  great  prostitute,  who  make  the  nations  drunk 
with  the  wines  of  her  prostitutions. 

Auricular  confession,  which  I  knew  to  be  the  first,  if  not  the 
only  cause,  of  these  abominations,  appeared  to  me,  what  it  really 
is,  a  school  of  perdition  for  the  priest  and  his  female  penitents. 
The  priest's  oath  of  celibacy,  was  to  my  eyes,  in  those  hours  of 
distress,  but  a  shameful  mask  to  conceal  a  corruption  which  was 
unknown   in  the  most  depraved  days  of  old  paganism.     New 
and  bright  lights  came,  then,  before  my  mind  which,  had  I  fol- 
lowed then,  would  have  guided  me  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel. 
But  I  was  blind!     The  Good  Master  had  not  yet  touched  my 
eyes  with  his  divine   and  life-giving  hand.     I   had  no  idea  that 
there  could  be  any  other  church  than  the  Church  of  Rome,  in 
which    I    could    be   saved.      I  was,  however,   often    saying   to 
myself:     "  How  can  I  hope  to  conquer  on  a  battlefield  where  so 
many,  as  strong  and  even  much  stronger  than  I  am,  have  per- 
ished?" 

I  felt  no  longer  at  peace.  My  soul  was  filled  with  trouble 
and  anxiety.  I  not  only  distrusted  myself,  but  I  lost  confidence 
in  the  rest  of  the  priests  and  bishops.  In  fact,  I  could  not  see 
any  one  in  whom  I  could  trust.  Though  my  beautiful  and  dear 
parish  of  Kamouraska  was,  more  than  ever,  overwhelming  me 
with  tokens  of  its  affection,  gratitude  and  respect,  it  had  lost  its 
attraction  for  me.  To  whatever  side  I  turned  my  eyes,  I  saw 
nothing  but  the  most  seducing  examples  of  perversion.  It  seemed 
as  if  I  were  surrounded  by  numberless  snares,  from  which  it 
was  impossible  to  escape.  I  wished  to  depart  from  this  deceit, 
ful  and  lost  world. 

When  my  soul   was  as  drowned  under  the  waves  of  a  bitter 


WPfBIHPP 


402 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHUKCU   OF    HOME. 


sea,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Guignes,  Superior  of  the  Monastery  of  the 
Fathers  of  Ohhitcs  of  Maiy  Immaculate,  at  Longueil,near  Mon- 
treal, came  to  pass  a  few  days  with  me,  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health. 

I  spoke  to  him  of  that  shameful  scandal,  and  did  not  conceal 
from  him  that  my  courage  friled  me,  when  I  looked  at  the  tor- 
rent of  iniquity  which  was  sweeping  everything,  under  bur 
eyes,  with  an  irresistible  force. 

"  We  are  here  alone,  in  the  presence  of  God,"  I  said  to  him. 
"  I  confess  that  I  feel  an  unspeakable  horror  at  the  moral  ruin 
which  I  see  everywhere  in  our  church.  My  priesthood,  of 
which  I  was  so  proud  till  lately,  seems  to  me,  to-day,  the  most 
ignominous  yoke,  when  I  see  it  dragged  in  the  mud  of  the  most 
infamous  vices,  not  only  by  the  immense  majority  of  the  priests, 
but  even  by  our  bishops.  How  can  I  hope  to  save  myself,  when 
I  see  so  many,  stronger  than  I  am,  perishing  all  around  me?" 

The  Reverend  Superior,  with  the  kindness  of  a  father  and 
the  gravity  of  an  apostle,  answered  me: 

"  I  understand  your  fears,  perfectly.  They  are  legitimate 
and  too  well-founded.  Like  you,  I  am  a  priest;  and  like  you,  if 
not  more  than  you,  I  know  the  numberless  and  formidable  dan- 
gers which  surround  the  priest.  It  is  because  I  know  them  too 
well,  that  I  have  not  dared  to  be  a  secular  priest,  a  single  day.  I 
knew  the  humiliating  and  disgraceful  history  of  Joseph  and  the 
coadjutor  bishop  of  Quebec.  Nay!  I  know  many  things. still 
more  horrible  and  unspeakable  which  I  have  learned  when 
preaching  and  hearing  confessions  in  France  and  in  Canada.  My 
fear  is  that,  to-day,  there  are  not  many  more  undefilcd  souls  among 
the  priests,  than  in  Sodom,  in  the  days  of  Lot.  The  fact  is,  that  it  is 
morally  impossible  for  a  secular  priest  to  keep  his  vows  of  celi- 
bacy, except  by  a  miracle  of  the  grace  of  God.  Our  holy  church 
would  be  a  modern  Sodom,  long  ago,  had  not  our  merciful  God 
granted  her  the  grace  that  many  of  her  priests  have  always 
enrolled  themselves  among  the  armies  of  the  regular  priests,  in 
the  different  religious  orders  which  arc,  to  the  church,  what  the 
ark  was  to  Noah  and  his  children,  in  the  days  of  the  deluge. 
'  Only  the  priests  whom   God   calls,  in   His   mercy,  to   become 


a* 


THE    GIRL    IN    THE    OARB   OP    A    MAN. 


403 


members  of  any  of  those  orders,  are  safe.  For  they  are  under 
the  paternal  care  and  surveillance  of  superiors  whose  zeal  and 
charity  are  like  a  shield  to  protect  them.  Their  holy  and  strict 
laws  are  like  strong  walls  and  high  towers  which  the  enemy 
cannot  storm." 

He  then  spoke  to  me,  with  an  irresistible  eloquence,  of  the 
peace  of  soul  which  a  regular  priest  enjoys  within  the  walls  of 
his  monastery.  He  represented,  in  the  most  attractive  colors, 
the  spiritual  and  constant  jo3-s  of  the  heart  which  one  feels 
when  living,  day  and  night,  under  the  eyes  of  a  superior  to 
whom  he  has  vowed  a  perfect  submission.  He  added,  "  Your 
providential  work  is  finished  in  the  diocese  of  Quebec.  The 
temperance  societies  are  established  almost  everywhere.  We 
are  in  need  of  your  long  experience  and  your  profound  studies 
on  that  subject,  in  the  diocese  of  Montreal.  It  is  true  that  the 
good  Bishop  de  Nancy  has  done  what  he  could  to  support  that 
holy  cause,  but,  though  he  is  working  with  the  utmost  zeal,  he 
has  not  studied  that  subject  enough  to  make  a  lasting  impression 
on  the  people.  Come  with  us.  We  are  more  than  thirty  priests, 
oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate,  who  will  be  too  happy  to  second 
your  efforts  in  that  noble  work,  which  is  too  much  for  one  man 
alone.  Moreover,  you  cannot  do  justice  to  your  great  parish  of 
Kamouraska  and  to  the  tenijjerancc  cause  together.  You  must 
give  up  one,  to  consecrate  yourself  to  the  other.  Take  courage, 
my  young  friond!  Offer  to  God  the  sacrifice  of  your  dear 
Kamouraska,  as  you  made  the  sacrifice  of  your  beautiful  Beau- 
port,  some  years  ago,  for  the  good  of  Canada  and  in  the  interest 
of  the  Church,  which  calls  you  to  its  help." 

It  seemed  to  me  that  I  could  oppose  no  reasonable  argu- 
ment to  these  considerations.  I  fell  on  my  knees,  and  made  the 
sacrifice  of  my  beautiful  and  precious  Kamouraska.  The  last 
Sabbath  of  September  I  gave  my  farewell  address  to  the  so 
dear  and  intelligent  people  of  Kamouraska,  to  go  to  Longueil 
and  become  a  novice  of  the  Oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate. 


Chapter   XLI. 


PaBVBBSXON  OF  DB.  NEWMAN  TO  THB  CHTTBOH  OF  BOME  IK 
THE  LIGHT  OF  HIS  OWN  EXPLANATIONS,  COUMON  SENSE 
AND  THE  WOBD  OF  OOD. 


THE  year  1843  will  be  lotr^  remembered  in  the  Church  of 
Rome  for  the  submission  of  Dr.  Newman  to  her  autho. 
rity.  This  was  considered  by  many  Roman  Catholics  as  one  of 
the  greatest  triumphs  ever  gained  by  their  church  against 
Protestantism.  13ut  some  of  us,  more  acquainted  with  the  daily 
contradictions  and  tergiversations  of  the  Oxford  divine,  could 
not  associate  ourselves  in  the  public  rejoicings  of  our  church. 

From  almost  the  very  beginning  of  his  public  life,  Dr. 
Newman  as  well  as  Dr.  Pusey  appeared  to  many  of  us  as 
cowards  and  traitors  in  the  Protestant  camp,  whose  object  was 
to  betray  the  church  which  was  feeding  them,  and  which  they 
were  sworn  to  defend.  They  both  seemed  to  us  to  be  skillful 
but  dishonest  conspirators. 

Dr.  Newman,  caught  in  the  very  act  of  that  conspiracy,  has 
boldly  denied  it.  Brought  before  the  tribunal  of  public  opinion 
as  a  traitor  who,  though  enrolled  under  the 'banners  of  the 
Church  of  England,  was  giving  help  and  comfort  to  its  foe,  the 
Church  of  Rome,  he  has  published  a  remarkable  book  under 
the  title  of  "  Apologia  pro  vita  sua,"  to  exculpate  himself.  I 
hold  in  my  hands  the  New  York  edition  of  1865.  Few  men 
will  read  that  book  from  beginning  to  end ;  and  still  fewer  will 
understand  it  at  its  first  reading.  The  :n\  of  throwing  dust  in 
the  eyes  of  the  public  is  brought  to  perfection  in  that  work.  I 
have  I'ead  many  books  in  my  long  h.ic^  but  I  have  never  met 
with  anything  like  the  Jesuit  ability  shown  by  Dr.  Newman  in 
giving  a  color  of  truth  to  the  most  palpable  errors  and  false- 
hoods.   I  have  had  to  read  it  at  least  four  times,  with  the  utmost 

404 


PBRVERSTON    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


405 


attention,  before  being  sure  of  liaving  unlocked  nil  its  dark 
corners  and  sophistries. 

That  we  may  be  perfectly  fair  towards  Dr.  Newman,  let  us 
forget  what  his  adversaries  have  written  against  him,  and  let  us 
hear  only  what  he  says  in  his  own  defence.  Here  it  is.  I  dare 
say  that  his  most  bitter  enemies  could  never  have  been  able  to 
write  a  book  so  damaging  against  him  as  this  one  which  he  has 
given  us  for  his  apology. 

Let  me  tell  the  reader  at  once  that  I,  with  many  other  priests 
of  Rome,  felt  at  first  an  unspeakable  joy  at  the  reading  of  many 
of  the  *'  Tracts  for  the  Times."  It  is  true  that  we  keenly  felt 
the  blows  Dr.  Newman  was  giving  us  now  and  then;  but  we 
were  soon  consoled  by  the  more  deadly  blows  which  he  was 
striking  at  his  own  Church — the  Church  of  England.  Besides 
that,  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  more  he  was  advancing  in 
his  controversial  work,  the  nearer  he  was  coming  to  us.  We 
were  not  long  without  saying  to  each  other:  "Dr.  Newman  is 
evidently,  though  secretly,  for  us;  he  is  a  Roman  Catholic  at 
heart,  and  will  soon  join  us.  It  is  only  from  want  of  moral 
courage  and  honesty  that  he  remains  a  Prote-tant." 

But  from  the  very  beginning  there  was  a  cloud  in  my  mind, 
and  in  the  minds  of  many  other  of  my  co-priests,  about  him. 
His  contradictions  were  so  numerous,  his  sudden  transitions 
from  one  side  to  the  other  extreme,  when  speaking  of  Romanism 
and  Anglicanism;  his  eulogiums  of  our  Church  to-day,  and  his 
abuses  of  it  the  very  next  day;  his  expressions  of  love  and 
respect  for  his  own  Church  in  one  tract,  so  suddenly  followed 
by  the  condemnation  of  her  dearest  doctrines  and  practices  in  the 
next,  caused  many  others  as  well  as  myself  to  suspect  that  he 
had  no  settled  principles,  or  faith  in  any  religion. 

What  was  my  surprise,  when  reading  this  strange  book,  I 
found  that  my  suspicions  were  too  well  founded;  that  Dr. 
Newman  was  nothing  else  than  one  of  those  free-thinkers  who 
had  no  real  faith  in  any  of  the  sacred  dogmas  he  was  preaching, 
and  on  which  he  was  writing  so  eloquently!  What  was  my 
astonishment  when,  in  1865,  I  read  in  his  own  book  the  confes- 
sion made  by  that  unfortunate  man  that  he  was  nothing  else  but 


i^o6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


a  giant  weathercock,  when  the  whole  people  of  England  were 
looking  upon  him  as  one  of  the  most  sincere  and  learned 
ministers  of  the  Gospel!  Here  is  his  own  confession,  pages  in, 
112.  Speaking  of  the  years  he  had  spent  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  as  a  minister,  he  says:  "Alas!  It  was  my  portion,  for 
whole  years,  to  remain  without  any  satisfactory  basis  for  my 
rpligious  profession ;  in  a  state  of  moral  sickness,  neither  able  to 
acquiesce  in  Anglicanisnj,  nor  able  to  go  to  Rome!"  This  is 
Cardinal  Newman,  painted  by  himself  !  He  tells  us  how  miser- 
able he  was  when  an  Episcopalian  minister,  by  feeling  that  his 
religion  had  no  basis,  no  foundation! 

What  is  a  preacher  of  religion  who  feels  that  he  has  no 
basis,  no  foundation,  no  reason  to  believe  in  that  religion?  Is 
he  not  that  blind  man  of  whom  Christ  speaks,  "who  leads  other 
blind  men  into  the  ditch"? 

Note  it  is  not  Rev.  Charles  Kingsley ;  it  is  not  any  of  the 
able  Protestant  controversialists;  it  is  not  even  the  old  Chiniquy 
who  say  that  Dr.  Newman  was  nothing  else  but  an  unbeliever, 
when  the  Protestant  people  were  looking  upon  him  as  one  of 
their  most  p:ous  and  sincere  Christian  theologians.  It  is  Dr. 
Newman  himself  who,  without  suspecting  it,  is  forced  by  the 
mai-vellous  Providence  of  God  to  reveal  that  deplorable  fact  in 
his  "  Apolo^-ia  pro  vita  sua." 

Now,  what  was  the  opinion  entertained  by  him  of  the  higN 
and  low  sections  of  his  church?  Here  are  his  very  words, 
page  91:  "As  to  the  High  Church  and  the  Low  Church,  I 
thought  that  the  one  had  not  much  more  of  a  logical  basis  than 
the  other:  while  I  had  a  thorough  contempt  for  the  Evangeli- 
cal!" But  please  observe  that,  when  this  minister  of  the  Church 
of  England  had  found,  with  the  help  of  Dr.  Pusey,  that  tiiis 
church  had  no  logical  basis,  and  that  he  had  a  "  thorough  con- 
tempt for  the  Evangelical,"  he  kept  a  firm  and  continuous  hold 
upon  the  living  which  he  was  enjoying  from  day  to  day.  Nay, 
it  is  when  paid  by  his  church  to  preach  her  doctrines  and  fight 
her  battles,  that  he  set  at  work  to  raise  another  church!  Of 
course  the  new  church  was  to  have  a  firm  basis  on  logic,  history 
and   the   Gospel:   the    new  church  was    to  be  worthy  of  the 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


407 


British  people,  it  was  to  be  the  modern  ark  to  save  the  perishing 
world ! 

The  reader  will  perhaps  think  I  am  joking,  and  that  I  am 
caricaturing  Dr.  Newman.  No !  the  hour  in  which  we  live  is 
too  solemn  to  be  spent  in  jokes — it  is  rather  with  tears  and  sobs 
that  we  must  approach  the  subject.  Here  are  the  very  words  of 
Dr.  Newman  about  the  new  church  he  wished  to  build  after  de- 
molishing the  Church  of  England  as  established  by  law.  He 
says  (page  116):  "I  have  said  enough  on  what  I  consider  to 
have  been  the  general  objects  of  the  various  works  which  I 
wrote,  edited,  or  prompted  in  the  years  which  I  am  reviewing.  / 
wanted  to  bring-  out  ih  a  substantive  form  a  living  Churfh  of 
England,,  in  a  position  proper  to  herself  and  founded  on  dis- 
tinct principles ;  as  far  as  paper  could  do  it,,  and  as  earnestly 
preaching  it  and  influencing  others  towards  it  could  tend  to  make 
it  a  fact; — a  living  church,  made  of  flesh  and  blood,  with  voice, 
complexipn,  motion  and  action,  and  a  will  of  its  own."  (The 
italics  are  mine.)  If  I  had  not  said  that  these  words  were  written 
by  Dr.  Newman,  would  the  reader  have  suspected  it? 

What  is  to  be  the  name  of  the  new  church?  Dr.  Newman 
himself  has  called  it  "  Via  Media."  As  the  phrase  indicates, 
it  was  to  stand  between  the  rival  Churches  of  E  ngland  and 
Rome,  and  it  was  to  be  built  with  the  materials  taken,  as  much 
as  possible,  from  the  ruins  of  both.     # 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  was,  then,  to  demolish  that  huge, 
illogical,  unscriptural,  unchristian  church  restored  by  the  En- 
glish reformers.  Dr.  Newman  bravely  set  to  work,  under  the  eye 
and  direction  of  Dr.  Pusey.  His  merciless  hammer  was  heard 
almost  day  and  night,  from  1833  to  1843,  striking  alternately 
with  hard  blows,  now  against  the  church  of  the  Pope  wliom  he 
called  Antichrist,  and  then  against  his  own  church,  which  he 
was,  very  soon,  to  find  still  more  corrupted  and  defiled  than  its 
anti-christian  rival.  For  as  he  was  proceeding  in  his  work  of 
demolition,  he  tells  us  that  he  found  more  clearly,  every  day, 
that  the  materials  and  the  foundations  of  the  Church  of  Rome 
were  exceedingly  bfetter  than  those  of  his  own.  He  then  deter- 
mined to  give   a  coup  de   grace  to  the  Church   of  England, 


4o8 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


and  strike  such  a  blow  that  her  walls  would  be  for  ever  pulver- 
ised.    His  perfidious  tract  XC.  aims  at  this  object. 

Nothing  can  surpass  the  ability  and  the  pious  cunning  with 
which  Dr.  Newman  tries  to  conceal  his  shameful  conspiracy  in 
his  "  Apologia." 

Hear  the  un-British  and  unmanly  excuses  which  he  gives 
for  having  deceived  his  readers,  when  he  was  looked  upon  as 
the  most  reliable  theologian  of  the  day,  in  defence  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Church  of  England.  In  pages  236-7  Jje  says: 
"  How  could  I  ever  hope  to  make  them  believe  in  a  second 
theology,  when  I  had  cheated  th ..n  in  the  first?  With  what 
face  could  I  publish  a  new  edition  of  a  dogmatic  creed,  and  ask 
them  to  receive  it  as  gospel?  Would  it  not  be  plain  to  them 
that  no  certainty  was  to  be  found  anywhere?  Well,  in  my  de- 
fence, I  could  but  make  a  lame  apology :  however,  it  was  the 
true  one — viz.,  that  I  had  not  read  the  Fathers  critically  enough; 
that  in  such  nice  ^^oints  as  those  which  determine  the  angle  of 
divergence  between  the  two  churches,  I  had  made  considerable 
miscalculations;  and  bow  came  this  about?  Why,  the  fact  was, 
unpleasant  as  it  was  to  avow,  that  I  had  leaned  too  much  upon 
the  assertions  of  Usher,  Jeremy  Taylor,  or  Barrow,  and  had 
been  deceived  by  them." 

Here  is  a  specimen  of  the  learning  and  honesty  of  the  great 
Oxford  divine!  Dr.  Newman  confesses  that  when  he  was 
telling  his  people  "  St.  Augustine  says  this,  St.  Jerome  says 
that" — when  he  assured  them  that  St.  Gregory  supported  this 
doctrine,  and  Origen  that,  it  was  all  false.  Those  holy  fathers 
had  never  taught  s 'ich  doctrines.  It  was  Usher,  Taylor,  and 
Ban-ow  who  were  citing  them,  and  they  had  deceived  him! 

Is  it  not  a  strange  thing  that  such  a  shrewd  man  as  Dr. 
Newman  should  have  so  completely  destroyed  his  own  good 
name  in  the  very  book  he  wrote,  with  so  much  care  and  inge- 
nuity, to  defend  himself?  One  remains  confounded — he  can 
hardly  believe  his  own  eyes  at  such  want  of  honesty  in  such  a 
man.  It  is  evident  that  his  mind  was  troubled  at  the  souvenir 
of  such  a  course  of  procedure.  But  he  wanted  to  excuse  him- 
self by  saying  it  was  the  fault  of  Usher,  Taylor,  and  Barrow! 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


409 


Are  we  not  forcibly  brought  to  the  solemn  and  terrible 
drama  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  ?  Adam  hoped  to  be  excused  by 
saying,  "  The  woman  whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave 
me  the  fruit  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat."  The  woman  said, 
«  The  serpent  beguiled  me,  and  I  did  eat."  But  what  was  the 
result  of  those  excuses  ?  We  read :  "  Therefore  the  Lord  God 
sent  him  forth  from  the  Garden  of  Eden."  Dr.  Newman  has 
lost  the  precious  inheritance  God  had  given  him.  He  has  lost 
the  lamp  he  had  received  to  guide  his  steps,  and  he  is  now  in  the 
dark  dungeon  of  Popery,  worshipping,  as  a  poor  slave,  the  wafer 
god  of  Rome. 

But  what  has  become  of  that  new  church,  or  religion,  the 
Via  Media  which  had  just  come  out  from  the  sickly  brain  of 
the  Oxford  professor?  Let  us  hear  its  sad  and  premature  end  from 
Dr.  Newman  himself.  Let  me,  however,  premise,  that  when 
Dr.  Newman  began  his  attacks  against  his  church,  he  at  first  so 
skillfully  mixed  the  most  eloquent  culogiums  with  his  criticisms, 
that,  though  many  sincere  Christians  were  grieved,  few  dared  to 
complain.  The  names  of  Pusey  and  Newman  commanded 
such  respect  that  few  raised  their  voice  ag.ninst  the  conspiracy. 
This  emboldened  them.  Month  after  month  they  became  un- 
guarded in  their  denunciations  of  the  Church  of  England,  and 
more  explicit  in  their  support  of  Romanism.  In  the  meantime 
the  Church  of  Rome  was  reaping  a  rich  harvest  of  perverts; 
for  many  Protestants  were  unsettled  in  their  faith,  and  were 
going  the  whole  length  of  the  road  to  Rome  so  cunningly  indi- 
cated by  the  conspirators.  At  last,  the  goth  tract  appeared  in 
1843.  It  fell  as  a  thunderbolt  on  the  church.  A  loud  cry  of 
Indignation  was  ruised  all  over  England  against  those  who  had 
so  mercilessly  struck  at  the  heart  of  that  church  which  they  had 
sworn  to  defend.  The  bishops  almost  unanimonsly  denounced 
Dr.  Newman  and  his  Romish  tendencies,  and  showed  the  absur- 
dity of  his   Via  Media. 

Now,  let  us  hear  him  telling  himself  this  episode  of  his  life. 
For  I  want  to  be  perfectly  fair  to  Dr.  Newman.  It  is  only 
from  his  own  words  and  public  acts  that  I  want  the  reader  to 
judge  him. 


# 


4IO 


FIFTY    YEAKS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


Here  is  what  he  says  of  himself,  after  being  publicly  con- 
demned :  "  I  saw  indeed  clearly  that  my  place  in  the  movement 
was  lost.  Public  confidence  was  at  an  end.  My  occupation 
was  gone.  It  was  simjily  an  impossibility  that  I  could  say 
anything  henceforth  to  good  effect,  when  I  had  been  posted  up 
by  the  Mai'shal  on  the  buttery  hatch  of  every  college  of  my 
University  after  the  manner  of  discommoned  pastry-cooks,  and 
when,  in  every  part  of  the  country,  and  every  class  of  society, 
through  every  organ  and  occasion  of  opinion,  in  newspapers, 
in  periodicals,  at  meetings,  in  pidpits,  at  dinner  tables,  in  colTec- 
rooms,  in  railway  carriages,  I  was  denounced  as  a  traitor  who 
had  laid  his  train,  and  was  detected  in  the  very  act  of  firing  it 
against  the  time-honoured  establishment.".  ..."  Con- 
fidence in  me  was  lost.  But  I  had  already  lost  fyll  confidence 
in  myself."  (p.  132). 

Let  the  reader  hear  these  words  from  the  very  lips  of  Dr. 
Newman — "  Confidence  in  me  was  lost  I  But  I  had  already 
lost  full  confidence  in  myself''  (p.  132).  Are  these  vfbrds  the 
indications  of  a  brave,  innocent  man  ?  Or  are  they  not  the  cry 
of  despair  of  a  cowardly  and  guilty  conscience? 

Was  it  not  when  Wishart  heard  that  the  Pope  and  his  mil- 
lions of  slaves  had  condemned  him  to  death,  that  he  raised  his 
head  as  a  giant,  and  showed  that  he  was  more  above  his  ac- 
cusers and  his  judges  than  the  heavens  are  above  the  earth?  Had 
he  lost  his  confidence  in  himself  and  in  his  God  when  he  said, 
"  I  am  happy  to  suffer  and  die  for  the  cause  of  Truth  ? "  Did 
Luther  lose  confidence  in  himself  and  in  his  God,  when  con- 
demned by  the  Pope  and  all  his  Bishops,  and  ordered  to  go 
before  the  Emjoeror  to  be  condemned  to  death,  if  he  would  not 
retract?  No!  It  is  in  those  hours  of  trial  that  he  made  the 
world  to  re-echo  the  sublime  words  of  David :  "  God  is  our 
refuge  and  our  strength,  a  present  help  in  trouble.  There- 
fore we  will  not  fear,  though  the  earth  be  removed,  and 
though  the  mountains  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea. 
Though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled,  though  the 
mountains  shake  with  the  swelling  thereof."  But  Luther  had  a 
good  cause.     He  knew,  he  felt  that  the  God  of  Heaven  was  on 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


411 


his  side,  when  Dr.  Newman  knew  well  that  he  was  deceiving 
the  world,  after  having  deceived  himself.  Luther  was  strong  and 
fearless:  for  the  voice  of  Jesus  had  come  through  the  fifteen 
centuries  to  tell  him:  "  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee."  Dr.  New- 
man was  weak,  trembling  before  the  storm,  for  his  conscience 
was  reproaching  him  for  his  treachery  and  his  unbelief. 

Did  Latimer  falter  and  lose  his  confidence  in  himself  and  in 
his  God,  when  condemned  by  his  judges  and  tied  to  the  stake  to 
be  burnt?  No!  It  is  then  that  he  uttered  those  immortal  and 
sublime  words:  "  Master  Ridley:  Be  of  good  comfort  and  play 
the  man ;  we  shall,  this  day,  light  a  candle,  by  God's  grace,  in 
England,  as  I  trust  shall  never  be  put  out!" 

This  is  the  language  of  men  who  are  fighting  for  Christ  and 
His  Gospel.  Dr.  Newman  could  not  use  such  noble  language 
when  he  was  betraying  Christ  and  His  Gospel. 

Now,  let  us  hear  from  himself  when,  after  having  lost  the 
confidence  of  his  Church  and  his  country,  and  had  also  lost  his 
own  confidence  in  himself,  he  saw  a  ghost  and  found  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  was  right.  At  page  157,  he  says:  "My 
friend,  an  anxiously  religious  man,  pointed  out  the  palmary 
words  of  St.  Augustine  which  were  contained  in  one  of  the 
extracts  made  in  the  (Dublin)  Hev/eiv,  and  which  had  escaped 
my  observation, '  Securus  judicat  orbis  terrarum.'  He  repeated 
these  words  again  and  again ;  and  when  he  was  g<"'ne,  they  kept 
ringing  in  my  eai's.  .  .  .  The  words  of  St.  Augustine 
struck  me  with  a  power  which  I  never  had  felt  from  any  words 
before.  To  take  a  familiar  instance,  they  were  like  the  '  Turn 
again,  Whittington,' of  the  chime;  or,  to  take  a  more  serious 
one,  they  were  like  the  *tolle  lege'  of  the  child  which  converted 
St.  Augustine  himself.  '  Securus  judicat  orbis  terrarum ! '  By 
those  great  words  of  the  ancient  father,  the  theory  of  the  Via 
Media  was  absolutely  pulverised.  I  became  excited  at  the  view 
thus  opened  upon  me.  ...  I  had  seen  the  shadow  of  a 
hand  upon  the  wall.  .  *  .  .  He  who  has  seen  a  ghost  cannot 
be  as  if  he  had  never  seen  it.  The  heaven  had  opened  and 
closed  again.  The  thought,  for  the  moment,  had  been :  '  The 
Church  of  Rome  will  be  found  right,  after  all ' "  ( 158). 


/ 


A2 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH  ^OF    ROME. 


It  would  be  amusinn^,  indeed,  if  it  were  not  so  humiliating, 
to  see  the  naivete  with  which  Dr.  Newman  confesses  his  own 
aberrations,  want  of  jutlgment  and  honesty  in  reference  to  the 
pet  scheme  of  his  whole  theological  existence  at  Oxford.  "  By 
these  words,"  he  says,  "  the  Via  Media  was  absolutely  pulver- 
ised!" 

We  all  know  the  history  of  the  mountain  in  travail,  which 
gave  birth  to  a  mouse.  Dr.  Newman  tells  us  frankly  that,  after 
ten  years  of  hard  and  painful  travail,  he  produced  something  less 
than  a  mouse.  His  Via  Media  was  pulverized;  it  turned  to  be 
only  a  handful  of  dust. 

Remember  the  liigh-sounding  of  his  trumpet  about  his  plan 
of  a  new  church,  that  New  Jerusalem  on  earth,  the  church  of 
the  future  which  was  to  take  the  place  of  his  rotten  Church  of 
England.  Let  me  repeat  to  you  his  very  words  about  that  new 
ark  of  salvati">n  wi  ■  which  the  professor  of  Oxford  was  to  save 
the  world,  ytiigt  116):  "  I  wanted  to  bring  out,  in  a  substan- 
•tive  form,  .7  living  Church  of  England,  in  a  position  proper  to 
herself  and  jounc'-d  01  ''-*inct  principles,  as  far  as  paper  could 
do  it,  and  as  earnestly  preaching  it  and  influencing  others 
towards  it  could  tend  to  make  it  a  fact:  a  living  church,  made  of 
flesh  and  blood,  with  voice,  complexion,  and  motion,  and  action, 
and  a  will  of  its  own." 

Now,  what  was  the  end  of  that  masterpiece  of  theological 
architecture  of  Dr  Newman?  Here  is  its  history,  given  by  the 
great  architect  himself:  «I  read  the  palmary  words  of  St. 
Augustine,  '  Sccurus  judicat  orbis  terrarum ! '  By  those  great 
words  of  the  ancient  father,  the  theory  of  the  Via  Media  was 
pulverised!  I  became  excited  at  the  view  thus  opened  before 
me.  I  had  seen  the  shadow  of  a  hand  on  the  wall.  He  who 
has  seen  a  ghost  can  never  be  as  if  he  had  not  seen  it;  the 
heavens  had  opened  and  closed  again.  The  thought,  for  a 
moment,  wns  '  The  Church  of  Rome  will  be  found  right,  after 
all ' "  (  158).  Have  we  ever  seen  a  man  destroying  himself  more 
completely  at  the  very  moment  that  he  tries  to  defend  himself? 
Here  he  does  ingeniously  confess  what  every  one  knew  before, 
that  his  whole  work,  for  the  last  ten  years,  was  not  only  a  self- 


"T" 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


413 


deception,  but  a  supreme  effort  to  deceive  the  world — his  Via 
Media  was  a  perfect  string  of  infidelity,  sophism,  and  folly. 
The  whole  fabric  had  fallen  to  the  ground  at  the  sight  of  a 
ghost!  To  build  a  grand  structure,  in  the  place  of  his  Church 
which  he  wanted  to  demolish,  he  had  thought  it  was  sufficient  to 
throw  a  great  deal  of  glittering  sand,  with  some  blue,  white,  and 
red  dust,  in  the  air!  He  tells  us  that  one  sad  hour  came  when  he 
heard  five  Latin  words  from  St.  Augustine,  saw  a  ghost — and 
his  great  structure  fell  to  the  ground !  ! 

What  does  this  all  mean?  It  simply  means  that  God  Al- 
mighty has  dealt  with  Dr.  Newman  as  He  did  with  the  impious 
Pharaoh  mi  the  Red  Sea,  when  he  was  marching  at  the  head  of 
his  army  against  the  church  of  old,  his  chosen  people,  to  destroy 
them. 

Dr.  Newman  was  not  only  marching  with  Dr.  Pusey  at  the 
head  of  an  army  of  theologians  to  destroy  the  Church  of  God, 
but  he  was  employing  all  the  resources  of  his  intellect,  all  his 
false  and  delusive  science,  to  raise  an  idolatrous  church  in  its 
place;  and  when  Pharaoh  and  Dr.  Newman  thought  themselves 
sure  of  success,  the  God  of  Heaven  confounded  them  both.  The 
first  went  down  with  his  army  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  as  a 
piece  of  lead.  The  second  lost,  not  his  life,  but  something  in- 
finitely more  jirecious — he  lost  his  reputation  for  intelligence, 
science  and  integrity ;  he  lost  the  light  of  the  Gospel,  and  be- 
came perfectly  blind,  after  having  lost  his  place  in  the  kingdom 
of  Christ! 

I  have  never  judged  a  man  by  the  hearsay  of  anyone,  and 
I  would  prefer  to  have  my  tongue  cut  out  than  to  repeat  a  word 
of  what  the  adversaries  of  Dr.  Newman  have  said  against  him. 
But  we  have  the  right,  and  I  think  it  is  our  duty,  to  hear  and 
consider  what  he  says  of  himself,  and  to  judge  him  on  his  own 
confession. 

At  page  174  we  read  these  vfrords  from  his  own  pen  to  a 
friend :  ''•  I  cannot  disguise  from  myself  tliat  my  preaching  is 
not  calculated  to  defend  that  system  of  religion  which  has  been 
received  for  three  hundred  years,  and  of  which  the  Heads  of 
Houses  are  the  legitimate  maintainers  in  this  place 


4'4 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


I  fear  I  must  allow  that,  whether  I  will  or  no,  I  am  disposing 
them  (the  young  men)  towards  Rome."  Here  Dr.  Newman 
declares,  in  plain  English,  that  he  was  disposing  his  hearers  and 
students  at  Oxford  to  join  the  Church  of  Rome!  I  ask  it:  what 
can  we  think  of  a  man  who  is  paid  and  sworn  to  do  a  thing,  who 
not  only  does  it  not,  but  who  does  the  very  contrary  ?  Who  would 
hesitate  to  call  such  a  man  dishonest?  Who  would  hesitate  to 
say  that  such  a  one  has  no  respect  for  those  who  employ  him, 
and  no  respect  for  himself? 

Dr.  Newman  writes  this  whole  book  to  refute  the'  public 
accusation  that  he  was  a  traitor,  that  he  was  preparing  the 
people  to  leave  the  Church  of  England  and  to  submit  to  the 
Pope.  But,  strange  to  say,  it  is  in  that  very  book  we  find  the 
irrefutable  proof  of  his  shameful  and  ignominious  treachery!  In 
a  letter  to  Dr.  Russell,  President  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Col- 
lege  of  Maynooth,  he  wrote,  page  237:  "Roman  Catholics  will 
find  this  to  be  the  state  of  things  in  time  to  come,  whatever 
promise  they  may  fancy  there  is  of  a  large  secession  to  their 
church.  This  man  or  that  may  leave  us,  but  there  will  be  no 
general  movement.  There  is,  indeed,  an  incipient  movement  of 
our  church  towards  yours,  and  this  your  leading  men  arc  doing 
all  they  can  to  frustrate  by  their  unwearied  efforts,  at  all  risks  to 
carry  off  individuals.  When  will  they  know  their  position,  and 
embrace  a  larger  and  wiser  policy  ?"  Is  it  not  evident  here  that 
God  was  blinding  Dr.  Newman,  and  that  He  was  making  him 
confess  his  treachery  in  the  very  moment  that  he  was  trying  to 
conceal  it?  Do  we  not  see  clearly  that  he  was  complaining  of 
the  unwise  policy  of  the  leaders  of  the  Church  of  Rome  who 
were  retarding  that  incipient  movement  of  his  church  towards 
Romanipm,  for  which  he  was  working  day  and  night  with  Dr. 
Pi!sey? 

But  had  not  Dr.  Newman  confessed  his  own  treachery,  we 
have,  to-day,  its  tmdeniable  proof  in  the  letter  of  Dr.  Pusey  to 
the  English  Church  Union,  written  in  1879.  Speaking  of  Dr. 
Newman  and  the  other  Tractarians,  he  says:  "An  acute  man. 
Dr.  Hawkins,  Provost  of  Oriel,  said  of  the  '  Tracts,'  on  their 
first  appearance, '  I  know  they  have  a  forced  circulation.'     We 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


4'5 


put  the  leaven  into  the  meal,  and  waited  to  see  what  would 
come  of  it.  Our  object  was  to  Catholicise  England." 
»  And  this  confession  of  Dr.  Pusey,  that  he  wanted  to  Catholic- 
ise England,  is  fully  confirmed  by  Dr.  Newman  (page  io8,  109)' 
where  he  says:  "I  suspect  it  was  Dr.  Puscy's  influence  and  ex- 
ample which  set  me  and  made  mc  set  others  on  the  larger  and 
.  AV  careful  works  in  defense  of  the  principles  of  the  move- 
ment which  followed"  (towards  Rome)  "  in  a  course  of  years." 

Nothing  is  more  curious  than  to  hear  from  Dr.  Newman 
himself  with  what  skill  he  was  trying  to  conceal  his  perfidious 
efforts  in  preparing  that  movement  towards  Rome.  He  says  on 
that  subject,  page  1 24 :  "I  was  embarrassed  in  consequence  of 
my  wish  to  go  as  far  as  was  possible  in  interpreting  the  articles 
in  the  dii"ection  of  Roman  dogma,  without  disclosing  what  I 
was  doing  to  the  parties  whose  doubts  I  was  meeting,  who  might 
be,  thereby,  encouraged  to  go  still  further  than,  at  present,  they 
found  in  themselves  any  call  to  do." 

A  straw  fallen  on  the  water  indicates  the  way  the  tide  goes. 
Here  we  have  the  straw,  taken  by  Dr.  Newman  himself,  and 
thrown  by  him  on  the  water.  A  thousand  volumes  written  by 
the  ex-Professor  of  Oxford  to  deny  that  he  was  a  conspirator  at 
work  to  lead  his  people  to  Rome,  when  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  of  England,  could  not  desti'oy  the  evident  proof  of  his 
guilt  given  by  himself  in  this  strange  book. 

If  we  want  to  have  a  proof  of  the  supreme  contempt  Dr. 
Newman  had  for  his  readers,  and  his  daily  habit  of  deceiving 
them  by  sophistries  and  incorrect  assertions,  we  have  it  in  the 
remarkable  lines  which  I  find  at  page  123  of  his  A-pologia, 
Speaking  of  his  "  doctrinal  development "  he  says :  "  I  wanted  to 
ascertain  what  was  the  limit  of  that  elasticity  in  the  direction  of 
Roman  dogma.  But,  next,  I  had  a  way  of  enquiry  of  my  own 
which  I  state  without  defending.  I  instanced  it  afterward  in 
my  essay  on  '  Doctrinal  Development.'  That  work,  I  believe,  1 
have  not  read  since  I  published  it,  and  I  doubt  not  at  all  that  I 
have  made  many  mistakes  in  it,  partly  from  my  ignorance  of  the 
details  of  doctrine  as  the  Church  of  Rome  holds  them,  but 
partly  from  my  impatience  to  clear  as  large  a  range  for  the 


4i6 


FIFTY    YKAKS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Principles  of  doctrinal  development  (waiving  thfe  question  of 
historicaiyac/)  as  was  consistent  with  the  strict  apostolicity  and 
identity  of  the  Catholic  creed.  In  like  manner,  as  regards  the 
Thirty-nine  Articles,  my  method  of  enquiry  was  to  leap  «/« 
medias  res' "  (123-124). 

Dr.  Newman  is  the  author  of  two  new  systems  of  theolo- 
gy; and,  from  his  own  confession,  the  two  systems  are  a  com- 
pendium of  error,  absurdities,  and  folly.  His  Via  Aledia  was 
"pulverised"  by  the  vision  of  a  ghost,  when  he  heard  the  four 
words  of  St.  Augustine :  "  Sccurus  judical  orbis  terrarum."  The 
second,  known  under  the  name  of  "  Doctrinal  Development,"  is, 
from  his  own  confession,  full  of  errors  on  account  of  his  ignorance 
of  the  subject  on  which  he  was  writing,  and  his  own  impatience 
to  support  his  sophisms. 

Dr.  Newman  is  really  unfortunate  in  his  paternity.  He  is  the 
father  of  two  literary  children.  The  first-born  was  called  Via 
Media.  But  as  it  had  neither  head  nor  feet,  it  was  suffocated 
on  the  day  of  its  birth  by  a  "  ghost."  The  second,  called  "Doc- 
trinal Development,"  was  not  viable.  The  father  is  so  shocked 
with  the  sight  of  the  monster,  that  he  publicly  confesses  its  de- 
formities and  cries  out,  "  Mistake  I  mistake!  mistake!"  (pages  123 
1 24  Apologia  pro  vita  suay 

The  troubled  conscience  of  Dr.  Newman  has  forced  him  to 
confess  (page  iii)  that  he  was  miserable,  from  his  want  of 
faith,  when  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England  and  a  Profess- 
or of  Theology  of  Oxford:  "Alas!  it  was  my  portion  for 
whole  years  to  remain  without  any  satisfactory  bafsis  for  my  re- 
ligious profession!"  At  pages  174  and  175  he  tells  us  how  mis- 
erable and  anxious  he  was  when  the  voice  of  his  conscience 
reproached  him  in  the  position  he  held  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, while  leading  her  people  to  Rome.  At  page  158  he 
confesses  his  unspeakable  confusion  when  he  saw  his  supreme 
folly  in  building  up  the  Via  Media^  and  heard  its  crash  at  the 
appearance  of 'a  ghost.  At  page  123  he  acknowledges  how  he 
deceived  his  readers,  and  deceived  himself,  in  his  "Doctrinal 
Development.'*  At  page  132  he  tells  us  how  he  had  not  only 
completely  lost  the  confidence  of  his  country,  but  lost  confidence 


m 


WmmW^^W^^ 


m^'fWW. 


PERVERSION   OP    DR.    NEWMAN. 


417 


in  himself.    And  it  is  after  this  humiliating  and  shameful  course 
of  life  that  he  finds  out  "  that  the  Church  of  Rome  is  right!" 

Must  we  not  thank  God  for  having  forced  Dr.  Newman  to 
tell  us  through  what  dark  and  tortuous  ways  a  Protestant,  a 
disciple  of  the  Gospel,  a  minister  of  Christ,  a  Professor  of 
Oxford,  fell  into  that  sea  of  Sodom  called  Romanism  or  Papism  I 
A  great  lesson  is  given  us  here.  We  see  the  fulfillment  of 
Christ's  word  about  those  who  have  received  great  talents  and 
have  not  used  them  for  the  "  Good  Master's  honor  and  glory." 

Dr.  Newman,  without  suspecting  it,  tells  us  that  it  was  his 
course  of  action  towards  that  branch  of  the  Church  of  Christ  of 
which  he  was  a  minister,  that  caused  him  to  lose  the  confidence 
of  his  country,  and  troubled  him  so  much  that  it  caused  him  to 
lose  that  self-confidence  which  is  founded  on  our  faith  and  our 
union  with  Christ,  who  is  our  rock,  our  only  strength  in  the 
hour  of  trial.  Having  lost  her  sails,  her  anchor,  and  her  helm, 
the  poor  ship  was  evidently  doomed  to  become  a  wreck. 
Nothing  could  prevent  her  from  drifting  into  the  engulfing 
abyss  of   Popery. 

Dr.  Newman  confesses  that  it  is  only  when  his  guilty  con- 
science was  uniting  its  thundering  voice  with  that  of  his  whole 
country  to  condemn  him  that  he  said,  "  After  all,  the  Church  of 
Rome  is  right!" 

These  are  the  arguments,  the  motives,  the  lights  which  have 
led  Dr.  Newman  to  Rome!  And  it  is  from  himself  that  we 
have  it!  It  is  a  just,  an  avenging  God  who  forces  his  adversary 
to  glorify  Him  and  say  the  truth  in  spite  of  himself  in  this 
*^  Apologia  fro  vita  suaP 

No  one  can  read  that  book,  written  with  almost  a  superhuman 
skill,  ability,  and  fineness,  without  a  feeling  of  unspeakable  sad- 
ness at  the  sight  of  such  bright  talents,  such  eloquence,  such 
extensive  studies,  employed  by  the  author  to  deceive  himself  and 
deceive  his  readers;  for  it  is  evident,  on  every  page,  that  Dr. 
Newman  has  deceived  himself  before  deceiving  his  readers. 
But  no  one  can  read  that  book  without  feeling  a  sense  of  terror 
also.  For  he  will  hear,  at  every  page,  the  thundering  voice  of 
the  God  of  the  Gospel,  "  Because  they  received  not  the  love  of 


<-'.«  -.jhsii,.',  :»,'!»*  j.i'jii's-  - 


I  ifPI  Jl^iipiJHiliWipPipiPPP 


418 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  Truth  that  they  might  be  saved,  God  shall  send  them  strong 
delusions,  that  they  should  believe  a  He."     (2  Thess.  ii.  10- 11.) 

What,  at  first,  most  painfully  puzzles  the  mind  of  the  Chris- 
tian  reader  of  this  book  is  the  horror  which  Dr.  Newman  has 
for  thp  Holy  Scriptures.  The  unfortunate  man  who  is  perishing 
from  hydrophobia  does  not  keep  himself  more  at  a  distance  from 
water  than  he  does  from  the  Word  of  God.  It  seems  incredible, 
but  it  is  the  fact,  that  from  the  first  page  of  the  history  of  his 
"Religious  Opinions"  to  page  261,  where  he  joins  the  Church 
of  Rome,  we  have  not  a  single  line  to  tell  us  that  he  has  gone 
to  the  Word  of  God  for  light  and  comfort  in  his  search  after 
truth.  We  see  Dr.  Newman  at  the  feet  of  Daniel  Wilson, 
Scott,  Milner,  Whately ,  Hawkins,  Blanco  White,  William  James, 
Butler,  Keble,  Froude,  Pusey,  &c.,  asking  them  what  to  believe, 
what  to  do  to  be  saved :  but  you  do  not  see  him  a  single  minute, 
no!  not  a  single  minute,  at  the  feet  of  the  Saviour,  asking  him, 
"Master,  what  must  I  do  to  have  'Eternal  Life'"?  The  sub- 
lime words  of  Peter  to  Christ,  which  are  filling  ail  the  echoes  of 
heaven  and  earth,  these  eighteen  hundred  years,  "Lord!  To 
whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life!" 
have  never  reached  his  ears!  In  the  long  and  gloomy  hours, 
when  his  soul  was  chilled  and  trembling  in  the  dark  night  of 
infidelity;  when  his  uncertain  feet  were  tired  by  vainly  going 
here  and  there,  to  find  the  true  way,  he  has  never  heard  Christ 
telling  him:  "Come  unto  Me.  I  am  the  Way;  I  am  the  Door; 
I  am  the  Life!"  In  those  terrible  hours  of  distress  of  which  he 
speaks  so  eloquently,  when  he  cries  (page  iii)  "Alas!  I  was 
without  any  basis  for  my  religious  profession,  in  a  state  of  moral 
sickness :  neither  able  to  acquiesce  in  Angelicanism,  nor  able  to 
go  to  Rome:"  when  his  lips  were  parched  with  thirst  after 
truth,  he  never,  no  never,  went  to  the  fountain  from  which  flow 
the  waters  of  eternal  life ! 

One  day  he  goes  to  the  Holy  Fathers.  But  what  will  he 
find  there?  Will  he  see  how  St.  Cyprien  sternly  rebuked  the 
impudence  of  Stephen,  Bishop  of  Rome,  who  pretended  to  have 
some  jurisdiction  over  the  See  of  Carthage?  Will  he  find  how 
Gregory  positively  says  that  the  Bishop  who  will  pretend  to  be 


tfe 


IP^ifPiWiiiPlpPIPiipi^^ 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


419 


A. 


the  "  Universal  Bishop"  is  the  forerunner  of  Anti-Christ?  Will 
he  hear  St.  Augustine  declaring  that  when  Christ  said  to  Peter, 
«  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church," 
He  was  speaking  of  Himself  as  the  rock  upon  which  the  Church 
would  stand?  No.  The  only  thing  which  Dr.  Newman  brings 
us  from  the  Holy  Fathers  is  so  ridiculous  and  so  unbecoming 
that  I  am  ashamed  to  have  to  repeat  it.  He  tells  us  (page  78), 
"  I  have  an  idea.  The  mass  of  the  Fathers  (Justin,  Anthena- 
goras,  Irenajus,  Clement,  TertuUian,  Origen,  Ambrose)  hold 
that,  though  Satan  fell  from  the  beginning,  the  angels  fell 
before  the  deluge,  falling  in  love  with  the  daughters  of  men. 
This  has  lately  come  across  me  as  a  remarkable  solution  of  a 
notion  I  cannot  help  holding." 

Allow  me  here  to  remind  the  reader  that,  though  the  Fathers 
have  written  many  beautiful  evangelical  pages,  some  of  them 
have  written  the  greatest  nonsense  and  the  most  absurd  things 
which  human  folly  can  imagine.  Many  of  them  were  born  and 
educated  as  pagans.  They  had  learned  and  believed  the  history 
and  immorality  of  their  demi-gods;  they  had  brought  those 
notions  with  them  into  the  Church;  and  they  had  attributed  to 
the  ahgels  of  God,  the  passions  and  love  for  women  which  was 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  characters  of  Jupiter,  Mars,  Cupid, 
Bacchus,  &c.  And  Dr.  Newman,  whose  want  of  accuracy  and 
judgment  is  so  often  revealed  and  confessed  by  him  in  this  book, 
has  not  been  able  to  see  that  those  sayings  of  the  Fathers  were 
nothing  but  human  aberrations.  He  has  accepted  that  as  Gospel 
truth,  and  he  has  been  silly  enough  to  boast  of  it. 

The  bees  go  to  the  flowers  to  make  their  precious  honey ; 
they  wisely  choose  what  is  more  perfect,  pure  and  wholesome 
in  the  flowers  to  feed  themselves.  Dr.  Newman  does  the  very 
contrary :  he  goes  to  those  flowers  of  past  ages,  the  Holy  Fathers, 
and  takes  from  them  what  is  impure  for  his  food.  After  this,  is 
it  a  wonder  that  he  has  so  easily  put  his  lips  to  the  cup  of  the 
great  enchantress  who  k  poisoning  the  world  with  the  wine  of 
her  prostitution  ? 

When  the  reader  has  followed  with  attention  the  history  of 
the  religious  opinions  of  Dr.  Newman  in  his  "  Apologia  pro 


i4iimsm-=iu^-.ita^M&^^^^ 


IrJ'lif^.t^K  ^V*;/W.;l! 


mif^mmmmmmmm^m^m^^ 


mmm 


m 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


Vita  sua^''  and  he  sees  him  approaching,  day  after  day,  the  bot- 
tomless abyss  of  folly,  corruption,  slavery,  and  idolatry  of  Rome, 
into  which  he  suddenly  falls  (page  261),  he  is  forcibly  reminded 
of  the  strange  spectacle  recorded  in  the  eloquent  pages  of  Cha- 
teaubriand, about  the  Niagara  Falls. 

More  than  once,  travellers  standing  at  the  foot  of  that  marvel 
of  the  marvels  of  the  w^orks  of  God,  looking  up  towards  heaven, 
have  been  struck  by  the  sight  of  a  small,  dark  spot  moving  in 
large  circles,  at  a  great  distance  above  the  fall.  Gazing  at  that 
strange  object,  they  soon  remarked,  that  in  its  circular  march  in 
the  sky,  the  small  dark  spot  was  rapidly  growing  larger,  as  it 
was  coming  down  towards  the  thundering  fall.  They  soon 
discovered  the  majestic  forms  of  one  of  the  giant  eagles  of 
America!  And  the  eagle,  balancing  himself  in  the  air,  seemed 
to  look  down  on  the  marvellous  fall  as  if  absolutely  taken  with 
admiration  at  its  grandeur  and  magnificence!  For  some  time, 
the  giant  of  the  air  remained  above  the  majestic  cataract  descri- 
bing his  large  circles.  But  when  coming  down  nearer  and  nearer 
the  terrific  abyss,  he  was  suddenly  dragged  as  by  an  irresistible 
power  into  the  bottomless  abyss  to  disappear.  Some  time  later 
the  body,  bruised  and  lifeless,  is  seen  floating  on  the  rapid  and 
dark  waters,  to  be  for  ever  lost  in  the  bitter  waters  of  the  sea,  at 
a  long  distance  below. 

Rome  is  a  fall.  It  is  the  name  which  God  himself  has  given 
her:  "There  come  a  falling' away "  (2  Thess.  ii.  3).  As  the 
giant  eagle  of  America,  when  imprudently  coming  too  near  the 
mighty  Fall  of  Niagara,  is  often  caught  in  the  irresistible  vortex 
which  attracts  it  from  a  long  distance,  so  that  eagle  of  Oxford, 
Dr.  Newman,  whom  God  had  created  for  better  things,  has 
imprudently  come  too  near  the  terrific  papal  fall.  He  has  been 
enchanted  by  its  beauty,  its  thousand  bright  rainbows :  he  has 
taken  for  real  suns  the  fantastic  jets  of  light  which  encircles  its 
misty  head,  and  conceals  its  dark  and  bottomless  abyss.  Bewil- 
dered by  the  bewitching  voice  of  the  enchantress,  he  has  been 
unable  to  save  himself  from  her  perfidious  and  almost  irresistible 
attractions.  The  eagle  of  Oxford  has  been  caught  in  the  whirl- 
pool of    the  engulphing  powers  of    Rome,  and  you  see  him 


ww^wmfi^m 


ffi^w^v 


•f>T:^i ".  •i/y^rif^s^ 


PERVERSION   OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


421 


to-day,  bruised,  lifeless,  dragged  on  the  dark  waters  of  Popery 
towards  the  shore  of  a  still  darker  eternity. 

Dr.  Newman  could  not  make  his  submission  to  Rome  without 
perjuring  himself.  He  swore  that  he  would  never  interpret  the 
Holy  Scriptures  except  according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of 
the  Holy  Fathers.  Well,  I  challenge  him  here,  to  meet  me  and 
show  me  that  the  Holy  Fathers  are  unanimous  on  the  supremacy 
of  the  power  of  the  Pope  over  the  other  Bishops;  that  he  is 
infallible;  that  the  Priest  has  the  power  to  make  his  God  with  a 
wafer;  that  the  Virgin  Mary  is  the  only  hope  of  sinnt-rs.  I 
challenge  him  to  show  us  that  auricular  confession  is  an  ordi- 
nance of  Christ.  Dr.  Newman  knows  well  that  those  things 
are  impostures.  He  has  never  believed,  he  never  will  believe 
them. 

The  fact  is  that  Dr.  Newman  confesses  that  he  never  had 
any  faith  when  he  was  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  England; 
and  it  is  clear  that  he  is  the  same  smce  he  became  a  Roman 
Catholic.  In  page  282  we  read  this  strange  exposition  of  his 
faith :  "  We  are  called  upon  not  to  profess  anything,  but  to  sub- 
mit and  be  silent,"  which  is  just  the  faith  of  the  mute  animal 
which  obeys  the  motion  of  the  bridle,  without  any  resistance  or 
thought  of  its  own.  This  is — I  cannot  deny  it — the  true,  the 
only  faith  in  the  Church  of  Rome;  it  is  the  faith  which  leads 
directly  to  Atheism  or  idintism.  But  Christ  gave  us  a  very 
different  idea  of  the  faith  he  asks  from  his  disciples  when  he 
said:  "The  time  has  come  when  the  worshippers  shall  worship 
the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth."     (John  iv.  23.) 

That  degrading  and  brutal  religion  of  Dr.  Newman,  surely 
was  not  the  religion  of  Paul,  whc"'  he  wrote  I  speak  as  to  wise 
men;  judge  ye  what  I  say.  "(i  Cor.  x  15)."  Dr  Newman  hon- 
estly tells  us  (page  228,)  when  speaking  of  the  worship  of  the 
Virgin  Mary :  "  Such  devotional  manifestations  in  honour  of 
our  Lady  had  been  my  great  Crux  as  regards  Catholicism.  I 
say  frankly  I  do  not  fully  enter  into  them  now  .  .  .  they 
are  suitable  for  Italy,  but  are  not  suitable  for  England."  He 
has  only  changed  his  appearance — his  heart  is  what  it  was 
formerly,  when    a   minister    of    theChurch   of    England.     He 


432 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


wanted  then  another  creed,  another  Church  for  England. 
So  now,  he  finds  that  this  and  that  practice  of  Rome  may  do  for 
the  Italians,  but  not  for  the  English  people! 

Was  he  pleased  with  the  promulgation  of  Papal  infallibility  ? 
No.  It  is  a  public  fact  that  one  of  his  most  solemn  actions,  a 
few  years  since  his  connection  with  the  Church  of  Rome,  was 
to  protest  against  the  promulgation  of  that  dogma.  More  than 
that,  he  expressed  his  doubts  about  the  wisdom  and  the  right  of 
the  Council  to  proclaim  it. 

Let  us  read  his  interesting  letter  to  Bishop  UUathorne  — 
"  Rome  ought  to  be  a  name  to  lighten  the  heart  at  all  times; 
and  a  council's  proper  office  is,  when  some  great  heresy  or  other 
evil  impends,  to  inspire  hope  and  confidence  in  the  iful. 

But  now  we  have  the  greatest  meeting  which  ever  h.,  been, 
and  that  at  Rome,  infusing  into  us  by  the  accredited  organs  of 
Rome  and  of  its  partisans  (such  as  the  Civilta  (the  Armonia)^ 
the  Univers  and  the  Tablet)  little  else  than  fear  and  dismay! 
When  we  are  all  at  rest  and  have  no  doubts,  and — at  least  prac- 
tically, not  to  say  doctrinally — hold  the  Holy  Father  to  be  infal- 
lible, suddenly  there  is  thunder  in  the  clear  sky,  and  we  are  told 
to  prepare  for  something,  we  know  not  what,  to  try  our  faith, 
we  know  not  how — no  impending  danger  is  to  be  averted,  but 
a  great  difficulty  is  to  be  created.  Is  this  the  proper  work  of  an 
CEcumenical  Council?  As  to  myself  personally,  please  God,  I 
do  not  expect  any  trial  at  all :  but  I  cannot  help  suffering  with  the 
many  souls  who  are  suffering,  and  I  look  with  anxiety  at  the 
prospect  of  having  to  defend  decisions  which  may  not  be  difficult 
to  my  own  private  judgement,  but  may  be  most  difficult  to 
maintain  logically  in  the  face  of  historical  facts. 

*'  What  have  we  done  to  be  treated  as  the  faithful  never  were 
treated  before?  When  has  a  definition  dc  jide  been  a  luxury  of 
devotion,  and  not  a  stern,  painful  necessity?  Why  should  an 
aggressive,  insolent  faction  be  allowed  to  '  make  the  heart  of  the 
just  sad,  whom  the  Lord  hath  not  made  sorrowful  ?'  Why  can- 
not we  be  let  alone,  when  we  have  pursued  peace,  and  thought 
no  evil! 

"  I  assure  you,  my  Lord,  some  of  the  truest  minds  are  driven 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


423 


one  way  and  another,  and  do  not  know  where  to  rest  their  feet 
— one  day  determining  '  to  give  up  all  theology  as  a  bad  job,' 
and  recklessly  to  believe  henceforth  almost  that  the  Pope  is  impec- 
cable: at  another,  tempted  to  '  believe  all  the  worst  which  a  book 
like  Janus  says :'  others  doubting  about  ♦  the  capacity  possessed 
by  Bishops  drawn  from  corners  of  the  earth,  to  judge  what 
is  fitting  for  European  society ;'  and  then,  again,  angry  with  the 
Holy  See  for  listening  to  » the  flattery  of  a  clique  of  Jesuits,  re- 
demptorists,  and  converts.' 

"  Then,  again,  think  of  the  store  of  Pontifical  scandals  in  the 
history  of  eighteen  centuries,  which  have  partly  been  poured, 
forth,  and  partly  are  still  to  come.  What  Murphy  inflicted 
upon  us  in  one  way,  M.  Veuillot  is  indirectly  bringing  on  us  in 
another.  And  then,  again,  the  blight  which  is  falling  upon  the 
multitude  of  Anglican  Ritualists,  &c.,  who,  themselves,  perhaps 
— at  least  their  leaders — may  never  becom  i  Catholics,  but  who 
are  leavening  the  various  English  denominations  and  parties  (far 
beyond  their  own  range),  with  principles  and  sentiments  tending 
towards  their  ultimate  absorption  into  the  Catholic  Church. 

"  With  these  thoughts  ever  before  me,  I  am  continually 
asking  myself  whether  I  ought  not  to  make  my  feelings  public: 
But  all  I  do  is  to  pray  those  early  doctors  of  the  Church  whose 
intercession  would  decide  the  matter  (Augustine,  Ambrose,  and 
Jerome,  Athanasius,  Chrysotom  and  Basil)  to  avert  this  great 
calamity. 

"  If  it  is  God's  will  that  the  Pope's  infallibility  be  defined 
then  is  it  God's  will  to  throw  back, '  the  times  and  movements ' 
of  that  triumph  which  He  has  destined  for  His  kingdom,  and  I 
shall  feel  I  have  but  to  bow  my  head  to  His  Adorable,  inscruta- 
ble providence. 

"  You  have  not  touched  upon  the  subject  yourself,  but  I  think 
you  will  allow  me  to  express  to  you  feelings,  which,  for  the  most 
part,  I  keep  to  myself."* 

These  eloquent  complaints  of  the  new  convert  exceedingly 
irritated  Pius  IX.  and  the  Jesuits  at  Rome:   they  entirely  des- 

*  "  The  Pope,  the  Kings,  and  the  People"  (Mullan  &  Son,  Paternoster 
Square),  pp.  269-70.     Also  see  (London)  Standard,  7th  April,  1870. 


plplpplplilppp^^ 


424 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


troyed  their  confidence  in  him.  They  were  too  shrewd  to  ignore 
that  he  had  never  been  anything  else  but  a  kind  of  free-thinker, 
whose  Christian  faith  was  without  any  basis,  as  he  has  himself 
confessed.  They  had  received  him,  of  course,  with  pleasure,  for 
he  was  the  very  best  man  in  England  to  unsettle  the  minds  of 
the  young  ministers  of  the  Church,  but  they  had  left  him  alone 
in  his  oratory  of  Birmingham,  where  they  seemed  to  ignore 
him. 

However,  when  the  protest  of  the  new  so-called  convert 
showed  that  his  submission  was  but  a  sham,  and  that  he  was 
more  Protestant  than  ever,  they  lashed  him  without  mercy. 
But  before  we  hear  the  stern  answei*s  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olics to  their  new  recruit,  let  us  remember  the  fact  that  when 
that  letter  appeared.  Dr.  Newman  had  lost  the  memory  of  it;  he 
boldly  denied  its  paternity  at  first;  it  was  only  when  the  proofs 
were  publicly  given  that  he  had  written  it,  that  he  acknowledged 
it,  saying  for  his  excuse  that  he  had  forgotten  his  writing  it! ! 

Now  let  us  hear  the  answer  of  the  Civilta^  the  organ  of  the 
Pope,  to  Dr.  Newman  •  "  Do  you  not  see  that  it  is  only  tempta- 
tion that  makes  you  see  everything  black  ?  If  the  Holy  Doctors 
whom  you  invoke,  Ambrose,  Jerome,  &c.,  do  not  decide  the  con- 
troversy in  your  way,  it  is  not,  as  the  Protestant  Pall  Mall 
Gazette  fancies,  because  they  will  not  or  cannot  interpose,  but 
because  they  agree  with  St.  Peter  and  with  the  petition  of  the 
majority.  Would  you  have  us  make  procession  in  sackloth  and 
ashes  to  avert  this  scourge  of  the  definition  of  a  verity  ?"  Ibid^ 
p.  271. 

The  clergy  of  France,  through  their  organ,  U  Univers  (y (A. 
1 1,  p.  31-34),  was  still  more  severe  and  sarcastic.  They  had  just 
collected  ^4,000  to  help  Dr.  Newman  to  pay  the  enormous 
expenses  of  the  suit  for  his  slanders  against  Father  Achille, 
which  he  had  lost. 

Dr.  Newman,  as  it  appears  by  the  article  from  the  pen  of  the 
celebrated  editor  of  the  Univers^  had  not  even  had  the  courtesy 
to  acknowledge  the  gift,  nor  the  exertions  of  those  who  had 
collected  that  large  sum  of  money.  Now  let  us  see  what  they 
thought  and  said  in  France  about  the  ex-Professor  of  Oxford 


PERVERSION   OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


425 


whom  they  called  the  "  Respectable  convict."  Speaking  of  the 
£4,000 sent  from  France,  Veuillot  says:  "The  respectable  con- 
vict received  it,  and  was  pleased;  but  he  gave  no  thanks  and 
showed  no  courtesy.  Father  Newman  ought  to  be  more  careful 
in  what  he  says :  everything  that  is  comely  demands  it  of  him. 
But,  at  any  rate,  if  his  Liberal  passion  carries  him  away,  till  he 
forjrcts  what  he  owes  to  us  and  to  himself,  what  answer  must  one 
give  him,  but  that  he  had  better  go  on  as  he  set  out,  silently 
ungrateful?" — VUnivers^  Vol.  11,  p.  32-34     Ibid^  p.  272. 

These  public  rebukes,  addressed  from  Paris  and  Rome  by 
the  two  most  popular  organs  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  tell  us  the 
old  story ;  the  services  of  traitors  may  be  accepted,  but  they  are 
never  trusted.  Father  Newman  had  not  the  confidence  of  the 
Roman  Catholics. 

But  some  will  say:  Has  not  the  dignity  of  Cardinal,  to 
which  he  has  lately  been  raised,  proved  that  the  present  Pope 
has  the  greatest  confidence  in  Dr.  Newman? 

Had  I  not  been  25  years  a  priest  of  Rome,  I  would  say 
"Yes!"  But  I  know  too  much  of  their  tactics  for  that.  The 
dignity  of  Cardinal  has  been  given  to  Drs.  Manning  and  New- 
man as  the  baits  which  the  fishermen  of  Prince  Edward  Island 
throw  into  the  sea  to  attract  the  mackerels.  The  Pope,  with 
those  long  scarlet  robes  thrown  over  the  shoulders  of  the  two 
renegades  from  the  Church  of  England,  hopes  to  catch  more 
Engrlish  mackerels. 

Besides  that,  we  all  know  the  remarkable  words  of  St.  Paul : 
"And  those  members  of  the  body  which  we  think  to  be  less 
honourable,  upon  them  we  bestow  more  abundant  honours,  and 
our  uncomely  parts  have  more  abundant  comeliness  "  ( i  Cor.  xii. 

23)- 

It  is  on  that  principle  that  the  Pope  has  acted.    He  knew  well 

that  Dr.  Newman  had  played  the  act  of  a  traitor  at  Oxford,  that 

he  had  been  caught  in  the  very  act  of  conspiracy  by  his  Bishops, 

that  he  had  entirely  lost  the  confidence  of  the  English  people. 

These  public  facts  paralyzed  the  usefulness  of  the  new  convert. 

He  was  really  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  but  he  was 

one  of  the  most  uncomely  ones ;  so  much  so  that  the  last  Pope, 


wmm^mmifsmimmm^^^i^^iii^^ 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THIi:    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Pius  IX.,  had  left  him  alone,  in  a  dark  corner,  for  nearly  eicrh- 
teen  years.  Leo  XIII.  was  more  shrewd.  He  felt  that  New- 
man might  become  one  of  the  most  powerful  agents  of  Roman- 
ism in  England,  if  he  were  only  covering  his  uncomeliness  with 
the  rich  red  Cardinal  robe. 

But  will  the  scarlet  colors  which  now  clothe  Dr.  Newman 
make  us  forget  that,  to-day,  he  belongs  to  the  most  absurd 
immoral,  object  and  degrading  form  of  idolatry,  the  world  has 
ever  seen?  Will  we  forget  that  Romanism,  these  last  six  cen- 
turies, is  nothing  else  but  old  j^aganism  in  its  most  degradin" 
forms,  coming  back  under  a  Christian  name?  What  is  the  di- 
vinity which  is  adored  in  those  splendid  temples  of  modern 
Rome?  Is  it  anything  else  but  the  old  Jupiter  Tonans!  Yes 
the  Pope  has  stolen  the  old  gods  of  paganism,  and  he  has  sacril- 
egiously written  the  adorable  name  of  Jesus  in  their  faces  that 
the  deluded  modern  nations  may  have  less  objection  to  accept 
the  worship  of  their  pagan  ancestors.  They  adore  a  Christ  in 
the  Church  of  Rome:  they  sing  beautiful  hymns  to  His  honor: 
they  build  him  magnificent  temples ;  they  are  exceedingly  devoted 
to  Him — they  make  daily  enormous  sacrifices  to  extend  His 
power  and  glory  all  over  the  world.  But  what  is  that  Christ? 
It  is  simply  an  idol  of  bread,  baked  every  day  by  the  servant, 
girl  of  the  priest,  or  the  neighbouring  nuns. 

I  have  been  25  years  one  of  the  most  sincere  and  zealous 
priests  of  that  Christ.  I  have  made  Him  with  mine  own  hands 
and  the  help  of  my  servants,  for  a  quarter  of  a  century ;  I  have  a 
right  to  say  that  I  know  Him  perfectly  well.  It  is  that  I  may 
tell  what  I  know  of  that  Christ  that  the  God  of  the  Gospel  has 
taken  me  by  the  hand,  and  granted  me  to  give  my  testimony 
before  the  world.  Hundreds  of  times  I  have  said  to  my  ser- 
vant-girl what  Dr.  Newman  and  all  the  priests  of  Rome  say 
every  day,  to  their  own  servants  or  their  nuns :  «  Please  make 
me  some  wafers,  that  I  may  say  mass  and  give  the  communion 
to  those  who  want  to  receive  it."  And  the  dutiful  girl  took 
some  wheat  flour,  mixed  it  with  water,  and  put  the  dough 
between  these  two  well-polished  and  engraven  irons,  which  she 
had  well  heated  before.     In  less  time  than   I  can  write  it    the 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


427 


dough  was  baked  into  wafers.  Handing  them  to  me,  I  brought 
them  to  the  ahar,  and  performed  a  ceremony  which  is  called 
« the  mass."  In  the  very  midst  of  that  mass,  I  pronounced  on 
the  wafer  five  magic  words,  "  Hoc  est  enim  corpus  mcum^''  and 
had  to  believe,  what  Dr.  Newman  and  all  the  priests  of  Rome 
profess  to  believe,  that  there  were  no  more  wafers,  no  more 
bread  befor  me,  but  that  what  were  wafers,  had  been  turned  into 
the  great  Eternal  God  who  had  created  the  world.  I  had  to 
prostrate  myself,  and  ask  my  people  to  prostrate  themselves 
before  the  God  I  had  just  made  with  five  words  from  my  lips; 
and  the  people,  on  their  knees,  bowing  their  heads,  and  bringing 
their  faces  to  the  dust,  adored  God  whom  I  had  just  made,  with 
the  help  of  these  heated  irons  and  my  servant-girl. 

Now,  is  this  not  a  form  of  idolatry  more  degrading,  more 
insulting  to  the  infinite  Majesty  of  God  than  the  worship  of  the 
gold  calf?  Where  is  the  difference  between  the  idolatry  of 
Aaron  and  the  Israelites  adoring  the  gold  calf  in  the  wilderness 
and  the  idolatry  of  Dr.  Newman  adoring  the  wafer  in  his  tem- 
pL?  The  only  difference  is,  that  Aaron  worshipped  a  god  in- 
finitely more  respectable  and  powerful,  in  melted  gold,  than  Dr. 
Newman  worshipping  his  baked  dough. 

The  idolatry  of  Dr.  Newman  is  more  degrading  than  the 
idolatry  of  the  worshippers  of  the  sun. 

When  the  Persians  adore  the  sun,  they  give  their  homage  to 
the  greatest,  the  most  glorious  being  which  is  before  us.  That 
magnificent  fiery  orb,  millions  of  miles  in  circumference,  which 
rises  as  a  giant,  every  morning,  from  behind  the  horizon,  to 
inarch  over  the  world  and  pour  everywhere  its  floods  of  heat, 
light  and  life,  cannot  be  contemplated  without  feelings  of  res- 
pect, admiration  and  awe.  Man  must  raise  his  eyes  up  to  see 
that  glorious  sun — he  must  take  the  eagle's  wings  to  follow  his 
giant  strides  throughout  the  myriads  of  worlds  which  are  there, 
to  speak  to  us  of  the  wisdom,  the  power,  and  love  of  our  God. 
It  is  easy  to  iniderstand  that  poor,  fallen,  blind  men  may  take 
that  great  being  for  their  god.  Would  not  every  one  perish 
and  die,  if  the  sun  would  forget  to  come  every  day,  that  we  may 
bathe  and  swim  in  his  ocean  of  light  and  life? 


mmm 


428 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Then,  when  I  see  the  Persian  priests  of  the  sun,  in  their 
magnificent  temple,  with  censers  in  their  hands,  waiting  for  the 
appearance  of  its  first  rays,  to  intone  their  melodious  hymns  and 
sing  their  sublime  canticles,  I  know  their  error  and  I  understand 
it;  I  was  about  to  say,  I  almost  excuse  it.  I  feel  an  immense 
compassion  for  these  deluded  idolaters!  However,  I  feel  they 
arc  raised  above  the  dust  of  the  earth:  their  intelligence,  their 
souls  cannot  but  receive  some  sparks  of  light  and  life  from  the 
contemplation  of  that  inexhaustible  focus  of  light  and  life.  But 
is  not  Dr.  Newman  with  his  Roman  Catholic  people  a  thousand 
times  more  worthy  of  our  compassion  and  our  tears,  when  they 
are  abjectly  prostrated  before  this  ignoble  wafer — to  adore  it  as 
their  Saviour,  their  Creator,  their  God?  Is  it  possible  to  imag- 
ine a  spectacle  more  humiliating,  blasphemous  and  sacrilegious, 
than  a  multitude  of  men  and  women  prostrating  their  faces  to 
the  dust  to  adore  a  god  whom  the  rats  and  mice  have,  thousands 
of  times,  dragged  and  eaten  in  their  dark  holes?  Where  are  the 
rays  of  light  and  life  coming  from  that  wafer?  Instead  of  being 
enlarged  and  elevated  at  the  approach  of  this  ridiculous  modern 
divinity,  is  not  the  human  intelligence  contracted,  diminished, 
paralyzed,  chilled  and  struck  with  idiocy  and  death  at  its  feet? 

Can  we  be  surprised  that  the  Roman  Catholic  nations  are  so 
fast  falling  into  the  abyss  of  infidelity  and  atheism,  when  they 
hear  their  priests  telling  them  that  more  than  200,000  times, 
every  day,  this  contemptible  wafer  is  changed  by  them  into  the 
great  God  who  has  created  heaven  and  earth  at  the  beginning, 
and  who  has  saved  this  perishing  world  by  sacrificing  the  body 
and  the  blood  which  He  has  taken  as  His  tabernacle  to  show  us 
His  eternal  love! 

Come  with  me  and  see  those  multitudes  of  people  with  their 
faces  prostrated  in  the  dust,  adoring  their  white  elephant  of 
Siam. 

Oh!  what  ignorance  and  superstition!  what  blindness  and 
folly !  you  will  exclaim.     To  adore  a  white  elephant  as  God ! 

But  there  is  a  spectacle  more  humiliating  and  more  deplora- 
ble: There  is  a  superstition,  an  idolatry  below  that  of  the  Sia- 
iTi-'se.     It  is  the  idolatry  practised  by  Dr.  Newman  and  his  mill- 


PERVERSION    OF    DR.    NEWMAN. 


429 


ions  of  co-religionists  to-day.  Yes!  The  elephant  god  of  the 
Asiatic  people,  is  infinitely  more  respectable  than  the  wafer- 
god  of  Dr.  Newman.  That  elephant  may  be  taken  as  the  sym- 
bol of  strength,  magnanimity,  patience,  &c.  There  is  life, 
motion  in  that  noble  animal — he  sees  with  his  eyes,  he  walks 
with  his  feet.  Let  some  one  attack  him,  he  will  protect  himself — 
with  his  mighty  trump  he  will  throw  his  enemy  high  in  the  air — 
he  will  crush  him  under  his  feet. 

But  look  at  this  modern  divinity  of  Rome.  It  has  eyes,  but 
does  not  see;  feet,  but  does  not. move;  a  mouth,  but  does  not 
speak.  There  is  neither  life  nor  strength  in  the  wafer  god  of 
Rome. 

But  if  the  fall  of  Dr.  Newman  into  the  bottomless  abyss  of 
the  idolatry  of  Rome  is  a  deplorable  fact,  there  is  another  fact 
still  more  deplorable. 

How  many  fervent  Christians,  how  many  venerable  ministers 
of  Christ  everywhere,  are,  just  now,  prostrated  at  the  dear  Sa- 
viour's feet,  telling  Him  with  tears:  "Didst  thou  not  sow  the 
good  Gospel  seed  all  over  our  dear  country,  through  the  hands  of 
our  heroic  and  martyred  fathers?  From  whence,  then,  hath  it 
these  Popish  and  idolatrous  tares  ?"  And  the  "  Good  Master  " 
answers,  to-day,  what  he  answered  eighteen  hundi-ed  years  ago: 
"While  men  slept,  the  enemy  came  during  the  night;  he  has 
sowed  those  tares  among  the  wheat,  and  he  went  away." — (Mat- 
thew xiii.  25.) 

And  if  you  want  to  know  the  name  of  the  enemy  who  has 
sowed  tares,  in  the  night,  amongst  the  wheat,  and  went  away, 
you  have  only  to  read  this  "  Apologia  fro  vita  sua.''''  You  will 
find  this  confession  of  Dr.  Newman  at  page  174: — 

"I  cannot  disguise  from  myself  that  my  preaching  is  not 
calculated  to  defend  that  system  of  religion  which  has  been 
received  for  three  hundred  years,  and  of  which  the  Heads  of 
Houses  are  the  legitimate  maintainers  in  this  place  ...  I 
must  allow  that  I  was  disposing  'the  minds  of  young  men'  tow- 
ards Rome !" 

Now,  having  obtained  from  the  very  enemy's  lips  how  he  has 
sowed  tares  during  the  night  (secretly),  read  page  262,  and  you 


f 


^'. 


I 


430 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


will  see  how  he  went  away  and  prostrated  himself  at  the  feet  of 
the  most  in  lacable  enemy  of  all  the  rights  and  liberties  of  men, 
to  call  him  "  Most  Holy  Father."  Read  how  he  fell  at  the  knees 
of  the  very  power  which  prepared  and  blessed  the  Armada  des- 
tined to  cover  his  native  land,  England,  with  desolation,  ruins, 
tears  and  blood,  and  enchain  those  of  her  people  who  would  not 
have  been  slaughtered  on  the  battle-field!  See  how  the  enemy, 
after  having  sown  the  tares,  went  away  to  the  feet  of  a  Sergius 
III.,  the  public  lover  of  Maroria — and  to  the  feet  of  his  bastard, 
John  XL,  who  was  still  more  debauched  than  his  father — and  to 
the  feet  of  Leo  VI.,  killed  by  an  outraged  citizen  of  Rome,  in 
the  act  of  such  an  infamous  crime  that  I  cannot  name  it  here — 
to  the  feet  of  an  Alexander,  who  seduced  his  own  daughter,  and 
surpassed  in  cruelty  and  debauchery  Nero  and  Caligula.  Let  us 
see  Dr.  Newman  falling  at  the  feet  of  all  those  monsters  of 
depravity,  to  call  them,  "Most  Holy  Fathers,"  "Most  Holy 
Heads  of  the  Church,"  "Most  Holy  and  Infallible  Vicars  of 
Jesus  Christ!" 

At  the  sight  of  such  a  fall,  what  can  we  do,  but  say  with 
Isaiah : 

"  The  Lord  has  broken  the  staff  of  the  wicked,  and  the  scep- 
ter of  the  ruler  .  .  .  How  art  thou  fallen,  O  Lucifer,  Son 
of  the  morning !  how  art  thpu  cut  down  to  the  ground  ? "  Is.  xiv. 


f  ^J^-a^aiJi^St.^^^L^^A'^JA.iJi^l^ 


IF"*!! 


mmmm. 


|]pWIMI|PJ^PI.iJP.||l|llll|fl|iWiiili 


Chapter  XLIT. 

NOVICIATE  IN  THE  MONASTEBT  OF  THE  OBLATES  OF  MABT 
lUMAOUIiATE  OF  LONOUEXnL-SOUE  OF  THE  TH0X7SAND 
ACTS  OF  FOLLT  AND  IDOLATBT  WHICH  FOBM  THE  LIFE  OF 
A  MONX-THE  DBFLOBABLE  FALL  OF  ONE  OF  THE  FATHEBS 
-FALL  OF  THE  QBAND  VICAB  atHBLIEB-SICK  IN  THE 
HOTEL  DIEU  OF  UONTBEAL-SISTEB  UBTUBISE,  WHAT  SHE 
SATS  OF  MABIA  MONK-THE  TWO  HISSIONABIES  TO  THE 
LUMBEB  MEN-FALL  AND  FT7NISHMENT  OF  A  FATHEB 
OBLATE— WHAT  ONE  OF  THE  BEST  FATHEB  OBLATES 
THINKS  OF  THE  MONKS  AND  THE  MONASTEBT. 

ON  the  first  Sabbath  of  November  1846,  after  a  retreat  of  eight 
days,  I  fell  oh  my  knees,  and  asked  as  a  favor,  to  be  re- 
ceived as  a  novice  of  the  religious  order  of  the  Oblates  of  Mary 
Immaculate  of  Longueuil,  whose  object  is  to  preach  retreats  (  re- 
vivals) among  the  people.  No  child  of  the  Church  of  Rome 
ever  enrolled  himself  with  more  earnestness  and  sincereity  under 
the  mysterious  banners  of  her  monastic  armies,  than  I  did,  that 
day.  It  is  impossible  to  entertain  more  exalted  views  of  the 
beauty  and  holiness  of  the  monastic  life,  than  I  had.  To  live 
among  the  holy  men  who  had  made  the  solemn  vows  of 
poverty,  obedience  and  charity,  seemed  to  me  the  greatest  and 
the  most  blessed  privilege  which  my  God  could  grant  on 
earth. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  peaceful  monastery  of  Longueuil, 
among  those  holy  men  who  had,  long  since,  put  an  impassable 
barrier  between  themselves  and  that  corrupted  world,  from  the 
snares  of  which  I  was  ju>st  escaping,  my  conviction  was  that  I 
should  see  nothing  but  actions  of  the  most  exalted  piety ;  and 
that  the  deadly  weapons  of  the  enemy  could  not  pierce  those 
walls  protected  by  the  Immaculate  Mother  of  God ! 

The  frightful  storms  which  had  covered  with   wrecks  the 


s'V 


.,;a3ii,..,...'Hfesia:-,-....rE^_^^,^;^^^^ 


mm 


mm 


'.;f,|!,vs;S.V 


■jTroV^  •'■•i^  11*— 


43a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


roaring  sea,  where  I  had  so  often  nearly  perished,  could  not 
trouble  the  calm  waters  of  the  port  where  my  bark  had  |UHt 
entered.  Every  one  of  the  members  of  the  community  was  to  be 
like  an  angel  of  charity,  humility,  modesty,  whose  example  was 
to  guide  my  steps  in  the  waj's  of  God.  My  superior  appeared 
to  be  less  a  superior  than  a  father,  whose  protecting  care,  by  day 
and  night,  would  be  a  shield  over  me.  Noah,  in  the  ark,  safe 
from  the  raging  waves  which  were  destroying  the  world,  did 
not  feel  more  grateful  to  God,  than  I  was,  when  once  in  this 
holy  solitude.  The  vow  of  perfect  poverty  was  to  save  me,  for 
ever,  from  the  cares  of  the  world.  Having,  hereafter,  no  ri^ht 
to  possess  a  cent,  the  world  would  become  to  me  a  paradise, 
where  food,  clothing,  and  lodging  would  come  without  anxiety 
or  care.  My  father  superior  would  supply  all  these  thuigs, 
without  any  other  condition  on  my  part,  than  to  love,  and  obey 
a  man  of  God  whose  whole  life  was  to  be  spent  in  guiding  my 
steps  in  the  ways  of  the  most  exalted  evangelical  virtues.  Had 
not  that  father  himself  made  a  solemn  vow  to  renounce  not  only 
all  the  honors  and  dignities  of  the  church,  that  his  whole  mind 
and  heart  might  be  devoted  to  my  holiness  on  earth,  and  my 
salvation  in  Heaven? 

How  easy  to  secure  that  salvation  now!  I  had  only  to  look 
to  that  father  on  earth,  and  obey  him  as  my  Father  in  Heaven. 
Yes!  The  will  of  that  father,  was  to  be,  for  me,  the  will  of 
my  God.  Though  I  might  err  in  obeying  him,  my  errors 
would  not  be  laid  to  my ,  charge.  To  save  my  soul,  I  should 
have  only  to  be  like  a  corpse,  or  a  stick  in  the  hands  of  my 
father  superior.  Without  any  anxiety  or  any  responsibility  what- 
ever of  my  own,  I  was  to  be  led  to  heaven  as  the  new-born 
child  in  the  arms  of  his  loving  mother,  without  any  fear,  thoughts 
or  anxiety  of  his  own. 

With  the  Christian  poet  I  could  have  sung : 
"  Rocks  and  storms  I  fear  no  more, 
When  on  that  eternal  shore, 
Drop  the  anchor !  Furl  the  sail ! 
I  am  safe  within  the  vail." 

But  how  short  were  to  be  these  fine  dreams  of  my  por 
luded  mind!     When  on  my  knees,  father  Guigues  handeti 


ie, 


a!.»*ii... 


.^mm 


ppil.WI|HiPUiM.«"wp.Hf ,«" «  ''>^T«PPPpi^PWI9l||pil«pi||i)| 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


433 


with  great  Holemnity,  the  Latin  books  of  the  rules  of  that  monas- 
tic<order,  which  is  their  real  gospel,  warning  me  that  it  was  a 
secret  book^  that  there  were  things  in  it  that  I  ought  not  to 
reveal  to  any  one;  and  he  made  me  solemnly  promise  that  I 
would  never  show  it  to  any  one  outside  of  the  order. 

When  alone,  the  next  morning,  in  my  cell,  I  thanked  God 
and  the  Virgin  Mary  for  the  favors  of  the  last  day,  and  the 
thought  came  involuntarily  to  my  mind: 

« Have  you  not,  a  thousand  times,  heard  and  said  that  the 
Holy  Church  of  Rome  absolutely  condemns  and  anathematizes 
secret  societies.  And,  do  you  not  belong,  to-day,  to  a  secret 
society.  How  can  you  reconcile  the  solemn  promise  of  secrecy 
you  made  last  night,  with  the  anathemas  hurled  by  all  your 
popes  against  secret  societies?"  After  having,  in  vain,  tried,  in 
my  mind,  to  reconcile  these  two  things,  I  happily  remembered 
that  I  .was  a  corpse,  that  I  had  forever  given  up  my  private 
judgment — that  my  only  business  now,  was  to  obey.  "  Does  a 
corpse  argue  aganist  those  who  turn  it  from  side  to  side  ?  Is  it 
not  in  perfect  peace,  whatever  may  be  the  usage  to  which  it  is 
exposed,  or  to  whatever  place  it  is  dragged.  Shall  I  lose  the 
rich  crown  which  is  before  me,  at  my  first  step  in  the  ways  of 
perfection  ?" 

I  bade  my  rebellious  intelligence  to  be  still,  my  private  judg- 
ment to  be  mute,  and,  to  distract  my  mind  from  this  first  tempta- 
tion, I  read  that  book  of  rules  with  the  utmost  attention  I  had 
not  gone  through  it  all  before  I  understood  why  it  was 
kept  from  the  eyes  of  the  curates  and  the  other  secular  priests. 
To  my  unspeakable  amazement,  I  found  that,  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end,  it  speaks  with  the  most  profound  contempt  for 
them  all ;  I  said  to  myself :  "  What  would  be  the  indignation  of 
the  curates,  if  they  should  suspect  that  these  strangers  from 
France  have  such  a  bad  opinion  of  them  all!  Would  the  good 
curates  receive  them  as  angels  from  heaven,  and  raise  them  so 
high  in  the  esteem  of  the  people,  if  they  knew  that  the  first 
thing  an  oblate  has  to  learn,  is  that  the  secular  priest  is,  to-day, 
steeped  in  immorality,  ignorance,  worldliness,  laziness,  gluttony, 
&c. ;  that  he  is  the  disgrace  of  the  church,  which  would  speedily 


^i' 


!P||W,Aipi«pjiiP,l|PMJ! 


'Vm^^^^w^^'^^T^^^w^^f^f^^ 


434 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


be  destroyed,  was  she  not  providentially  sustained,  and  kept  in 
the  ways  of  Goo,  by  the  holy  monastic  men  whom  she  nurses  as 
her  only  hope!  Clear  as  the  light  of  the  sun  on  a  bright  day, 
the  whole  fabric  of  the  order  of  the  oblates  presented  itself  to 
my  mind,  as  the  most  perfect  system  of  Pharisaism  the  world 
had  ever  seen." 

The  oblate,  who  studies  his  book  of  rules,  his  only  gospel, 
must  have  his  mind  filled  with  the  idea  of  his  superior  holiness, 
not  only  over  the  poor  sinful,  secular  priest,  but  over  eveiy  one 
else.  The  oblate  alone  is  Christian !  holy,  and  sacred ;  the  rest  of 
the  world  is  lost!  The  oblate  alone  is  the  salt  of  the  earth,  the 
light  of  the  world ! 

1  said  to  myself:  "  Is  it  to  attain  to  this  pharisaical  perfection, 
that  I  have  left  my  beautiful  and  dear  parish  of  Kamouraska, 
and  given  up  the  honorable  ppsition  which  my  God  had  given  me 
in  my  conntry!" 

However,  after  some  time  spent  in  these  sad  and  despondent 
reflections,  I  again  felt  angry  with  myself;  I  quickly  directed 
my  mind  to  the  frightful,  unsuspected,  and  numberless  scandals 
I  had  known  in  almost  every  parish  I  had  visited.  I  remem- 
bered the  drunkenness  of  that  curate,  the  impurities  of  this,  the 
ignorance  of  another,  the  worldliness,  and  absolute  want  of 
faith  of  others,  and  concluded  that,  after  all,  the  oblates  were  not 
far  from  the  truth  in  their  bad  opinion  of  the  secular  clergy.  I 
ended  my  sad  reflections  by  saying  to  myself:  "After  all,  if  the 
oblates  live  a  life  of  holiness,  as  I  expect  to  find  here,  is  it  a  crime 
that  they  should  see,  feel,  and  express  among  themselves,  the 
difference  which  exists  between  a  regular  and  a  secular  clergy? 
Am  I  come  here  to  judge  and  condemn  these  holy  men?  No! 
I  came  here  to  save  myself  by  the  practice  of  the  most  heroic 
Christian  virtues  t-e  first  of  which,  is  that  I  should  absolutely 
and  forever  gi-  .,  up  my  private  judgment — consider  myself  as  a 
corpse  in  the  hand  of  my  superior."  • 

With  all  the  fervor  of  my  soul,  1  prayed  to.  God  and  to  the 
Virgin  Mary,  day  and  night,  that  week,  that  I  might  attain  that 
supreme  state  of  perfection,  when  I  would  have  no  will,  no 
judgment  of  my  own.    The  days  of  that  first  week  passed  very 


1    ^^tJKu    ^lan^  I  .T 


i^«f  £  Xn£.ih^^Jl, 


'jfeS.''CS.: 


f^*™»^?rf^»^!l[BR^!p^5^^ 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


435 


quickly,  spent  in  prayer,  reading  and  meditation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, study  of  ecclesiastical  history  and  ascetical  books,  from  haif- 
past  five  in  the  morning  till  half-past  nine  at  night.  The  meals 
were  taken  at  the  regular  hours  of  seven,  twelve  and  six  o'clock, 
during  which,  with  rare  exceptions,  silence  was  kept,  and  pious 
books  were  read.  The  quality  of  the  food  was  good;  but,  at 
first,  before  they  got  a  female  cook  to  preside  over  the  kitchen* 
everything  was  so  unclean,  that  I  had  to  shut  my  eyes  at  meals, 
not  to  see  what  I  was  eating.  I  should  have  complained,  had 
not  my  lips  been  sealed  by  that  strange  monastic  view  of  perfec- 
tion that  every  religious  man  is  a  corpse !  What  does  a  corpse 
care  about  the  cleanliness  or  uncleanliness  of  what  is  put  into  its 
mouth?  The  third  day,  having  drank  at  breakfast  a  glass  of 
milk  which  was  literally  mixed  with  the  dung  of  the  cow,  my 
stomach  rebelled ;  a  circumstance  vv^hich  I  regretted  exceedingly, 
attributing  it  to  my  want  of  monastic  perfection.  I  envied  the 
high  state  of  holiness  of  the  other  fathers  who  had  so  perfectly 
attained  to  the  sublime  perfection  of  submission  that  they  could 
drink  that  impure  milk,  just  as  if  it  had  been  clean. 

Everything  went  on  well  the  first  week,  with  the  exception 
of  a  dreadful  scare  I  had,  at  the  dinner  of  the  first  Friday.  Just 
after  eating  soup,  when  listening  with  the  greatest  attention  to 
the  reading  of  the  life  of  a  saint,  I  suddenly  felt  as  if  the  df  vil 
had  taken  hold  of  my  feet;  I  threw  down  my  knife  and  fork, 
and  I  cried  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  "  My  God !  My  God !  what 
is  there?"  and  as  quick  as  lightning,  I  jumped  on  my  chair  to 
save  myself  from  Satan's  grasp  My  .vies  were  soon  followeu 
by  an  inexpressible  burst  of  convulsive  laughter  from  every  one. 

"  But  what  does  that  mean  ?  Who  has  taken  hold  of  my 
feci?"  I  asked. 

Father  Guigues  tried  to  explain  the  matter  to  me,  but  it  took 
him  a  considerable  time.  When  he  began  to  speak,  an  irrepres- 
sible burst  of  laughter  prevented  his  saying  a  word.  The  fits 
of  laughter  became  still  more  uncontrollable,  on  account  of  the 
seriousness  with  which  I  was  repe;  "dly  asking  them  who  could 
have  taken  hold  of  my  feet!  At  l.tst  some  one  said,  "  It  is  Father 
Lagier  who  wanted  to  kiss  your  feet!"     At  the  same  time,  Lagicr 


i3iS*2£.-l,li., 


436 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


walking  on  his  hands  and  knees,  his  face  covered  with  sweat, 
dust  and  dirt,  was  crawling  out  from  under  the  table;  literally 
rolling  on  the  floor,  in  such  an  uncontrollable  fit  of  laughter,  that 
he  was  unable  to  stand  on  his  feet. 

Of  course,  when  I  understood  that  no  devil  had  tried  to  drajr 
me  by  the  feet,  but  that  it  was  simply  one  of  the  father  oblates, 
who,  to  go  through  one  of  the  common  practices  of  humility  in 
that  monastery,  had  crawled  under  the  table,  to  take  hold  of 
the  feet  of  every  one  and  kiss  them,  I  joined  with  the  rest  of  tiie 
community,  and  laughed  to  my  heart's  content. 

Not  many  days  after  this,  we  were  going,  after  tea,  from  the 
dining-room  to  the  chapel,  to  pass  five  or  ten  minutes  in  adora- 
tion of  the  wafer-god;  we  had  two  doors  to  cross,  and  it  was 
pretty  dark.  Being  the  last  who  had  entered  the  monastery,  I 
had  to  walk  first,  the  other  monks  following  me;  we  were  reci- 
ting, with  a  loud  voice,  the  Latin  Psalm:  '■^Miserere  mihi 
Dcus^'*  We  were  all  marching  pretty  fast,  when,  suddenly,  my 
feet  met  a  large,  though  unseen  object,  and  down  I  fell,  and 
rolled  on  the  fioor;  my  next  companion  did  the  same,  and  rolled 
over  me,  and  so  did  five  or  six  others,  who,  in  the  dark,  had  also 
struck  their  feet  on  that  object.  In  a  moment,  we  were  five  or 
six  "Holy  Fathers"  rolling  on  each  other,  on  the  floor,  unable 
to  raise  up,  splitting  our  sides  with  convulsive  laughter.  Father 
Brunette,  in  one  of  his  fits  of  humility,  had  left  the  table  a  little 
before  the  rest,  with  the  permission  of  the  Superior,  to  lay  him- 
self flat  on  the  floor,  across  the  door.  Not  suspecting  it,  and 
unable  to  sec  anything,  from  the  want  of  suflicient  light,  I  had 
entangled  my  feet  on  that  living  corpse,  as  also  the  rest  of  those 
who  were  walking  too  close  behind  me,  to  stop  before  tumbling 
over  one  another. 

No  words  can  describe  my  feelings  of  shame  when  I  saw, 
almost  every  day,  some  performance  of  this  kind  going  on,  under 
the  name  of  Christian  humility.  In  vain  I  tried  to  silence  the 
voice  of  my  intelligence,  which  was  crying  to  me,  day  and  night, 
that  this  was  a  mere  diabolical  caricature  of  the  humility  of 
Christ.  Striving  to  silence  my  untamed  reason,  by  telling  it 
that  it  had  no  right  to  speak  and  argue  and  criticise,  within  the 


»i*jiiieJ4'J„ 


PIPP|9^IPPIIRIIJ|I  <  <  l;>Ui^iiPp^RiPiPll 


NOVICIATE    IN    THK    MONASTEUV. 


437 


holy  walls  of  a  monastery.  It,  nevertheless,  spoke  louder,  clay 
after  day,  telling  me  that  such  acts  of  humility  were  a  mockery. 
In  vain,  I  said  to  myself,  "  Chiniquy,  thou  art  not  come  here  to 
philosophize  on  this  and  that,  but  to  sanctify  thyself  by  becoming 
like  a  corpse,  which  has  no  preconceiverl  ideas,  no  acqui:ed  store 
of  knowledge,  no  rule  of  common  sense  to  guide  it!  Poor, 
wretched,  sinful  Chiniquy,  thou  art  here  to  save  thyself  by 
admiring  every  iota  of  the  holy  rules  of  your  superiors,  and  to 
obey  every  word  of  their  lips!" 

I  felt  angry  against  myself,  and  unspeakably  sad  when,  after 
whole  weeks  and  months  of  efforts,  not  only  to  silence  the  voice 
of  my  reason,  but  to  kill  it,  it  h.id  more  life  than  ever,  and  was 
more  and  more  loudly  protesting  against  the  unmanly,  unchris- 
tian, and  ridiculous  daily  usages  and  rules  of  the  monastery.  I 
envied  the  humble  piety  of  the  other  good  Fathers,  who  were 
apparently  so  happy,  having  conquered  themselves  so  completely, 
as  to  destroy  that  haughty  reason  which  was  constantly  rebelling 
in  me. 

Twice,  every  week,  I  went  to  reveal  to  my  guide  and  con- 
fessor. Father  Allard,  the  master  of  novices,  my  interior  strug- 
gles; my  constant,  though  vain  eftorts,  to  subdue  my  rebellious 
reason.  He  always  gladdened  me  with  the  promise  that,  sooner 
or  later,  I  should  have  that  interior  perfect  peace  which  is  prom- 
ised to  the  humble  monk  when  he  has  attained  the  supreme 
monastic  perfection  of  considering  himself  as  a  corpse,  as  regards 
the  rules  and  will  of  his  superiors.  My  sincere  and  constant 
efforts  to  reconcile  myself  to  the  rules  of  the  monastery  were,  how- 
ever, soon  to  receive  a  new  and  rude  check.  I  had  read  in  the 
book  of  rules,  that  a  true  monk  must  closely  watch  those  who 
live  with  him,  and  secretly  report  to  his  superior  the  defects  and 
sins  which  he  detects  in  them.  The  first  time  I  read  that  strange 
rule,  my  mind  was  so  taken  ^  '  by  other  things,  that  I  did  not 
pay  much  attention  to  it.  But  tne  second  time  I  studied  that  clause, 
the  blush  came  to  my  face,  and  in  spite  of  myself,  I  said :  "  Is 
it  possible  that  we  are  a  band  of  spies?"  I  was  not  long  in  seeing 
the  disastrous  effects  of  this  most  degrading  and  immoral  rule. 
One  of  the  fathers,  for  whom  I  had  a  particular  a£Fection  for  his 


JaMMjUjjiijiM 


438 


FIFTY    YKARS    IN    THE    CHUUCH    OF    ROME. 


many  good  qualities,  and  who  had  many  times  given  me  the  sin- 
cere proof  of  his  friendship,  said  to  me  one  day :  "  For  God's 
sake,  my  dear  Father  Chiniquy,  tell  me  if  it  is  you  who  denounced 
me  to  the  Superior  for  having  said  that  the  conduct  of  Father 
Guigues  towards  me  was  uncharitable  ?"  "  No!  my  dear  friend," 
T  answered,  "  I  never  said  such  a  thing  against  you,  for  two 
reasons:  The  first  is,  that  you  have  never  said  a  word  in  my  pres- 
ence which  could  give  me  the  idea  that  you  had  such  an  opinion 
of  our  good  Father  Superior;  the  second  reason  is,  that  though 
you  might  have  told  me  anything  of  that  kind,  I  would  prefer 
to  have  my  tongue  cut,  and  eaten  by  dogs,  than  to  be  a  spy,  and 
denounce  you  I" 

« I  am  glad  to  know  that,"  he  rejoined,  "  for  I  was  told  by 
some  of  the  fathers  that  you  were  the  one  who  had  reported  me 
to  the  superior  as  guilty,  though  1  am  innocent  of  that  offence, 
but  I  could  not  believe  it."  He  added,  with  tears:  *' I  regret 
having  left  my  parish  to  be  an  oblate,  on  account  of  that  abom- 
inable law  which  we  are  sworn  to  fulfill.  That  law  makes  a  real 
hell  of  this  monastery,  and,  I  suppose,  of  all  the  monastic  orders, 
for  I  think  it  is  a  general  law  with  all  the  religious  houses. 
When  you  have  passed  more  time  here,  you  will  see  that  that 
law  of  detection  puts  an  insurmountable  wall  between  us  ail ;  it 
destroys  every  spring  of  Christian  and  social  happiness." 

"I  understand,  perfectly  well,  what  you  say,"  I  answered 
him ;  "  the  last  time  I  was  alone  with  father  superior,  he  asked 
me  why  I  had  said  that  the  present  Pope  was  an  old  fool;  he 
persisted  in  telling  me  that  I  must  have  said  it,  '  for,'  he  added, 
*one  of  our  most  reliable  fathers  has  assured  me  you  said  it.' 
'  Well,  my  dear  father  superior,'  1  answered  him,  *  that  reliable 
father  has  told  you  a  big  lie;  I  never  said  such  a  thing,  for  the 
good  reason  that  I  sincerely  think  that  our  present  Pope  is  one 
of  the  wisest  that  ever  ruled  the  church,"  I  added :  "  Now  1 
understand  why  there  is  somuch  unpleasantness  in  our  mutual  in- 
tercourse, during  the  hours  we  are  allowed  to  talk.  I  see  that 
nobody  dares  to  speak  his  mind  on  any  grave  subject.  The  con- 
versations are  colorless  and  without  life." 

"  That  is  just  the  reason,"  answered  my  friend.    When  some 


^''''^mmmmwmmmilllim^ 


m 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


439 


of  the  fathers,  like  you  and  me,  would  prefer  to  be  hung  rather 
than  become  spies,  the  great  majority  of  them,  particularly 
among  the  French  priests  recently  imported  from  France,  will 
not  hear  ten  words  from  your  lips  on  any  subject,  without  find- 
ing an  opportunity  of  reporting  eight  of  them  as  unbecoming 
and  unchristian,  to  the  superiors.  I  do  not  say  that  it  is  always 
through  malice  that  they  give  such  false  reports;  it  is  more 
through  want  of  judgment.  They  are  very  narrow-minded; 
they  do  not  understand  the  half  of  what  they  hear  in  its  true 
sense ;  and  they  give  their  false  impressions  to  the  superiors,  who, 
unfortunately,  encourage  that  system  of  spying,  as  the  best  way 
of  transforming  every  one  of  us  into  corpses.  As  we  are 
never  confronted  with  our  false  accusers,  we  can  never  know 
them,  and  we  lose  confidence  in  each  other;  thus  it  is  that  the 
sweetest  and  holiest  springs  of  true  Christian  love  are  forever 
dried  up.  It  is  on  this  spying  system,  which  is  the  curse  and 
the  hell  of  our  monastic  houses,  that  a  celebrated  French  writer, 
who  had  been  a  monk  himself,  wrote  of  all  the  monks: 

"  lis  rentrent  dans  leurs  monasteres  sans  se  connaitre ;  ils  y 
vivent  sains s'aimer  et  ils  se separent  sans  se  regretter"  (monks 
enter  a  monastery  without  knowing  each  other.  They  live  there, 
without  loving  each  other,  and  they  depart  from  each  other 
without  any  regret. 

However,  though  I  sincerely  deplored  that  there  was  such 
a  law  of  espionage  among  us,  I  tried  to  persuade  myself  that  it 
was  like  the  dark  spots  of  the  sun  which  do  not  diminish  its 
beauty,  its  grandeur  and  its  innumerable  blessings.  The  society 
of  the  oblates  was  still  to  me  the  blessed  ark  where  I  should  find 
a  sure  shelter  against  the  storms  which  were  desolating  the  rest 
of  the  world. 

Not  long  after  my  reception  as  a  novice,  the  providence 
of  God  put  before  our  eyes  one  of  those  terrible  wrecks  which 
would  make  the  strongest  of  us  tremble.  Suddenly,  at  the 
hour  of  breakfast,  the  superior  of  the  Seminary  of  St.  Sulpice, 
and  grand  vicar  of  the  Diocese  of  Montreal,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Quiblier,  knocked  at  our  door,  to  rest  an  hour  and  breakfast  with 
us,  when  on  his  way  to  France, 


f(         r^ 


440 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


This  unfortunate  priest,  who  was  among  the  best  orators  and 
the  best  looking  men,  Montreal  had  ever  seen,  had  lived  such  a 
profligate  life  with  his  penitent  nuns  and  ladies  of  Montreal, 
that  a  cjy,  of  indignation  from  the  whole  people  had  forced 
Bishop  Bburget  to  send  him  back  to  France.  Our  father  supe- 
rior took  the  opportunity  of  the  fall  of  that  talented  priest,  to 
make  us  bless  God  for  having  gathered  us  behind  the  walls  of  our 
monastery,  where  the  efforts  of  the  enemy  were  powerless.  But 
alas!  we  were  soon  to  know,  at  our  own  expense,  that  the  heart 
of  man  is  weak  and  deceitful  everywhere. 

It  was  not  long  after  the  public  fall  of  the  grand  vicar  of 
Montreal,  when  a  fine-looking  widow  was  engaged  to  preside 
over  our  kitchen.  She  was  more  than  forty  years  old,  and  had 
very  good  manners.  Unfortunately,  she  had  not  been  four 
months  in  the  monastery,  when  she  fell  in  love  with  her  father 
confessor,  one  of  the  most  pious  of  the  French  father  oblates. 
The  modern  Adam  was  not  stronger  than  the  old  one  against 
the  charms  of  the  new  Eve.  Both  were  found,  in  an  evil  hour, 
forgetting  one  of  the  holy  laws  of  God.  The  guilty  priest  was 
punished  and  the  weak  woman  dismissed.  But  an  unspeakable 
shame  rjir.alned  upon  us  all!  I  would  have  preferred  to  have 
my  sentence  of  death,  than  the  news  of  such  a  fall  inside  the 
walls  of  that  house  where  I  had  so  foolishly  believed  that  Satan 
could  not  lay  his  snares.  From  that  day,  it  was  the  will  of  God 
that  the  strange  and  beautiful  illusions  which  had  brought  mc 
to  that  monastery,  should  fade  away  one  after  the  other,  like 
the  white  mist  which  conceals  the  bright  rays  of  the  morning 
sun.  The  oblates  began  to  appear  to  me  pretty  much  like  other 
men.  Till  then,  I  had  looked  at  them  with  my  eyes  shut,  and 
I  had  seen  nothing  but  the  glittering  colors  with  which  my  im- 
agination was  painting  them.  From  that  day,  I  studied  them 
with  my  eyes  opened,  and  I  saw  them  just  as  they  were. 

In  the  spring  of  1847,  having  a  severe  indisposition,  the 
doctor  ordered  me  to  go  to  the  Hotel  Dieu  of  Montreal,  which 
was,  then,  near  the  splendid  St.  Mary's  Church.  I  made  there, 
for  the  first  time,  the  acquaintance  of  a  venerable  old  nun,  who 
was  very  talkative.     She  was  one  of  the  superiors  of  the  house; 


w.mii9H.x^imn 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


441 


her  family  name  was  Urtubise.  Her  mind  was  still  full  of  in< 
dignation  at  the  bad  conduct  of  two  father  oblates,  who,  under 
the  pretext  of  sickness,  had  lately  come  to  her  monastery  to 
seduce  the  young  nuns  who  were  serving  them.  Sh^  told  me 
liow  she  had  turned  them  out  ignominiously,  forbidding  them 
ever  to  come  again,  under  any  pretext,  into  the  hospital.  She 
was  young,  when  Bishop  Lartigue,  being  driven  away  from  the 
Sulpician  Seminary  of  Montreal,  in  1824,  had  taken  refuge, 
with  his  secretary,  the  Rev.  Ignace  Bourget,  into  the  modest 
walls  of  that  nunnery.  SIt  told  me  how  the  nuns  had  soon  to 
repent  having  received  that  bishop  with  his  secretary  and  other 
priests. 

"  It  was  nearly  the  ruin  of  our  community.  The  inter- 
course of  the  priests  with  a  certain  number  of  nuns,"  she  said ; 
"  was  the  cause  of  so  much  disorder  and  scandal,  that  I  was  deputed 
with  some  other  nuns,  to  the  bishop  to  respectfully  request  him 
not  to  prolong  his  stay  in  our  nunnery.  I  told  him,  in  my  name, 
and  in  the  name  of  many  others  that  if  he  would  not  comply 
with  our  legitimate  request,  we  should  instantly  leave  the 
house,  go  back  to  our  families  and  get  married,  that  it  was  better 
to  be  honestly  married  than  to  continue  to  live  as  the  priests, 
even  our  father  confessors,  wanted  us  to  do." 

After  she  had  given  me  several  other  spicy  stories  of  those 
interesting  distant  days,  I  asked  her  if  she  had  known  Maria 
Monk,  when  she  was  in  their  house,  and  what  she  thought  of 
her  book  "Awful  Disclosures?"  "  I  have  known  her  well,"  she 
said.  "  She  spent  six  months  with  us.  I  have  read  her  book,  which 
was  given  me,  that  I  might  refute  it.  But  after  reading  it,  I  re- 
fused to  have  anything  to  do  with  that  deplorable  exposure. 
There  are  surely  some  inventions  and  suppositions  in  that  book. 
But  there  is  a  sufficient  amount  of  truth  to  cause  all  our  nunner- 
ies to  be  pulled  down  by  the  people,  if  only  the  half  of  them 
were  known  to  the  public!" 

She  then  said  to  me:  "For  God's  sake,  do  not  reveal  these 
things  to  the  world,  till  the  last  one  of  us  is  dead,  if  God  spares 
you."  She  then  covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  burst  into 
tears,  and  left  the  room. 


h... 


449 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


I  remained  horrified.  Her  words  fell  upon  me  as  a  thunder- 
bolt. I  regretted  having  heard  them,  though  I  was  determined 
to  respect  her  request  not  to  reveal  the  terrible  secret  she  had 
entrusted  to  me.  My  God  knows  that  I  never  repeated  a  word 
of  it  till  now.  But  I  think  it  is  my  duty  to  reveal  to  my 
country  and  the  whole  world  the  truth,  on  that  grave  subject,  as 
it  was  given  me  by  a  most  respectable  and  unimpeachable  eye- 
witness. 

The  terrijjle  secrets  which  sister  Urtubise  had  revealed  to 
me  rendered  my  stay  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  as  unpleasant  as  it  had 
been  agreeable  at  first.  Though  not  quite  recovered  I  left,  the 
same  day,  for  Longueuil,  where  I  entered  the  monastery  with  a 
heavy  heart.  The  day  before,  two  of  the  fathers  had  comeback 
from  a  two  or  three  months,  evangelical  excursion  among  the 
lumber  men,  who  were  cutting  wood  in  the  forests,  along  the 
Ottawa  River  and  its  tributaries,  from  one  to  two  hundred  miles 
northwest  of  Montreal.  I  was  glad  to  hear  of  their  arrival.  I 
hoped  that  the  interesting  history  of  their  evangelical  excursions, 
narrow  escapes  from  the  bears  and  the  wolves  of  the  forests; 
their  hearty  receptions  by  the  honest  and  sturdy  lumber  men, 
which  the  superior  had  requested  me,  some  weeks  before,  to 
write,  would  cause  a  happy  diversion  from  the  deplorable  things 
I  had  recently  learned.  But  only  one  of  those  fathers  could  be 
seen,  and  his  conversation  was  anything  but  interesting  and 
pleasant.  There  was  evidently  a  dark  cloud  around  him.  And 
the  other  oblate,  his  companion,  where  was  he  ?  The  very  day 
of  his  arrival,  he  had  been  ordered  to  keep  his  room,  and  make  a 
retreat  of  ten  days,  during  which  time  he  was  forbidden  to 
speak  to  any  one. 

I  inquired  from  a  devoted  friend  among  tne  old  oblates^  the 
reason  of  such  a  strange  thing.  After  promising  never  to  re- 
veal to  the  superiors  the  sad  secret  he  trusted  me  with,  he  said: 

♦«  Poor  father  D has  seduced  one  of  his  fair  penitents,  on 

the  way.  She  was  a  married  woman,  the  lady  of  the  house 
where  our  missionaries  used  to  receive  the  most  cordial  hospital- 
ity. The  husband  having  discovered  the  infidelity  of  his  wife, 
came  very  near  killing  her;  he  ignominiously  turned  out  the  two 


i, 


r'.yv^' 


■^ 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


443 


fathers,  and  wrote  a  terrible  letter  to  the  superior.  The  compan- 
ion of  the  guilty  father,  denounced  him  and  confessed  every- 
thing to  the  superior,  who  has  seen  that  the  letter  of  the  enraged 
husband  was  only  giving  too  true  and  correct  version  of  the 
whole  unfortunate  and  shameful  occurrence.  Now,  the  poor 
weak  father,  for  his  penance,  is  condemned  to  ten  days  of  seclu- 
sion from  the  rest  of  the  community.  He  must  pass  that  whole 
time  in  praver  fasting,  and  acts  of  humiliation,  dictated  by  the 
superior." 

"Do  these  deplorable  facts  occur  very  often  among  the 
father  oblates  ?"  I  asked. 

My  friend  raised  his  eyes,  filled  with  tears,  to  Heaven,  and 
with  a  deep  sigh,  he  answered :  "  Dear  Father  Chiniquy,  would 
to  God  that  1  might  be  able  to  tell  you  that  it  is  the  first  crime 
of  that  nature  committed  by  an  oblate.  But  alas!  you  know, by 
what  has  occurred  with  our  female  cook,  not  long  ago,  that  it  is 
not  the  first  time  that  some  of  our  fathers  have  brought  disgrace 
upon  us  all.  And  you  know  also  the  abominable  life  of  Father 
Telmont  with  the  two  nuns  at  Ottawa !" 

"  If  it  be  so,"  I  replied,  "  where  is  the  spiritual  advantage  of 
the  regular  clergy  over  the  secular?" 

"The  only  advantage  I  see,"  answered  my  friend,  "is  that 
the  regular  clergy  gives  himself  with  more  impunity  to  every 
kind  of  debauch  and  licentiousness  than  the  secular.  The  monks 
being  concealed  from  the  eyes  of  the  public,  inside  the  walls  of 
their  monastery,  where  nobody,  or  at  least  very  few  people  have 
any  access,  are  more  easily  conquered  by  the  devil,  and  more 
firmly  kept  in  his  chains,  than  the  secular  priests.  The  sharp 
eyes  of  the  public,  and  the  daily  intercourse  the  secular  priests 
have  with  their  relations  and  parishioners,  form  a  powerful  and 
salutary  restraint  upon  the  bad  inclinations  of  our  depraved 
nature.  In  the  monastery,  there  is  no  restraint  except  the 
childish  and  ridiculous  punishment  of  retreats,  kissing  of  the 
floor,  c  of  the  feet,  the  prostration  of  the  ground  as  father 
Brunet  did,  a  few  days  after  your  coming  among  us. 

"  There  is  surely  more  hypocrisy  and  selfishness  among  the 
regular  than  the  secular  clergy.     That  great  social  organization 


'i-*' 


mmm 


ipppipilipiiiiPliiPiiiPP! 


wfi^^m 


m 


444 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


which  forms  the  human  family,  is  a  divine  work.  Yes!  those 
great  social  organizations  which  are  called  the  city,  the  township' 
the  country,  the  parish,  and  the  household,  where  every  one  is 
called  to  work  in  the  light  of  day,  is  a  divine  organization,  and 
makes  society  as  strong,  pure  and  holy  as  it  can  be. 

"  I  confess  that  there  are  also  terrible  temptations,  and  deplor- 
able falls  there,  but  the  temptations  are  not  so  unconquerable,  and 
the  falls  not  so  irreparable,  as  in  these  dark  recesses  and  un- 
healthy prisons  raised  by  Satan  only  for  the  birds  of  night 
called  monasteries  or  nunneries. 

"  The  priest  and  the  woman  who  falls  in  the  midst  of  a  well- 
organized  Christian  society,  break  the  hearts  of  the  beloved 
mother,  covers  with  shame  a  venerable'  father,  cause  the  tears  of 
cherished  sisters  and  brothers  to  flow,  pierce,  with  a  barbed  arrow 
the  hearts  of  thousands  of  friends;  they  forever  lose  their  honor 
and  good  name.  These  considerations  are  so  many  providential, 
I  dare  say  divine  shields,  to  protect  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
Eve  against  their  own  frailty.  The  secular  priest  and  the 
woman  shrink  before  throwing  themselves  into  such  a  bottom- 
less abyss  of  shame,  misery  and  regret.  But  behind  the  thick 
and  dark  walls  of  the  monastery,  or  the  nunnery,  what  has  the 
fallen  monk  or  nun  to  fear?  Nobody  will  hear  of  it,  no  bad 
consequences  worth  mentioning  will  follow,  except  a  few  days 
of  retreat,  some  insignificant,  childish,  ridiculous  penances, 
which  the  most  devoted  in  the  monastery  are  practicing  almost 
every  day. 

"  As  you  ask  me,  in  earnest,  what  are  the  advantages  of  a 
monastic  life  over  a  secular,  in  a  moral  and  social  point  of  view, 
I  will  answer  you:  In  the  monastery,  man  as  the  image  of  God 
forgets  his  divine  origin,  loses  his  dignity;  and  as  a  Chi-istian,  he 
loses  the  most  holy  weapons  Christ  has  given  to  his  disciples  to 
fight  the  battle  of  life.  He,  at  once  and  forever,  loses  that  law  of 
self-respect,  and  respect  for  others,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
powerful  and  legitimate  barriers  against  vice.  Yes!  That  great 
and  divine  law  of  self-respect,  which  God  himself  has  implanted 
in  the  heart  of  every  man  and  woman  who  live  in  a  Christian 
society,  is  completely  destroyed  in  the  monastery  and  nunnery 


Hiiiuii 


iMiMiigi 


WfV!|P»!IT!?iP!Pi^^ 


-^-^w 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


445 


The  foundation  of  perfection  in  the  monk  and  the  nun  is  that  they 
must  consider  thcmselve:*  as  corpses.  Do  you  not  see  that  this 
principle  strikes  at  the  root  of  all  that  Go<l  has  made  good,  {jrand 
and  holy  in  man?  Does  it  not  sweep  away  every  idea  of  holiness, 
purity,  greatness!  every  principle  of  life  which  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  had  for  its  mission  to  reveal  to  the  fallen  children  of  Adam  ? 

"What  self-respect  can  we  expect  from  a  corpse?  and  what 
respect  can  a  corpse  feel  for  the  other  corpses  which  surround 
it?  Thus  it  is  that  the  very  idea  of  monastic  perfection  carries 
with  it  the  destruction  of  all  that  is  good,  pure,  holy  and  spiri- 
tual in  the  religion  of  the  gospel.  It  destroys  the  very  idea  of 
life,  to  put  death  into  its  place. 

"  It  is  for  that  reason  that  if  you  study  the  true  history,  not 
the  lying  history^  of  monachism,  you  will  find  the  details  of  a 
corruption  impossible,  anywhere  else,  not  even  among  the 
lowest  houses  of  prostitution.  Read  the  Memoirs  of  Scipio  de 
Ricci,  one  of  the  most  pious  and  intelligent  bishops  our  Church 
has  ever  had,  and  you  will  see  that  the  itionks  and  the  nuns  of 
Italy  live  the  very  life  of  the  brutes  in  the  fields.  Yes!  read  the 
terrible  revelations  of  what  is  going  on  among  those  unfortunate 
men  and  women,  w^hom  the  iron  hand  of  monachism  keeps  tied 
in  their  dark  dungeons,  you  will  hear  from  the  very  lips  of  the 
nuns  that  the  monks  are  more  free  with  them,  than  th<»  husbands 
are  with  their  legitimate  wives;  you  will  see  that  every  one  of 
those  monastic  institutions  is  a  new  Sodom? 

"  The  monastic  axiom,  that  the  highest  point  of  perfection  is 
attained  only  when  you  consider  yourself  a  corpse  in  the  hand 
of  your  superior,  is  anti-social  and  anti-christian :  it  is  simply 
diabolical.  It  transforms  into  a  vile  machine  that  man  whom 
God  had  created  in  his  likeness,  and  made  forever  free.  It  de- 
grades below  the  brute  that  man  whom  Christ,  by  his  death, 
has  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  child  of  God,  and  inheritor  of  an 
eternal  kingdom  in  Heaven.  Everything  is  mechanical,  material, 
false,  in  the  life  of  a  monk  and  a  nun.  Even  the  best  virtues  are 
deceptions  and  lies.  The  monk  and  the  nuns  being  perfect 
only  when  they  have  renounced  their  own  free-will  and  intelli- 
gence, to  become   corpses,  can   have  neither  virtues  nor  vices. 


m 


446 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THK    CIIUKCH    OF    ROME. 


Their  best  actions  are  mechanical.  Their  acts  of  humility 
are  to  crawl  under  the  table  and  kiss  the  feet  of  each  other,  or 
to  make  a  cross  on  a  dirty  floor  with  the  tongue,  or  lie  down  in 
the  dust  to  let  the  rest  of  the  monks  or  the  nuns  pass  over  them  t 
Have  you  not  remarked  how  those  so-called  monks  speak  with 
the  utmost  contempt  of  the  rest  of  the  world  ?  One  must  have 
opportunities  as  I  have  had  of  seeing  the  profound  hatred  which 
exists  among  all  monastic  orders  against  each  other.  How  the 
Dominicans  have  always  hated  the  Franciscans,  and,  how  they 
both  hate  the  Jesuits,  who  pay  them  back  in  the  same  coin! 
What  a  strong  and  nameless  hatred  divides  the  oblates,  to  whom 
we  belong,  from  the  Jesuits!  The  Jesuits  never  lose  an  oppor- 
tunity of  showing  us  their  supreme  contempt!  You  are  aware 
that,  on  account  of  those  bad  feelings,  it  is  absolutely  forbidden 
to  an  oblate  to  confess  to  a  Jesuit,  as  we  know  it  is  forbidden  to 
the  Jesuits  to  confess  to  an  oblate,  or  to  any  other  priest." 

"  I  need  not  tell  you,  for  you  know,  that  their  vow  of  poverty 
is  a  mask  to  help  them  to  become  rich  with  more  rapidity  than 
the  rest  ot  the  world.  Is  it  not  under  the  mask  of  that  vow  that 
the  monks  of  England,  Scotland,  and  France,  became  the  masters 
of  the  rirhest  lands  of  those  countries,  which  the  nations  were 
forced,  by  bloody  revolutions,  to  wrench  from  their  grasp?" 

"  Is  it  not  still  under  the  mask  of  extreme  poverty  that  the 
monks  of  Italy  are  among  the  richest  proprietors  in  that  unfortu- 
nate country?" 

« I  have  seen  much  more  of  the  world  than  you.  When  a 
young  priest,  I  was  the  chaplain,  confessor  and  intimate  friend  of 
the  Duchess  De  Berry,  the  mother  of  Henry  V.  now  the  only  legit- 
imate King  of  France.  When,  in  the  midst  of  those  great  and 
rich  princes  and  nobles  of  France,  I  never  saw  such  a  love  of 
money,  of  honor,  of  vain  glory,  as  I  have  seen  among  the  monks 
since  I  have  become  one  of  them.  When  the  Duchess  De  Berry 
finished  her  providential  work  in  France,  after  making  the  false 
step  which  ruined  her,  I  threw  myself  into  the  religious  order  of 
the  Chartreux.  I  have  lived  several  years  in  their  palatial  mon- 
astery of  Rome;  have  cultivated  and  enjoyed  their  sweet  fruits 
in  their  magnificent  gardens ;  but  I  was  not  there  long,  without  see- 


gj^^faagsMKltiiiUM 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


447 


ing  the  fatal  error  I  had  committed  in  becoming  a  monk.  Dur> 
ing  the  man^  years  I  resided  in  that  nplcndid  mansion,  where 
laziness,  stupidity,  filthiness,  gluttony,  superstition,  tediousness, 
ignorance,  pride,  and  unmentionable  immoralities,  with  very  few 
exceptional  cases,  reigned  supreme,  I  had  every  opportunity  to 
know  what  was  going  on  in  their  midst.  Life  soon  became  an 
unbearable  burden,  but  for  the  hope  I  had  of  breaking  my  fet- 
ters. At  last,  I  found  out  that  the  best,  if  not  the  only  way  of 
doing  this,  was  to  declare  to  the  Pope  that  I  wanted  to  go  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  savages  of  America,  which  was,  and  is 
still  true." 

« I  made  my  declaration,  and  by  the  Pope's  permission,  the 
doors  of  my  gaol  were  opened,  with  the  condition  that  I  should 
join  the  order  of  the  Oblates  Immaculate,  in  connection  with 
which  I  should  evangelize  the  savages  of  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

«'  I  have  found  among  the  monks  of  Canada,  the  very  same 
things  I  have  seen  among  those  of  France  and  Italy.  With  very 
few  exceptions,  they  are  all  corpses,  absolutely  dead  to  every  senti. 
ment  of  true  honesty  and  real  Christianity;  they  are  putrid 
carcasses,  which  have  lost  the  dignity  of  manhood." 

«*  My  dear  Father  Chiniquy,"  he  added,  "  I  trust  you  as  I  trust 
myself,  when  I  tell  you  for  your  own  good,  a  secret  which  is 
known  to  God  alone.  When  I  am  on  the  Rocky  Mountains,  I 
will  raise  myself  up,  as  the  eagles  of  those  vast  countries,  and  I 
shall  go  up  to  the  regions  of  liberty,  light  and  life ;  I  will  cease 
being  a  corpse,  to  become  what  my  God  has  made  me — a  free 
and  intelligent  man:  I  will  cease  to  be  a  corpse,  in  order  to  be- 
come one  of  the  redeemed  of  Christ,  who  serve  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth." 

"Christ  is  the  light  of  the  world;  monachism  is  its  night! 
Christ  is  the  strength,  the  glory,  the  life  of  man ;  monachism  is 
its  decay,  shame  and  death!  Christ  died  to  make  us  free;  the 
monastery  is  built  up  to  make  slaves  of  us!  Christ  died  that  we 
might  be  raised  to  the  dignity  of  children  of  God ;  monachism 
is  established  to  bring  us  down  much  below  the  living  brutes,  for 
it  tranforms  us  into  corpses!  Christ  is  the  highest  conception  of 
humanity ;  monachism  is  its  lowest." 


m 


imM 


ii:^::.ijA'.r,;^ni  a:i.iL.itiri^, 


l^gjjg^ggy^ 


liPWil#PWPp^^ 


'^,.A': 


448 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


"  Yes,  yes,  I  hope  my  God  will  soon  give  me  the  favor  I  have 
asked  so  long!  When  I  shall  be  on  the  top  of  theRocky  Moun- 
tains, I  will,  forever,  break  my  fetters.  I  will  nse  from  my  tomb; 
I  will  come  out  from  among  the  dead,  to  sit  at  the  table  of  the 
redeemed,  and  eat  the  bread  of  the  living  children  of  God!" 

I  do  regret  that  the  remarkable  monk,  whose  abridged  views 
on  monachism  I  have  here  given,  should  have  requested  me  never 
to  give  his  name,  when  he  allows  me  to  tell  some  of  his  adven- 
tures, which  will  make  a  most  interesting  romance.  Faithful  to 
his  promise,  he  went,  as  an  oblate,  to  preach  to  the  savages  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  there,  without  noise,  he  slipped  out 
of  their  hands;  broke  his  chains  to  live  the  life  of  a  freedman  of 
Christ,  in  the  holy  bonds  of  a  Christian  marriage  with  a  respec- 
table American  lady. 

Weak  and  timid  soldier  that  I  was  once;  frightened  by  the 
ruins  spread  everywhere  on  the  battle-field,  I  looked  around  to 
find  a  shelter  against  the  impending  danger;  I  thought  that  the 
monastery  of  the  oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate  was  one  of  those 
strong  towers,  built  by  my  God,  where  the  arrows  of  the  enemy 
could  not  reach  me,  and  I  threw  myself  into  it. 

But,  hardly  beginning  to  hope  that  I  was  out  of  danger,  be- 
hind those  dark  and  high  walls,  when  I  saw  them  shaking  like 
a  drunken  man;  and  the  voice  cf  God  parsed  like  a  hurricane 
over  me. 

Suddenly,  the  higl  towers  and  walls  around  me  fell  to  the 
ground,  and  were  turned  into  dust.  Not  one  stone  remained  on 
another. 

And  I  heard  a  voice  saying  to  me:  "Soldier!  come  out  and 
get  in  the  light  of  the  sun;  trust  no  more  in  the  walls  built  by 
the  hand  of  man;  they  are  nothing  but  dust.  Come  and  fight 
in  the  open  day,  under  the  eyes  of  God,  protected  only  by  the 
gospel  banner  of  Christ!  Come  out  from  behind  those  walls, 
they  are  a  diabolical  deception,  a  snare,  a  fraud !" 

I  listened  to  the  voice,  and  I  bade  adieu  to  the  inmates  of  the 
monastery  of  the  oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate. 

When,  on  the  ist  of  November,  1847,  I  pressed  them  on 
my  heart  for  the  last  time,  I  felt  the  burning  tears  of  many  of 


Plppilp 


|f!|iip|ipiiMi4l(Ji|iJ  J,J.  i.  WJiiyWIlili 


NOVICIATE    IN    THE    MONASTERY. 


449 


them  falling  on  my  cheeks,  and  my  tears  moistened  their  faces: 
for  they  loved  me,  and  I  loved  them.  I  had  met  there,  several 
noble  hearts  and  precious  souls  worthy  of  a  better  fate.  Oh !  if 
I  could  have,  at  the  price  of  my  life,  given  them  the  light  and 
liberty  which  my  merciful  God  had  given  me! 

But  they  were  in  the  dark ;  and  there  was  no  power  in  me  to 
change  their  darkness  into  light.  The  hand  of  God  brought 
me  back  to  my  dear  Canada,  that  I  might  agai:;]  offer  it  the 
sweat  and  the  labors  the  love  and  life  of  the  least  of  its  sons. 


Chapter  XLIII. 


I  AOOEFT  THE  HOSPITAIiITT  OF  THB  BEV.  KB.  B^ULBSABO  OF 
LONaTTEUir.-!  GIVE  VTr  BEASONS  FOB  I^BAVTNa  THE  OB- 
LATES  TO  BISHOP  BOTTBaET-HE  PBESEin*S  UE  WITH  A 
UEDAUilON,  POBTBAIT  OF  THE  POPE  AND  A  SPIiEin)!!) 
OBXTCIFIZ  BliESSED  BY  HIS  HOLINESS  FOB  ME,  AND  AC- 
CEPTS srr  SEBVICES  in  the  cause  of  temfbbance  in 

THE  DIOCESE  OF  MONTBEAI.. 


THE  eleven  months  spent  in  the  monastery  of  the  oblates  of 
Mary  Immaculate,  were  among  the  greatest  favors  God 
has  granted  me.  What  I  had  read  of  the  monastic  orders,  and 
what  my  honest,  though  deluded  imagination,  had  painted  of  the 
holiness,  purity,  and  happiness  of  the  monastic  life,  could  not  be 
blotted  out  of  my  mind,  except  by  a  kind  of  miraculous  interpo- 
sition. No  testimony  whatever  could  have  convinced  me  that 
the  monastic  institutions  were  not  one  of  the  most  blessed  of  the 
gospel.  Their  existence,  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
was,  for  me,  an  infallible  token  of  her  divine  institution,  ahd 
miraculous  preservation;  and  their  absence  among  Protestants, 
one  of  the  strongest  proofs  that  those  heretics  were  entirely 
separated  from  Christ.  Without  religious  orders,  the  Protestant 
denominations  were  to  me,  as  dead  and  decayed  branches  cut  from 
the  true  vine,  which  are  doomed  to  perish. 

But,  just  as  the  eyes  of  Thomas  were  opened,  and  his  intelli- 
gence was  convinced  of  the  divinity  of  Christ,  only  after  he  h.id 
seen  the  wounds  in  his  hands  and  side,  so  I  could  never  have  be- 
lieved that  the  monastic  institutions  were  of  heathen  and  diabol- 
ical origin,  if  my  God  had  not  forced  me  to  see  with  my  own 
eyes,  and  to  touch  with  my  fingers,  their  unspeakable  corruptions. 

Though  I  remained,  for  some  time  longer,  a  sincere  Catholic 
priest,  I  dare  say  that  God  himself  had  just  broken  the  strongest 
tie  of  my  affections  and  respect  for  that  church. 

450 


P||PPilPPpiP!Wiil|WlfpJU^ 


mw\m 


MY    REASONS    FOR    LEAVING    THE   ORLATES. 


451 


It  is  true,  that  several  pillars  remained,  on  which  my  robust 
faith  in  the  holiness  anu  apostolicity  of  the  church  rested  for  a 
few  years  longer,  but  I  must  here  confess  to  the  glory  of  God, 
that  the  most  solid  of  these  pillars  had  forever  crumbled  to 
pieces,  when  in  the  monastery  of  Longueuil. 

Long  before  my  leaving  the  oblates,  many  influential  priests 
of  the  district  of  Montreal  had  told  me  that  my  only  chance  of 
success,  if  I  wanted  to  continue  my  crusade  against  the  demon 
of  drunkenness,  was  to  work  alone.  • 

"Those  monks  are  pretty  good  speakers  on  temperance," 
they  unanimously  said,  "  but  they  are  nothing  else  than  a  band 
of  comedians.  After  delivering  their  eloquent  tirades  against 
the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks,  to  the  people,  the  first  thing  they 
do  is  to  ask  for  a  bottle  of  wine,  which  soon  disappears !  What 
fruit  can  we  expect  from  the  preaching  of  men  who  do  not  be- 
lieve a  word  of  what  they  say,  and  who  are  the  first,  among 
themselves,  to  turn  their  own  arguments  into  ridicule?  It  is 
very  different  with  you ;  you  believe  what  you  say ;  you  are  con- 
sistent with  yourself;  your  hearers  feel  it;  your  profound,  scien- 
tific and  Christian  conviction  pass  into  them  with  an  irresistible 


or. 


pow 

"God  visibly  blesses  your  work  with  a  marvellous  success! 
Come  to  us,"  said  the  curates,  "  not  as  sent  by  the  superior  01  the 
oblates,  but  as  sent,  by  God  himself,  to  regenerate  Canada.  Pre- 
sent yourself  as  a  French  Canadian  priest;  a  child  of  the  people. 
That  jjeople  will  hear  you  with  more  pleasure,  and  follow  youv 
advice  with  more  perseverance." 

"  Let  them  know  and  feel  that  Canadian  blood  runs  in  your 
veins;  that  a  Canadian  heart  beats  in  your  breast;  continue  to  be, 
in  the  future,  what  you  have  been  in  the  past.  Let  the  senti- 
ments of  the  true  patriot  be  united  with  those  of  a  Catholic 
priest ;  and  when  you  address  the  people  of  Canada,  the  citadels 
of  Satan  will  crumble  everywhere  before  you  in  the  district  of 
Montreal,  as  they  have  done  in  that  of  Quebec." 

At  the  head  of  the  French  Canadian  curates,  who  thus  spoke, 
was  my  venerable  personal  friend  and  benefactor,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Brassard,  curate  of  Longueuil.     He  had  not  only  been  one  of 


. ■ \ — 


^T'P'if^f^Wl'PfP!*?^^^ 


45a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


my  most  devoted  friends  and  teachers,  when  I  was  studying  in 
the  college  of  Nicolet,  but  had  helped  me,  with  his  own  money, 
to  go  through  the  last  four  years  of  my  studies,  when  I  was  too 
poor  to  meet  my  collegiate  expenses.  No  one  had  thought  more 
highly  than  he  of  the  oblates  of  Mary  Immaculate,  when  they 
first  settled  in  Canada.  But  their  monastery  was  too  near  his 
parsonage  for  their  own  benefit.  His  sharp  eyes,  high  intelli- 
gence, and  integrity  of  character,  soon  detected  that  there  was 
more  false  varnish  than  pure  gold,  on  their  glittering  escutcheon. 
Several  love  scrapes  between  some  of  the  oblates  and  the  pretty 
young  ladies  of  his  parish,  and  the  long  hours  of  night  spent 
by  Father  AUard  with  the  nuns,  established  in  his  village,  under 
the  pretext  of  teaching  them  grammar  and  arithmetic,  had  filled 
him  with  disgust.  But  what  had  absolutely  destroyed  his  confi- 
dence, was  the  discovery  of  a  long  suspected  iniquity,  which  at 
first  seemed  incredible  to  him.  Father  Guigues,  the  superior,  after 
his  nomination,  but  before  his  installation  to  the  Bishopric  of 
Ottawa,  had  been  closely  watched,  and  at  last  discovered  opening 
the  letters  of  Mr.  Brassard,  which,  many  times,  had  passed  from 
the  post  office,  through  his  hands.  That  criminal  action  had 
come  very  near  to  being  brought  before  the  iegal  courts  by  Mr. 
Brassard;  this  was  avoided  only  by  Father  Guigues  acknowledg- 
ing his  guilt,  asking  pardon  in  the  most  humiliating  way,  before 
me  and  several  other  witnesses. 

Long  before  I  left  the  oblateH,  Mr.  Brassard  had  said  to  me: 
"The  oblates  are  not  the  men  you  think  them  to  he.  I  liave 
been  sorely  disappointed  in  them,  and  your  disappointment  will 
be  no  less  than  mine,  when  your  eyes  are  opened.  I  Wuow  that 
yc  i  will  not  remain  long  in  their  midst.  I  offer  you,  in  advance, 
the  hospitality  of  my  parsonage,  when  your  conscience  calls  you 
out  of  their  monaster^!" 

1  availed  myself  of  this  kind  invitation  on  the  eveninsj  of  the 
1st  of  November,  1847. 

The  nes  week  was  spent  in  preparing  the  memoir  which  I 
intended  to  j  esent  to  my  Lord  Bourget,  Bishop  of  Montreal,  as 
an  explanat  n  of  my  leaving  the  oblates.  I  knew  that  he  was 
disappointed  and  disple*    ^d  with  the  step  I  had  taken. 


^nmm^l^^^^!^§^i^mwm¥^m 


MY    REASONS    FOR    LEAVING    THE   OBLATES. 


453 


The  curate  of  Chambly,  Rev.  Mr.  Mignault,  having  gone 
to  the  bishop,  to  express  his  joy  that  I  had  left  the  monks,  in 
order  to  serve  again  the  church,  in  the  ranks  of  secular  clergy, 
had  been  very  badly  received.  The  bishop  had  answered  him: 
«'  Mr.  Chiniquy  may  leave  the  oblates  if  he  likes ;  but  he  will  be 
disappointed  if  he  expects  to  work  in  my  diocese.  I  do  not  want 
his  services." 

This  did  not  surprise  me.  I  knew  that  those  monks  had 
been  imported  by  him,  from  France,  and  that  they  were  pets  of 
his. 

When  I  entered  their  monastery,  just  eleven  months  before, 
he  was  just  starting  for  Rome,  and  expressed  to  me  the  pleasure 
he  felt  that  I  was  to  join  them. 

My  reasons,  however,  were  so  good,  and  the  memoir   I  was 


preparmj 


full  of   undoubted   facts,   and    unanswerable 


arguments,  that  I  was  pretty  sure,  not  only  to  appease  the  wrath 
of  my  bishop,  but  to  gain  his  esteem  more  firmly  than  before. 
I  was  not  disappointed  in  my  expectation. 

A  few  da^'s  later  I  called  upon  his  lordship  and  was  received 
very  coldly.  He  said :  "  I  cannot  conceal  from  you  my  surprise 
and  pain,  at  the  rash  step  you  have  just  taken.  What  a  shame, 
for  all  your  friends  to  see  your  want  of  consistency  and  perse- 
verance! Had  you  remained  among  those  good  monks,  your 
moral  strength  could  have  been  increased  more  than  ten-fold. 
But  you  have  stultified  yourself  in  the  eyes  of  the  people,  as 
well  as  in  mine ;  you  have  lost  the  confidence  of  your  best  friends, 
by  leaving,  without  good  reasons,  the  company  of  such  holy 
men.  Some  bad  rumors  are  already  afloat  ag.tinst  you,  which 
give  us  to  understand  that  you  are  an  unmanageable  man,  a  selfish 
priest,  whom  the  superiors  have  been  forced  to  turn  out  as  a  black 
sheep,  whose  presence  could  not  be  any  longer  tolerated  inside 
the  peaceful  walls  of  that  holy  monastery." 

Those  words  were  uttered  with  an  expression  of  bad  feeling 
which  told  me  that  I  had  not  heard  the  tenth  part  of  what  he 
had  in  his  heart.  However,  as  I  came  into  his  presence  prepared 
to  hear  all  kinds  of  bad  reports,  angry  reproaches,  and  hu- 
miliating  insinuations,    I    remained  perfectly  calm.     I   had,  in 


w^m^m^w^i'^Wmmmm 


454 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


advance,  resolved  to  hear  all  his  unfriendly,  insulting  remarks 
just  as  if  they  were  addressed  to  another  person,  a  perfect  stran- 
ger to  me.  The  last  three  days  had  been  spent  in  prayers  to 
obtain  that  favor.  My  God  had  evidently  heard  me;  for  the 
storm  passed  over  me,  without  exciting  the  least  unpleasant 
feelings  in  my  soul. 

I  answered :  "  My  lord.  Allow  me  to  tell  you  that,  in  tak- 
ing the  solemn  step  of  leaving  the  monastery  of  Longueuil,  I 
was  not  afraid  of  what  the  world  would  say,  or  think  of  me. 
My  only  desire  is  to  save  my  soul,  and  give  the  rest  of  my  life 
to  my  country  and  my  God,  in  a  more  efficacious  way  than  I 
have  yet  done.  The  rumors  which  seem  to  trouble  your  lord- 
ship about  my  supposed  expulsion  from  the  oblates,  do  not  affect 
me  in  the  least,  for  they  are  without  the  least  foundation.  From 
the  first  to  the  last  day  of  my  stJiy  in  that  monastery,  all  the 
inmates,  from  the  superior,  to  the  last  one,  have  overwhelmed 
me  with  the  most  sincere  marks  of  kindness  and  even  of  respect. 
If  you  had  seen  the  tears  which  were  shed  by  the  brothers,  when 
I  bade  them  adieu,  you  would  have  understood  that  I  never  had 
more  devoted  and  sincere  friends  than  the  members  of  that  reli- 
gious community.  Please  read  this  important  document,  and 
you  will  see  that  I  have  kept  my  good  name  during  my  stay  in 
that  monastery.  I  handed  him  the  follownig  testimonial  letter 
which  the  superior  had  given  me  when  I  left: 

"  I,  the  undersigned,  superior  of  the  noviciate  of  the  oblates  of  Marv 
Immaculate  at  Longueuil,  do  certify  that  the  conduct  of  Mr  Chiniquy, 
when  in  our  monastery,  has  been  worthy  of  the  sacred  character  which  he 
possesses,  and  after  this  year  of  solitude,  he  does  not  less  deserve  the  confi- 
dence of  his  brethren  in  the  holy  ministry  than  before.  We  wish,  more- 
over, to  give  our  testimony  of  his  persevering  zeal  in  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance. We  think  that  nothing  was  more  of  a  niUure  to  give  a  character  of 
stability  to  that  admirable  reform,  and  to  secure  its  perfect  success,  than  the 
profound  reflections  and  studies  of  Mr.  Chiniquv,  when  in  the  solitude 
of  Longueuil,  on  the  importance  of  that  work." 

T.  F.  Allard, 
Superior  of  the  Noviciate  O.  M.  I. 

Tt  was  really  most  pleasant  for  me  to  see  that  every  line  of 
that  document,  read  by  the  bishop,  was  blotting  out  some  of  the 
stern  and  unfriendly  lines  which  were  on  his  face,  when  speak- 


w',iPP«iW^''i,iiP'Wi!'Pili'*.Wip 


MY    REASONS    FOR    LEAVING    THE    OBLATES. 


455 


ing  to  me.  Nothing  was  more  amiable  than  his  manners,  when  he 
handed  it  back  to  me,  saying:  "  I  thank  God  to  see  that  you  are 
still  as  worthy  of  my  esteem  and  confidence,  as  when  you  entered 
that  monastery.  But  would  you  be  kind  enough  to  give  me  the 
real  reasons  why  you  have  so  abruptly  separated  from  the  oblates  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  I  will  give  them  to  you ;  but  your  lordship 
knows  that  there  are  things  of  such  a  delicate  nature,  that  the 
lips  of  man  shiver  and  rebel  when  required  to  utter  them.  Such 
are  some  of  the  deplorable  things  which  I  have  to  mention  to 
your  lordship.  I  have  put  those  reasons  in  these  pages,  which  I 
respectfully  request  your  lordship  to  read,"  and  I  handed  him 
the  Memoir^  about  thirty  pages  long,  which  I  had  prepared. 

The  bishop  read,  very  carefully,  five  or  six  pages,  and  said : 
«  Arc  you  positive  as  to  the  exactness  of  what  you  write  here  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord !  They  are  as  true  and  real  as  I  am  here." 

The  bishop  turned  pale  and  remained  a  few  minutes  silent, 
biting  his  lips,  and  after  a  deep  sigh,  said:  "Is  it  your  intention 
to  reveal  those  sad  mysteries  to  the  world  or  can  we  hope  that 
you  will  keep  that  secret?" 

"  My  lord,"  I  answered,  "  if  your  lordship  and  the  oblates 
deal  with  me,  as  I  hope  they  will  do,  as  with  an  honorable 
Catholic  priest;  if  I  am  kept  in  the  position  which  an  honest 
priest  has  a  right  to  fill  in  the  Church,  I  consider  myself  bound, 
in  conscience  and  honor,  to  keep  those  things  secret.  But,  if 
from  any  abuse,  persecutions  emanating  from  the  oblates,  or  any 
other  party,  I  am  obliged  to  give  to  the  world  the  true  reasons 
of  my  leaving  that  monastic  order,  your  lordship  understands 
that,  in  self-defence,  I  will  be  forced  to  make  these  revelations !" 

"  But  the  oblates  cannot  say  a  word,  or  do  anything  wrong 
against  you,"  promptly  answered  the  bishop,  "  after  the  honora- 
ble testimony  they  have  given  you." 

"  It  is  true,  my  lord,  that  I  have  no  reason  to  fear  anything 
from  the  oblates!"  I  answered:  "but  those  religious  men  are 
not  the  only  ones  who  might  force  me  to  defend  myself.  You 
know  another  who  has  my  future  destinies  in  his  hands.  You 
know  that  my  future  course  will  be  shaped  on  his  own  toward  me." 

With  an  amiable  smile  the  bishop  answered: 


456 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OP   ROME. 


**I  understand  you.  But  I  pledge  myself  that  you  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  that  quarter.  Though  I  frankly  tell  you 
that  I  would  have  preferred  seeing  you  work  as  a  member  of 
that  monastic  institution,  it  may  be  that  it  is  more  according  to 
the  will  of  God,  that  you  should  go  among  the  people,  as  sent 
by  God,  rather  than  by  a  superior,  who  might  be  your  inferior 
in  the  eyes  of  many,  in  that  glorious  temperance  of  which  you 
are  evidently  the  blessed  apostle  in  Canada.  I  am  glad  to  tell 
you  that  I  have  spoken  of  you  to  his  holiness,  and  he  requested 
me  to  give  you  a  precious  medal,  which  bears  his  most  perfect 
features,  with  a  splendid  crucifix.  His  holiness  has  graciously 
attached  300  days  indulgences  for  every  one  who  will  take  the 
pledge  of  temperance  in  kissing  the  feet  of  that  crucifix.  Wait 
a  moment,"  added  the  bishop,  "  I  will  go  and  get  them  and 
present  them  to  you." 

When  the  bishop  returned,  holding  in  his  hands  those  two 
infallible  tokens  of  tlie  kind  sentiments  of  the  Pope  towards  me, 
I  fell  on  my  knees  to  receive  them  and  press  them  both  to  my 
lips  with  the  utmost  respect.  My  feelings  of  joy  and  gratitude, 
in  that  happy  hour,  cannot  be  expressed.  I  remained  mute,  for 
some  time,  with  surprise  and  admiration,  when  holding  those 
precious  things  which  were  coming  to  me,  as  I  then  sincerely 
believed,  from  the  very  successor  of  Peter,  and  the  true  Vicar 
of  Christ  himself.  When  handing  me  those  sacred  gifts,  the 
bishop  addressed  me  the  kindest  words  which  a  bishop  can  utter 
to  his  priest,  or  a  father  to  his  beloved  son.  He  granted  me 
the  power  to  preach  and  hear  confessions  all  over  his  diocese, 
and  he  dismissed  me  only  after  having  put  his  hand  on  my  head 
and  asked  God  to  pour  upon  me  His  most  abundant  benedictions 
everywhere  I  should  go  to  work  in  the  holy  cause  of  temper- 
ance in  Canada. 


;;p^ppillippipRPiipp|(iii,ii  111  J  ii  j!  I II  I.  p  iuMi  .1 .:  I  m^f^mii^mmmm^ 


Chapter   XLIV. 


FBEFABATION8  FOB  THE  liAST  OOmXIOT-WISB  OOITNSBIi, 
TEABS  AND  DZSTBBSS  OB  BATHBB  MATHEW-ItONaUBOII. 
THB  FIBST  TO  AOCBFT  THB  OBBAT  BEFOBM  OF  TBKFBB- 
BNOB-THB  WHOI<E  DISTBIOT  OF  ICONTBBAL,  ST.  HTACIN- 
THB  AND  THBBB  BIVBBS  C0NOT7EBZD-TW0  HtTNDBBD 
THOTTSAKP  TBETOTALBBS-THE  CITT  OF  MONTBEAL  WITH 
THE  STTIiFICIANS  TAKE  THB  PI<EDaE-aOZiD  UEDAIr-OFFI. 
CIALLT  NAMED  APOSTLE  OF  TEMFEBANCB  OF  OANADA- 
OIFT  OF  600  F0T7NDS  FBOM  FABX<IAMENT. 


OUR  adorable  Saviour  said:  "  What  king,  going  to  make  war 
against  another  king,  sitteth  not  down  first,  and  consulteth 
whether  he  be  able,  with  ten  thousand,  to  meet  him  that  cometh 
against  him  with  twenty  thousand?"  (Luke  14:  31.)  To  follow 
that  advice,  how  often  had  I  fallen  on  my  knees  before  my  God, 
to"  implore  the  necessary  strength  and  wisdom  to  meet  that  terri- 
ble enemy  which  was  marching  against  me  and  my  brethren! 
Often  I  was  so  discouraged  by  the  sense  cf  my  personal  inca- 
pacity, that  I  came  near  fainting  and  flying  away  at  the  sight  of 
the  power  and  resources  of  the  foe !  But  the  dear  Saviour's  voice 
had  as  many  times  strengthened  me,  saying :  "  Fear  not,  I  am 
with  thee!"  He  seemcH  at  every  hour  to  whisper  in  my  ears: 
'  Cheer  up,  I  have  overcome  the  world !'  Trusting,  then,  in  my 
God,  alone^  for  victory,  I  nevertheless  understood  that  my  duty 
was  to  arm  myself  with  the  weapons  which  the  learned  and  the 
wise  men  of  the  past  ages  had  prepared.  I  again  studied  the 
best  works  written  on  the  subject  of  wine,  from  the  learned  nat- 
uralist, Pleny,  to  the  celebrated  Sir  Astley  Cooper.  I  not  only 
compiled  a  multitude  of  scientific  notes,  arguments,  and  facts  from 
these  books,  but  prepared  a  «  Manual  of  Temperance,**  which  ob- 
tained so  great  a  success,  for  such  a  small  country  as  Canada,  that 

4S7 


\m  i.ii  <f  Jf  9PI|pjfiiiiPRiffPf|«IJWU.ii!i.liff|P! 


458 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


|2>S;. 


It  went  through  four  editions  of  twenty-five  thousand  copies  in  less 
than  four  years.  But  my  best  source  of  information  and  wisdom 
was  from  letters  received  from  Father  Mathew,  and  my  person- 
al interviews  with  him,  when  he  visited  the  United  States. 

The  first  time  I  met  him,  in  Boston,  he  told  me  how  he 
regretted  his  having,  at  first,  too  much  relied  on  the  excitement 
and  enthusiasm  of  the  multitudes.  "Those  fits,"  he  said,  "pass 
away  as  quickly  as  the  clouds  of  the  storm ;  and  they,  too  often, 
leave  no  more  traces  of  their  passage.  Persevere  in  the  resolu- 
tion you  have  taken  in  the  beginning,  never  to  give  the  pledge, 
except  when  you  give  a  complete  course  of  lectures  on  the  dam- 
ning effects  of  intoxicating  drinks.  How  can  we  expect  that 
the  people  will  forever  give  up  beverages  which  they  honestly, 
though  ignorantly,  believe  to  be  beneficial  and  necessary  to  their 
body?  The  first  thing  we  do  we  must  demonstrate  to  them  that 
these  alcoholic  drinks  are  absolutely  destructive  of  their  temporal, 
as  well  as  of  their  eternal  life.  So  long  as  the  priest  and  the 
people  believe,  as  they  do  to-day,  that  rum,  brandy,  wine,  beer, 
and  cider  give  strength  to  help  man  to  keep  up  his  health  in  the 
midst  of  his  hard  labors ;  that  they  warm  his  blood  in  winter  and 
cool  it  in  the  summer;  all  our  efforts,  and  even  our  successes,  will 
be  like  the  burning  bundle  of  straw,  which  makes  a  bright  light, 
attracts  the  attention  for  a  moment,  and  leaves  nothing  but  smoke 
and  cinders. 

"  Hundreds  of  times  I  have  seen  my  Irish  countrymen  hon- 
estly t.iking  the  pledge  for  life;  but  before  a  week  bad  elapsed, 
they  had  obtained  a  release  from  their  priests,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  they  were  unable  to  earn  their  own  living  and  support 
their  families,  without  drinking  those  detestable  drugs.  Very 
few  priests  in  Ireland  have  taken  the  pledge,  and  still  fewer 
have  kept  it.  In  New  York,  only  two  Irish  priests  have  given 
up  their  intoxicating  glass,  and  the  very  next  week  I  met  both 
of  them  drunk!  Archbishop  Hughes  turned  my  humble  ef- 
forts into  ridicule,  before  his  priests,  in  my  own  presence,  and 
drank  a  glass  of  brandy  to  my  health  with  them  at  his  own 
table  to  mock  me.  And  here  in  BoE^ton  the  drinking  habits  of 
the  Bishop  and  his  priests  are  such,  that  I  have  been  forced, 


TT? 


i4^|JPIf||pji!N^ipi|.i 


TWO    HUNDUED    THOUSAND    TEETOTALERS. 


459 


through  self-respect,  to  quietly  withdraw  from  his  palace  and 
come  to  this  hotel.     This  bad  conduct  paralyses  and  kills  me." 

In  saying  these  last  words,  that  good  and  noble  man  burst 
into  a  fit  of  convulsive  sobs  and  tears;  his  breast  was  heaving  under 
his  vain  efforts  to  suppress  his  sighs.  He  concealed  his  face  in 
his  hands,  and  for  nearly  ten  minutes  he  could  not  utter  a  word. 

The  spectacle  of  the  desolation  of  a  man  whom  God  had 
raised  so  high,  and  so  much  blessed,  and  the  tears  of  one  who  had 
himself  dried  up  so  many  tears,  and  brought  so  much  joy,  peace 
and  comfort,  to  so  many  desolate  homes,  has  been  one  of  the 
most  solemn  lessons  my  God  ever  gave  me.  I  then  learned 
more  clearly  than  ever,  that  all  the  glory  of  the  world  is  Vani/yf 
and  that  one  of  the  greatest  acts  of  folly  is  to  rely,  for  happi- 
ness, on  the  praises  of  men,  and  the  success  of  our  own  labors.  For 
who  had  received  more  merited  praises,  and  who  had  seen  his 
own  labors  more  blessed  by  God  and  man,  than  Father  Ma- 
thcw,  whom  all  ages  will  call  "  The  Apostle  of  Temperance  of 
Ireland?" 

My  gratitude  to  Mr.  Brassard  caused  me  to  choose  his  parish, 
near  Montreal,  for  the  first  grand  battle-field  of  the  impending 
struggle  against  the  enemy  of  my  God  and  my  country ;  and  the 
first  week  of  Advent  determined  upon  for  the  opening  of  the 
campaign.  But  the  nearer  the  day  chosen  to  draw  the  sword 
against  the  modern  Goliah,  the  more  I  felt  the  solemnity  of  my 
position,  and  the  more  I  needed  the  help  of  Him  on  whom  alone 
we  can  trust  for  light  and  strcfngth. 

I  had  determined  never  to  lecture  on  temperance  in  any  place, 
without  having  previously  inquired,  from  the  most  reliable  sour- 
ces, about: 

1st.  The  number  of  deaths  and  accidents  caused  by  drunken- 
ness the  last  fifteen  or  twenty  years. 

2d.  The  number  of  orphans  and  widows  made  by  drunken- 
ness. 

3d.  The  number  of  rich  families  ruined,  and  the  number  of 
poor  families  made  poorer  by  the  same  cause. 

4th.  The  approximatQ,  sum  of  money  expended  by  the  people 
during  the  last  twenty  years. 


^^^i^. 
^~^.^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


J25 

■tt  iii2    122 
^   |±o    12.0 


1 

1 

||L25|U,j^ 

< 

6"     

^ 

PhotDgrd]iiic 

ScMices 

Corporalion 


33  WKT  MAIN  STRHT 

WnSTIR,N.Y.  MSM 

(71*)t72-4S03 


4^ 


^ 


4^ 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


As  the  result  of  my  inquiries,  I  learned  that  during  that  short 
period,  that  32  men  had  lost  their  lives  when  drunk ;  and  through 
their  drunkenness  25  widows  and  73  orphans  had  been  left  in  the 
lowest  degree  of  poverty!  72  rich  families  had  been  entirely 
ruined  and  turned  out  of  their  once  happy  homes  by  the  demon 
of  intemperance,  and  90  kept  poor.  More  than  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  ($300,000)  had  been  paid  in  cash,  without 
counting  the  loss  of  time,  for  the  intoxicating  beverages  drank 
by  the  people  of  Longueuil  during  the  last  twenty  years. 

For  three  days,  I  spoke  twice  a  day  to  crowded  houses.  My 
first  text  was :  "  Look  not  upon  the  wine  when  it  is  red,  when  it 
giveth  its  color  in  the  cup;  when  it  moveth  itself  aright.  At 
last,  it  biteth  like  a  serpent  and  stingethlike  an  adder  (Prov.  33: 

31.32). 

The  first  day  I  showed  how  alcoholic  beverages  were  biting 
like  a  serpent  and  stinging  like  an  adder,  by  destroying  the  lungs, 
the  brains,  and  the  liver;  the  nerves  and  the  muscles;  the  blood 
and  the  very  life  of  man. 

The  second  day  1  proved  that  intoxicating  drinks  were  the 
most  implacable  and  cruel  enemies  of  the  fathers,  the  mothers, 
the  children;  of  the  young  and  the  old;  of  the  rich  and  the  poor; 
of  the  farmers,  the  merchants  and  the  mechanics ;  the  parish  and 
the  country. 

The  third  day  I  proved,  clearly,  that  those  intoxicating  liquors 
were  the  enemy  of  the  intelligence,  and  the  soul  of  man;  the 
gospel  of  Christ  and  of  His  holy  church;  the  enemy  of  all  the 
rights  of  man  and  the  laws  of  God. 

My  conclusion  was,  that  we  were  all  bound  to  raise  our  hands 
against  that  gigantic  and  implacable  foe,  whose  arm  was  raised 
against  every  one  of  us.  I  presented  the  thrilling  tableau  of  our 
friends,  near  and  dear  relations,  and  neighbors,  fallen  and  destroyed 
around  us;  the  thousands  of  orphans  and  widows,  whose  fathers 
and  husbands  had  been  slaughtered  by  strong  drink.  I  brought 
before  their  minds  the  true  picture  of  the  starving  children,  the 
destitute  widows  and  mothers,  whose  life  had  to  be  spent  in  tears, 
ignominy,  desolation  and  unspeakable  miseries,  from  the  daily 
use  of  strong  drink.     I  was  not  half  through  my  address  when 


fPTf' 


^V 


w^m 


TWO  HUNDRED  THOUSAND  TEETOTALERS. 


461 


tears  flowed  from  every  eye.  The  cries  and  sobs  so  much 
drowned  my  voice,  that  I  had  several  times  to  stop  speaking  for 
a  few  minutes. 

Then  holding  the  crucifix,  blessed  and  given  to  me  by  the 
Pope,  I  showed  what  Christ  had  suffered  on  the  cross  for  sins 
engendered  by  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks.  And  I  requested 
them  to  listen  to  the  voices  of  the  thousands  of  desolate  orphans, 
widows,  wives  and  mothers,  coming  from  every  corner  of  the 
land ;  the  voices  of  their  priests  and  their  church ;  the  voices  of 
the  angels,  the  Virgin  Mary  and  the  saints  in  heaven;  the  voice 
of  Jesus  Ch'"ist  their  Savior,  calling  them  to  put  an  end  to  the 
deluge  of  evils  and  unspeakable  iniquities  caused  by  the  use  of 
those  cursed  drinks ;  "  for,"  said  I,  "  those  liquors  are  cursed  by 
millions  of  mothers  and  children,  widows  and  orphans,  who  owe 
to  them  a  life  of  shame,  tears,  and  untold  desolation.  They  are 
cursed  by  the  Virgin  Mary  and  the  angels  who  are  the  daily 
witnesses  of  the  iniquities  with  which  they  deluge  the  world. 

«*  They  are  cursed  by  the  millions  of  souls  which  they  have 
plunged  into  eternal  misery. 

♦*  They  are  cursed  by  Jesus  Christ,  from  whose  hands  they 
have  wrenched  untold  millions  of  souls,  for  whom  he  died  on 
Calvary." 

Every  one  of  those  truths,  incontrovertible  for  Roman  Cath- 
olics, were  falling  with  irresistible  power  on  that  multitude  of 
people.  The  distress  and  consternation  were  so  profound  and 
universal,  that  they  reacted,  at  last,  on  the  poor  speaker,  who 
several  times  could  not  express  what  he  himself  felt  except  with 
his  tears  and  his  sobs. 

When  I  hoped  that,  by  the  great  mercy  of  God,  all  resist- 
ances were  subdued,  the  obstacles  removed,  the  intelligences  en- 
lightened, the  wills  conquered,  I  closed  the  address,  which  had 
lasted  more  than  two  hours,  by  an  ardent  prayer  to  God,  to  grant 
us  the  gi"ace  to  give  up  forever  the  use  of  those  cursed  poisons, 
and  I  requested  every  one  to  repeat  with  me,  in  their  hearts,  the 
solemn  pledge  of  temperance  in  the  following  words: 

«» Adorable  and  dear  Savior,  Jesus  Christ,  who  died  on  the 
cross  to  take  away  my  sins  and  save  my  guilty  soul,  for  thy  glory, 


ipiy^iiiipiijiiw^  - . 


462 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


the  good  of  my  brethren  and  of  my  country,  as  well  as  for  my 
own  good,  I  promise,  with  thy  help,  never  to  drink,  nor  to  give 
to  anybody  any  intoxicating  beverages;  except  when  ordered  by 
an  honest  physician." 

Our  merciful  God  had  visibly  blessed  the  work  and  his  un- 
profitable servant.  The  success  was  above  our  sanguine 
expectations.  Two  thousand  three  hundred  citizens  of  Long- 
ueuil  enrolled  under  the  banners  of  temperance.  Instead  of 
inviting  them  to  sign  any  written  pledge,  I  asked  them  to  come 
to  the  foot  of  the  altar  and  kiss  the  crucifix  I  was  holding,  as 
the  public  and  solemn  pledge  of  their  engagement. 

The  first  thing  done  by  the  majority  of  the  intelligent  far- 
mers of  Longueuil,  on  the  return  from  the  church,  was  to  break 
their  decanters  and  their  barrels,  and  spill  the  last  drop  of  the 
accursed  drink  on  the  ground. 

Seven  days  later,  there  were  eighty  requests  in  my  hands  to 
go  and  show  the  ravages  of  alcholic  liquors  to  many  other  par- 
ishes. 

Boucherville,  Chambly,  Varennes,  St.  Hyacinthe,  &c..  Three 
Rivers,  the  great  city  of  Montreal,  with  all  the  priests  of  St. 
Sulpice,  the  parishes  along  the  Chambly  river,  Laprairie, 
Lachine.  In  a  word,  the  vast  diocese  of  Montreal,  Three  Rivers 
and  St.  Hyacinthe,  one  after  the  other,  raised  the  war  cry 
against  the  usages  of  intoxicating  drinks,  with  a  unamity  and 
determination  which  seemed  to  be  more  miraculous  than  na- 
tural. 

During  the  four  years,  I  gave  1,800  public  addresses,  in  200 
parishes,  with  the  same  fruits,  and  enrolled  more  than  200,000 
people  under  the  banners  of  temperance.  Everywhere,  the 
taverns,  the  distilleries  and  breweries  were  shut,  and  their  owners 
forced  to  take  other  trades  to  make  a  living;  not  on  account  of 
any  stringent  law,  but  by  the  simple  fact  that  the  whole  peo- 
ple had  ceased  drinking  their  beverages,  after  having  been  fully 
persuaded  that  they  were  injurious  to  their  bodies,  opposed  to 
their  happiness,  and  ruinous  to  their  souls. 

The  convictions  were  so  unanimous  and  strong  on  that  sub- 
ject, that,  in  many  places,  the  last  evening  I  spent  in  their  midst, 


•<'iu4ii^u^. 


mmmm^. 


¥?i^m^^if^^fwww^ 


TWO  HUNDRED  THOUSAND  TEETOTALERS. 


4^3 


the  merchants  used  to  take  all  their  barrels  of  rum,  beer,  wine 
and  brandy  to  the  public  squares,  make  a  pyramid  of  them,  to 
which  I  was  invited  to  set  fire.  The  whole  population,  attrac- 
ted by  the  novelty  and  sublimity  of  that  spectacle,  would 
then  fill  the  air  with  their  cries  and  shouts  of  joy.  When 
the  husbands  and  wives,  the  parents  and  children  of  t\vj 
redeemed  drunkards  rent  the  air  with  their  cries  of  joy  at  the 
destruction  of  their  enemy,  and  the  fire  was  in  full  blaze,  one  of 
the  merchants  would  give  me  an  ax  to  stave  in  the  last  barrel 
of  rum.  After  the  last  drop  was  emptied,  I  usually  stood  on  it  to 
address  some  parting  words  to  the  people. 

Such  a  spectable  baflfles  any  description.  The  brilliant  lights 
of  the  pine  and  cedar  trees,  mixed  with  all  kinds  of  inflammable 
materials  which  every  one  had  been  invited  to  bring,  changed 
the  darkest  hour  of  that  night  into  the  brightest  of  days.  The 
flames,  fed  by  the  fiery  liquids,  shot  forth  their  tongues  of  fire 
towards  Heaven,  as  if  to  praise  their  great  God,  whose  merciful 
hand  had  brought  the  marvellous  reformation  we  were  celebra- 
ting. The  thousand  faces,  illuminated  by  the  blaze,  beamed 
with  joy.  The  noise  of  the  cracking  barrels,  mixed  with  that 
of  a  raging  fire;  the  cries  and  shouts  of  that  multitude,  with 
the  singing  of  the  Te  Deum,  formed  a  harmony  which  filled 
every  soul  with  sentiments  of  unspeakable  happiness.  But 
where  shall  I  find  words  to  express  my  feelings,  when  I  had 
finished  speaking!  The  mothers  and  wives  to  whom  our  blessed 
temperance  had  given  back  a  loving  husband  and  some  dear 
children,  were  crowding  around  me  with  their  families  and  re- 
deemed ones,  to  thank  me,  press  my  hands  to  their  lips,  and 
water  them  with  their  grateful  tears. 

The  only  thing  which  marred  that  joy  were  the  exaggerated 
honors  and  unmerited  praises  with  which  I  was  really  over- 
whelmed. 

I  was,  at  first,  forced  to  receive  an  ovation  from  the  curates 
and  people  of  Longueuil,  and  the  surrounding  parishes,  when 
they  presented  to  me  my  portrait,  painted  by  the  artist  Hximel, 
which  filled  me  with  confusion,  for  I  felt  so  keenly  that  I  did 
not  deserve  such  honors  I  *    But  it  was  still  worse  at  the  end  of 


464 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROMB. 


May,  1849.  Judge  Mondelet  was  deputed  by  the  bishop  and 
the  priests  and  the  city  of  Montreal,  accompanied  by  15,000 
people,  to  present  me  with  a  gold  medal,  and  a  gift  of  $400. 

But  the  greatest  lurprise  my  God  had  in  store  for  me,  was 
kept  for  the  end  of  J  me  1850.  At  that  time,  I  was  deputed  by 
40,000  tetotalers,  to  piesent  a  petition  to  the  Parliament  of  Tor- 
onto, in  order  to  make  the  rumsellers  responsible  for  the  rava- 
ges caused  to  the  families  of  the  poor  drunkards  to  whom  they 
had  sold  their  poisonous  drugs.  The  House  of  Commons  having 
kindly  appointed  a  committee  of  ten  members  to  help  me  to 
frame  that  bill,  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  have  it  pass  through  the 
three  branches.  I  was  present  when  they  discussed  and  accepted 
that  bill.  Nopoleon  was  not  more  happy  after  he  had  won  the 
battle  of  Austerlitz,  than  I  was  when  I  heard  that  my  pet  bill 
had  become  law,  and  that  hereafter,  the  innocent  victims  of  the 
drunken  father  or  husband  would  receive  an  indemnity  from  the 
landsharks  who  were  fattening  on  their  poverty  and  unspeaka- 
ble miseries. 

But  what  was  my  surprise  and  consternation,  when,  immedi- 
ately after  the  passing  of  that  bill,  the  Hon.  Dewitt  rose  and 
proposed  that  a  public  expression  of  gratitude  should  be  given 
me  by  Parliament,  under  the  form  of  a  large  pecuniary  gift! 

His  speech  seemed  to  me  filled  with  such  exaggerated 
eulogiums,  that  I  would  have  been  tempted  to  think  if  was 
mockery,  had  I  not  known  that  the  Protestant  gentleman  was  one 
of  my  most  sincere  friends.  He  was  followed  by  the  Hon- 
orables  Baldwin  and  Lafontaine,  Prime  Ministers  at  the  time, 
and  half  a  dozen  other  members,  who  went  still  further  into 
what  I  so  justly  consider  the  regions  of  exaggeration. 

It  seemed  to  me  bordering  on  blasphemy  to  attribute  to 
Chiniquy,  a  reformation  which  was  so  clearly  the  work  of  my 
merciful  God. 

The  speeches  on  that  subject  lasted  two  hours,  and  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  unanimous  vote  to  present  me  with  JC500,  as  a  pub- 
lic testimony  of  the  gratitude  of  the  people  for  my  labors  in  the 
temperance  reform  of  Canada.  Previous  to  that,  the  bishops 
of  Quebec  and  Montreal  had  given  me  tokens  of  their  esteem 


TWO  HUNDRED  THOUSAND  TEBTOTALBRS 


465 


was 


3  rava- 


I  ere  fol- 
a  pub- 

rs  in  the 

I  bishops 

esteem 


which,  though    unmerited,    had   been  better    appreciated    by 

me. 

When  in  May,  1850,  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec,  my  Lord 
Turgeon,  sevr  the  Rev.  Charles  Baillargeon,  curate  of  Quebec, 
to  Rome,  to  become  his  successor,  he  advised  him  to  come  to 
Longueuil  and  get  a  letter  from  me,  which  he  might  present 
to  the  Pope,  with  a  volume  of  my  "  Temperance  Manual."  I 
complied  with  his  request,  and  wrote  to  the  Pope.  Some  months 
later,  I  received  the  following  lines: 

RoMB,  Aug.  loth,  1850. 
Rev.  Mr.  Chiniquy: 

Sir  and  Dear  Friend* — Monday  the  12th,  was  the  first  opportunity 
given  me  to  have  a  private  audience  with  the  Sovereign  Pontiff.  I  presented 
him  your  book,  with  your  letter,  which  he  received,  I  will  not  say  with 
that  goodness  which  is  so  eminently  characteristic  of  him,  but  with  all 
special  marks  of  satisfaction  and  approbation,  while  charging  me  to  state 
to  you  that  he  accords  his  apostoli<;  benediction  to  you  and  to  the  holy  work 
of  temperance  you  preach.  I  consider  myself  happy  to  have  had  to  offer 
on  your  behalf,  to  the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  a  book  which,  after  it  had  done 
80  much  good  to  my  countrymen,  had  been  able  to  draw  from  his  venerable 
lips,  such  solemn  words  of  approbation  of  the  temperance  society  and  of 
blessings  on  those  who  are  its  apostles;  and  it  is  also,  for  my  heart,  a  very 
sweet  pleasure  to  transmit  them  to  you. 

Your  Friend 

Charles  Baillargeon, 
Priest. 

A  short  time  before  I  received  that  letter  from  Rome,  my 
Lord  Bourget,  Bishopof  Montreal,  had  officially  given  me  the 
title  of  "  Apostle  of  Temperance;"  in  the  following  documents, 
which,  on  account  of  their  importance,  the  readers  will  probably 
like  to  have  in  its  original  latin. 

« IGNATIUS  BOURGET,  Miseratione  Divina  et  Stje.  Sedis  Apos- 
TOLicA.  Gratia,  Episcopus  Marianopolitanbnsis,  etc,  etc., 

ETC." 

"  Universis  prtesentes  Htteras  inspecturis,  notum  facimus  et  attestamur 
Venerabilem  Carolum  Chiniquy,  Temperantise  Apostolum,  Nostras  Dio- 
ccecis  Sacerdotem,  Nobis  optime  notum  esse,  exploratumque  habere  ilium 
vltam  laudabilem  et  professione  Ecclesiastica  consonam  agere,  nullisque 
ecclesiasticis  censtvis,  saltern  qus  ad  nostram  devenerunt  Notitiam  innoda- 
turn;  qua  propter,  per  viscera  Miaericovdise  Dei  Nostri,  obsecramus  omnes 


ppui.  ,1  Mipypiii JW|||i||||||||pp||^^ 


466 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


et  Singrulos  Archieplscopos,  Eplscopos,  coeteras  que  Ecclesis  dignitates  ad 
quos  ipsum  declinare  contingerit,  ut  eum,  pro  Christl  Amnre,  benigne  trac- 
tate dignentur,  et  quando  cumque  ab  eo  fuerint  requisiti,  Sacrum  Misss 
Sacrificium  Ipsi  celebrare,  nee  non  alia  murtia  Ecrlesiastica,  ei  pietatis  opera 
exercere  permittant,  paratos  nos  ad  similia  et  majora  exhibentes:  In 
quorum  (idem,  praesentes  Htteras  signo  sigilloque  nostris,  ac  Secretarii 
EpUcopatus  nostri  subscriptione  communitas  expediri  mandavimus  Mar- 
ianopoli,  in  CEdibus  Nostris  Beati  Jacobi,  anno  mlllesimo  quinquagesimo. 
Die  vero  mensis  Junii  Sexta  " 

"^  IG.  Epus.  Marianopolitanensis." 
"J.  O.  PARE,  Can.  Sbcrius." 

Translation. 
IGNATIUS  BOURGET,  by  the  Divine  Mercy  and  Grace  of  the 
Holy  Apostolic  See,  Bishop  op  Montreal. 
To  all  who  would  inspect  the  present  letters,  we  make  known  and 
certify  that  the  venerable  Charles  Chiniquy,  "  Apostle  of  Temperance," 
Priest  of  our  Diocese,  is  very  well  known  to  us,  and  we  regard  him  as 
proved,  to  lead  a  praiseworthy  life,  and  one  agreable  to  his  ecclesiastical 
profession.  Through  the  tender  mercies  ftf  our  God,  he  is  under  no  ec- 
clesiastical censures,  at  least,  which  have  come  to  our  knowledge. 

We  entreat  each  and  all.  Archbishop,  Bishop  and  other  dignitaries 
of  the  church,  to  whom  it  may  happen  that  he  may  go,  that  they,  for 
the  love  of  Christ,  entertain  him  kindly  and  courteously,  and  as  often  as 
they  may  be  asked  by  him,  permit  him  to  celebrate  the  hbly  sacrifice  of  the 
mass,  and  exercise  other  ecclesiastical  privileges  of  piety.  Being  ourselves 
ready  to  grant  him  these  and  other  greater  privileges.  In  proof  of  this  we 
have  ordered  the  present  letters  te  be  prepared  under  our  sign  and  seal,  and 
with  subscription  of  our  secretary,  in  our  palace  of  the  blessed  James,  in  the 
year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty,  on  the  sixth  day  of  the  month 
of  June. 

^IGNATIUS.    Bishop  of  Marianopolis. 

By  order  of  the  most  illustrious  and  most  Reverend  Bishops  of  Mar- 
ianopolis,  D.  D. 

J.  O.  Pare,  Canon, 

Secretary. 

No  words  from  my  pen  can  give  an  idea  of  tlie  distress  and 
shame  I  felt  when  these  unmerited  praises  and  public  honors  began 
to  flow  upon  me.  For,  when  the  siren  voice  of  my  natural  pride 
was  near  to  deceive  me,  there  was  the  noise  of  a  sudden  storm 
in  my  conscience,  crying  with  a  louder  voice:  "Chiniquy,  thou 
art  a  sinner,  unworthy  of  such  praises  and  honors." 

This  conflict  made  me  very  miserable.  I  said  to  myself,  ^  Are 


ppppjPPliwvp^Piri^ 


TWO   HUNDRED   THOUSAND   TEETOTALERS. 


467 


those  great  successes  due  to  my  merits,  my  virtues  and  my  elo- 
quence? No!  Surely  No!  They  are  due  to  the  great  mercy 
of  God  for  my  dear  country.  Will  I  not  forever  be  put  to  shame 
if  I  consent  to  these  flattering  voices  which  come  to  me  from 
morning  till  night,  to  make  me  forget  that  to  my  God  alone,  and 
not  to  me,  must  be  given  the  praise  and  glory  of  that  marvellous 
reform  ?" 

These  praises  were  coming  every  day,  thicker  and  thicker, 
through  the  thousand  trumpets  of  the  press,  as  well  as  through 
the  addresses  daily  presented  me  from  the  places  which  had 
been  so  thoroughly  reformed. 

Those  unmerited  honors  were  bestowed  on  me  by  multi- 
tudes who  came  in  carriages  and  on  horseback,  bearing  flags, 
with  bands  of  music,  to  receive  mc  on  the  borders  of  their  par- 
ishes, where  the  last  parishes  had  just  brought  me  with  the  same 
kind  of  ovations. 

Sometimes,  the  roads  were  lined  on  both  sides,  by  thousands 
and  thousands  of  maple,  pine  or  spruce  trees,  which  they  had 
carried  from  distant  forests,  m  spite  of  all  my  protests. 

How  many  times  the  curates,  who  were  sitting  by  me  in  the 
best  carriages,  drawn  by  the  most  splendid  horses,  asked  me: 
"  Why  do  you  look  so  sad,  when  you  see  all  these  faces  beaming 
with  joy  ?"  I  answered,  "  I  am  sad,  because  these  unmerited 
honors  these  good  people  do  me,  seem  to  be  the  shortest  way  the 
Devil  has  found  to  destroy  me." 

"  But  the  reform  you  ha\  c  brought  about  is  so  admirable  and 
so  complete — the  good  which  is  done  to  the  individuals,  as  well 
as  to  the  whole  country,  is  so  great  and  universal,  that  the  people 
want  to  show  you  their  gratitude." 

"  Do  you  know,  my  dear  friends,"  I  answered,  "  that  that 
marvellous  change  is  too  great  to  be  the  work  of  man?     Is  it 
not  evidently  the  work  of  God?     To  Him,  and  Him  alone,  then 
we  ought  to  give  the  praise  and  the  glory  " 

My  constant  hax)it,  after  these  days  of  ovation,  was  to  pass  a 
part  of  the  night  in  prayer  to  God,  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  to 
all  the  saints  in  heaven,  to  prevent  me  from  being  hurt  by  these 
worldly  honors.     It  was  my  custom  then  to  read  the  passion  of 


mmmmmmmm 


ppppnp 


468 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CliUUCH   OF   ROME. 


Jesus  Christ,  from  his  triumphant  entry  into  Jesusalem  to  his 
death  on  the  cross,  in  order  to  prevent  this  shining  dust  from  ad< 
hering  to  my  soul.  There  was  a  verse  of  the  gospel  which  I 
used  to  repeat  very  often  in  the  midst  of  those  exhibitions  of  the 
vanities  of  this  world :  « What  is  a  man  profited  if  he  should 
gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?"  (Matt.  16:  26). 

Another  source  of  serious  anxiety  for  me,  was  then  coming 
from  the  large  sums  of  money  constantly  flowing  from  the  hands 
of  my  too  kind  and  grateful  reformed  countrymen  into  mine. 

It  was  very  seldom  that  the  public  expression  of  gratitude 
presented  me  in  their  rhetorical  addresses  were  not  accompanied 
by  a  gift  of  from  $50  to  $200,  according  to  the  means  and  im< 
portance  of  the  place.  Those  sums  multiplied  by  the  365  days 
of  the  year  would  have  soon  made  of  me  one  of  the  richest  men 
of  Canada. 

Had  I  been  able  to  trust  in  my  own  strength  against  the 
dangers  of  riches,  I  should  have  been  able,  easily,  to  accumulate 
a  sum  of  at  least  $70,000,  with  which  I  might  have  done  a  great 
amount  of  good. 

But  I  confess  that,  when  in  the  presence  of  God,  I  went  to 
the  bottom  of  my  heart,  to  see  if  it  were  strong  enough  to  carry 
such  a  glittering  weight,  I  found  it,  by  far,  too  weak.  I  knew 
so  many  who,  though  evidently  stronger  than  I  was,  had  fallen 
on  the  way  and  perished  under  too  heavy  burden  of  their  treas- 
ures, that  I  feared  for  myself  at  the  sight  of  such  unexpected 
and  immense  fortune.  Besides,  when  only  18  years  old,  my  ven- 
erable and  dear  benefactor,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Leprohon,  director  of 
the  College  of  Nicolet,  had  told  me  a  thing  I  never  had  forgot- 
ten: «  Chiniquy,"  he  said,  *'  I  am  sure  you  will  be  what  we  call 
a  successful  man  in  the  world.  You  will  easily  make  your  way 
among  your  contemporaries;  and,  consequently,  it  is  probable 
that  you  will  have  many  opportunities  of  becoming  rich.  But 
when  the  silver  and  gold  flow  into  your  hands,  do  not  pile  and 
keep  it.  For,  if  you  set  your  affections  on  it,  you  will  be  miser- 
able in  this  world  and  damned  in  the  next.  You  must  not  do 
like  the  fattened  hogs  which  give  their  grease  only  after  their 
death.     Give  it  while  you  are  living.     Then  you  will  not  be 


-mm^^^ 


TWO  HUNDRBD  THOUSAND  TBBTOTALBRS. 


469 


blessed  only  by  God  and  man,  but  you  will  be  blessed  by  your 
own  conscience.     You  will  live  in  peace  and  die  in  joy.'* 

These  solemn  warnings  from  one  of  the  wisest  and  best 
friends  God  had  ever  given  me,  when  young,  has  never  gone  out 
of  my  mind.  I  found  them  corroborated  in  every  page  of  that 
Bible  which  I  loved  so  much,  and  studied  every  d<ty.  I  found 
them  also  written,  by  God,  in  my  heart.  I  then,  on  my  knees, 
took  the  resolution,  without  making  an  absolute  vow  of  it,  to 
keep  only  what  I  \ /anted  for  my  daily  support  and  give  the  rest 
to  the  poor,  or  some  Christian  or  patriotic  object.  I  kept  my 
promise.  The  X500  given  me  by  Parliament  did  not  remain 
three  weeks  in  my  hands.  I  never  put  a  cent  in  Canada  in  the 
vaults  of  any  bank ;  and  when  I  left  for  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of 
I851,  instead  of  taking  with  me  $70,000,  as  it  would  have  been 
very  easy,  had  I  been  so  minded,  I  had  hardly  $1,500  in  hand, 
the  price  of  a  part  of  my  library,  which  was  too  heavy  to  be 
carriea  so  far  away. 


.'flrWRfWr' 


'.mnfmmm  ij.iiiiiiin||i|i|piii.  1 1. 1 juiifpiii^ii 


TTTP 


Chapter  XLV. 


BBBXON  ON  THS  YIBOZN  XCABT-OOMFZiZmirTS  OV  BISHOP 
TBZNOX-BTOBMT  NXaHT-KT  FXB8T  8BBXOU8  DOUBTS 
ABOUT  THB  CHUBOH  OV  BOKB-PAINTUI«  DISCUSSION  WITH 
THB  BISHOP  -THB  HOLV  7ATHBBS  OPPOSBD  TO  THB  HOD. 
BBN  WOBSHIP  OF  THB  VIBOIN-THB  BBANOHBS  OF  THB 
VINB. 


THE  15th  of  August,  1850,  I  preached  in  the  Cathedral  of 
Montreal,  on  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary's  power  in  heaven, 
when  interceding  for  sinners.  I  was  sincerely  devoted  to  the 
Virgin  Mary.  Nothing  seemed  to  me  more  natural  than  to 
pray  to  her,  and  rely  on  her  protection.  The  object  of  my  ser- 
mon was  to  show  that  Jesus  Chr>ist  cannot  refuse  any  of  the 
petitions  presented  to  him  by  his  mother;  that  she  has  always 
obtained  the  favors  she  asked  her  Son,  Jesus,  to  grant  to  her 
devotees.  Of  course,  my  address  was  more  sentimental  than 
scriptural,  as  it  is  the  style  among  the  priests  of  Rome.  But  I 
was  honest;  and  I  sincerely  believed  what  I  said. 

*«  Who  among  you,  my  dear  brethren,"  I  said  to  the  people, 
will  refuse  any  of  the  reasonable  demands  of  a  beloved  mother? 
Who  will  break  and  sadden  her  loving  heart  when,  with  suppli- 
cating voice  and  tears,  she  presents  to  you  a  petition  which  it  is 
in  your  power,  nay,  to  your  interests,  to  grant  ?  For  my  own 
part,  were  my  beloved  mother  still  living,  I  would  prefer  to 
have  r  y  right  hand  crushed  and  burned  into  cinders,  to  have  my 
tongue  cut,  than  to  say.  No  I  to  my  mother,  asking  me  any  favor 
which  it  was  in  my  power  to  bestow. 

«*  These  are  the  sentiments  which  the  God  of  Sinai  wanted 
to  engrave  in  the  very  hearts  of  humanity,  when  giving  his  laws 
to  Moses,  in  the  midst  of  lightning  and  thunders,  and  these  are 
the  sentiments  which  the  God  of  the  Gosjyl  wanted  to  impress 

470  f 


'T!*^»iiirar 


•^^ffiffjf*' 


^m 


MY   SERMON    ON    THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 


471 


on  our  souls  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood  on  Calvary.  These 
sentiments  of  filial  respect  and  obedience  to  our  mothers,  Christ 
Jesus,  the  Son  of  God  and  Son  of  Mary,  practiced  to  perfection. 
Although  God  and  man,  he  was  still  in  perfect  submission  to 
the  will  of  his  mother,  of  which  he  makes  a  law  to  each  of  us. 

"  The  Gospel  says,  in  reference  to  his  parents,  Joseph  and 
Mary,  'He  was  subject  unto  them.'  (Luke  2  :5i.)  What  a 
grand  and  shining  revelation  we  have  in  these  few  short  words: 
<  Jesus  was  subject  unto  Mary  I  *  Is  it  not  written  in  the  same 
Gospel,  that  *  Jesus  is  the  same  to-day,  as  he  was  yesterday,  and 
will  be  forever?'  He  has  not  changed.  He  is  still  the  Son  of 
Mary,  as  be  was  when  only  twelve  years  old.  In  his  divine 
humanity,  he  is  still  subject  unto  Mary,  as  he  was  thon. 

"  This  is  why  our  holy  Church,  which  is  the  pillar  luiii  foun- 
tain of  Truth,  invites  you  and  me,  to-day,  to  put  an  unbunnded 
confidence  in  her  intercession.  Remembering  that  Jesus  has 
always  granted  the  petitions  presented  to  him  h  '  his  divine 
mother,  let  us  put  our  petitions  in  her  hands,  if  we  want  <^^o  re- 
ceive the  favors  we  are  in  need  of. 

"  The  second  reason  why  we  must  all  go  to  Mary,  for  the 
favors  we  want  from  heaven,  is  that  we  are  sinners — reb-^ls  in 
the  sight  of  God.  Jesus  Christ  is  our  Saviour.  Yes!  but  he  is 
also  our  God,  infinitely  just,  infinitely  holy.  He  hates  our  sins 
with  an  infinite  hatred.  He  abhors  our  rebellions  with  an  infin- 
ite, a  godly  hatred.  If  we  had  loved  and  served  him  faithfully 
we  might  go  to  him,  not  only  with  the  hope,  but  with  the  assur- 
ance of  being  welcomed.  But  we  have  forgotten  and  offended 
Him;  we  have  trampled  His  blood  under  our  feet;  we  have  joined 
with  those  who  nailed  Him  on  the  cross,  pierced  His  heart  with 
the  lance,  and  shed  His  blood  to  the  lastdf-op.  We  belong  to  the 
crowd  which  mocked  at  His  tortures,  and  insulted  Him  at  His 
death.  Homt  can  we  dare  to  look  at  Him  and  meet  His  eyes? 
Must  we  not  tremble  in  His  presence?  Must  we  not  fear 
before  that  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  whom  we  have  wounded 
and  nailed  to  the  cross  ?  ' 

"  Where  is  the  rebel  who  does  not  shiver,  when  he  is  dragged 
to  the  feet  of  the  mighty  Prince  against  whom  he  has  drawn  the 


472 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


sword?  What  w'dl  he  do  if  he  wants  to  obtain  pardon?  Will 
he  go  himself  and  speak  to  that  offended  Majesty?  No!  But 
he  looks  around  the  throne  to  see  if  he  can  find  some  of  the 
great  officers,  and  friends,  or  some  powerful  and  influential  per- 
son through  whose  intercession  he  can  obtain  pardon.  If  he 
finds  any  such,  he  goes  immediately  to  him,  puts  his  petitions  into 
their  hands,  and  they  go  to  the  foot  of  the  throne  to  plead  for 
the  rebel,  and  the  favor  which  would  have  been  indignantly 
refused  to  the  guilty  subject,  had  he  dared  to  speak  himself,  is 
granted,  when  it  is  asked  by  a  faithful  officer,  a  kind  friend,  a 
dear  sister,  or  a  beloved  mother. 

"  This  is  why  our  holy  church,  speaking  through  her  infallible 
supreme  pontiff,  the  Vicar  of  Christ,  Gregory  XVI.,  has  told  us,  in 
the  most  solemn  manner,  that  *  Mary  is  the  only  hope  of  sinners.' 

Winding  up  my  arguments,  I  added :  *'  We  are  those  insolent 
ungrateful  rebels.  Jesus  is  that  King  of  Kings  against  whom 
we  have,  a  thousand  times,  risen  in  rebellion.  He  has  a  thous- 
and good  reasons  to  refuse  our  petitions,  if  we  are  impudent 
enough  to  speak  to  Him  ourselves.  But  look  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  offended  King,  and  behold  his  dear  and  divine  mother. 
She  is  your  mother  also.  For  it  is  to  every  one  of  us,  as  well 
as  to  John,  that  Christ  said  on  the  cross,  speaking  of  Mary, 
♦  Behold  your  Mother.'" 

"  Jesus  has  never  refused  any  favor  asked  by  that  Queen  of 
Heaven.  He  cannot  rebuke  His  Mother.  Le  us  go  to  her  ;  let 
us  ask  her  to  be  our  advocate  and  plead  our  cause,  and  she  will 
do  it.  Let  us  suppliantly  request  her  to  ask  for  our  pardon,  and 
she  will  get  it.'* 

I  then  sincerely  took  these  glittering  sophisms  for  the  true  re- 
ligion of  Christ,  as  all  the  priests  and  people  of  Rome  are  bound 
to  take  them  to-day,  and  presented  them  with  all  the  earnestness 
of  an  honest,  though  deluded  mind. 

My  sermon  had  made  a  visible  and  deep  impression.  Bishop 
Prince,  coadjutor  of  my  Lord  Bourget,  who  was  among  my  hear- 
ers, thanked  and  congratulated  me  for  the  good  effect  it  would 
have  on  the  people,  and  I  sincerely  thought  I  had  said  what  was 
true  and  right  before  God. 


MY    SERMON    ON    THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 


473 


But  when  night  came,  before  going  to  bed,  I  took  my  Bible 
as  usual,  knelt  down  before  God,  in  the  neat  little  room  I  occu- 
pied in  the  bishop's  palace,  and  read  the  twelfth  chapter  of 
Matthew,  with  a  praying  heart  and  a  sincere  desire  to  understand 
it,  and  be  benefitted  thereby.  Strange  to  say !  when  I  reached 
the  40th  verse,  I  felt  a  mysterious  awe,  as  if  I  had  entered  for 
the  first  time,  into  a  new  and  most  holy  land.  Though  I  hat! 
read  that  verse  and  the  following  many  times.  They  came  to 
my  mind  with  a  freshness  and  newness  as  if  I  had  never  seen 
them  before.  There  was  a  lull  in  my  mind  for  some  moments. 
Slowly,  and  with  breathless  attention,  supreme  veneration  and 
respect,  I  read  the  history  of  that  visit  of  Mary  to  the  sacred 
spot  where  Jesus,  my  Saviour,  was  standing  in  the  midst  of  the 
crowd,  feeding  his  happy  hearers  with  the  bread  of  life. 

When  I  contemplated  that  blessed  Mary,  whom  I  loved,  as 
so  tenderly  approaching  the  house  where  she  was  to  meet  her 
divine  Son,  who  had  been  so  long  absent  from  her,  my  heart 
suddenly  throbbed  in  sympathy  with  hers.  I  felt  as  if  sharing 
her  unspeakable  joy  at  every  step  which  brought  her  nearer  to 
her  adorable  and  beloved  son.  What  tears  had  she  not  shed 
when  Jesus  had  left  her  alone,  in  her  poor,  now,  and  cheerless 
home,  that  He  might  preach  the  gospel  in  the  distant  places, 
where  His  Father  had  sent  Him !  With  Jesus  in  her  humble, 
home,  was  she  not  more  happy  then  than  the  greatest  queen  on 
her  throne!  Did  she  not  possess  a  treasure  more  precious  than 
all  the  vvorkl !  How  sweet  to  her  ears  and  heart  were  the  words 
she  had  heard  from  His  lips! 

How  lo\  ely  the  face  of  the  most  beautiful  among  the  sons  of 
men!  How  happy  she  must  have  felt,  when  she  heard  that  he 
was,  now,  near  enough  to  allow  her  to  go  and  see  Him !  How 
quick  were  her  steps.  How  cheerful  and  interesting  the  meet- 
ing! How  the  beloved  Saviour  will  repay  by  His  respect- 
ful and  divine  love  to  his  beloved  mother,  the  trouble  and  the 
fatigue  of  her  long  journey !  My  heart  beat  with  joy  at  the 
privilege  of  witnessing  that  interview,  and  of  hearing  the  re- 
spectful words  Jesus  would  address  to  His  mother! 

With  heart  and  soul  throbbing  with  these  feelings,  I  slowly  read. 


Pl^^WiPPipppiPPiiiiiiiPi^^ 


474 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


"  While  he  talked  to  the  people,  hehold  His  mother  and  His 
berthren,  stood  without  desiring  to  speak  with  Him. 

"  Then  one  said  unto  Him :  Behold  thy  mother  and  thy 
brethren  stand  without  desiring  to  speak  with  thee. 

«  But  he  answered  and  said  unto  him  that  told  Him :  Who 
is  my  mother:     Who  is  my  brethren? 

''  And  he  stretched  forth  His  hands  towards  His  disciples,  and 
said:     Behold  my  mother  and  brethren! 

"For  whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in 
Heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother,  sister  and  mother." 

I  had  hardly  finished  reading  the  last  verse,  when  big  drops 
of  sweat  began  to  flow  from  my  face,  my  heart  beat  with  a 
tremendous  speed,  and  I  came  near  fainting;  I  sat  in  my  large 
arm  chair,  expecting  at  every  minute  to  fall  on  the  floor.  Those 
alone  who  have  stood  several  hours  at  the  falls  of  the  marvelous 
Niagara,  heard  the  thundering  noise  of  its  waters,  and  felt  the 
shaking  of  the  rocks  under  their  feet,  can  have  any  idea  of  what 
I  felt  in  that  hour  of  agony. 

A  voice,  the  voice  of  my  conscience,  whose  thunders  were 
like  the  voice  of  a  thousand  Niagaras  was  telling  me :  «'  Do 
you  not  see  that  you  have  preached  a  sacrilegious  lie  this  morn- 
ing, when,  from  the  pulpit,  you  said  to  your  ignorant  and  deluded 
people,  that  Jesus  always  granted  the  petitions  of  His  mother, 
Mary?  Are  you  not  ashamed  to  deceive  yourself,  and  deceive 
your  poor  countrymen  with  such  silly  falsehoods?" 

Read,  read  again  these  words!  and  understand  that,  far  from 
granting  all  the  petitions  of  Mary,  Jesus  has  always,  except  when  a 
child,  said  No!  to  her  requests.  He  has  always  rebuked  her,  when 
she  asked  him  anything  in  public!  Here  she  comes  to  ask  Him 
a  favor  before  the  whole  people.  It  is  the  easiest,  the  most 
natural  favor  that  a  mother  ever  asked  of  her  son.  It  is  a  favor 
that  a  son  has  never  refused  to  a  mother.  He  answers  by  a 
rebuke,  a  public  and  solemn  rebuke !  Is  it  through  want  of  love 
and  respect  for  Mary  that  He  gjive  her  that  rebuke?  No! 
Never  a  son  loved  and  respected  a  mother  as  He  did.  But  it 
was  a  solemn  protest  against  the  blasphemous  worship  of  Mary 
as  practiced  in  the  Church  of  Rome." 


-■Si!??I--SW?T' •, 


MY    SERMON    ON    THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 


475 


I  felt  at  once  so  bewildered  and  confounded,  by  the  voice, 
which  was  shaking  my  very  bones,  that  I  thought  it  was  the 
devil's  voice ;  and,  for  a  moment,  I  feared  less  I  was  possessed  of 
a  demon. 

«'  My  God,"  I  cried,  "  have  mercy  on  me!  Come  to  my  help! 
Save  me  from  my  enemy's  hands!" 

As  quick  as  lightning  the  answer  came:  "It  is  not  Satan's 
voice  you  hear.  It  is  I,  thy  Saviour  and  thy  God,  who  speaks 
to  thee.  Read  what  Mark,  Luke,  and  John  tell  you  about  the 
way  I  received  her  petitions,  from  the  very  day  I  began  to  work, 
and  speak  publicly  as  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  Saviour  of  the 
world." 

These  cries  of  my  awakening  intelligence  were  sounding  in 
my  ears  for  more  than  one  hout",  before  I  consented  to  obey  them. 
At  last,  with  a  trembling  hand,  and  a  distressed  mind,  I  took  my 
Bible  and  read  in  St.  Mark)  chapter  iii:  verses  31,  32,  33,  34 
and  35 :  «  There  came  then  his  brethren  and  his  mother,  and 
standing  without,  sent  unto  him,  and  calling  him.  And  the 
multitude  sat  about  him  and  they  said  unto  him:  Behold  thy 
mother  and  thy  brethren  without,  sending  for  thee.  And  he 
answered  them,  saying:  who  is  my  mother  and  my  brethren? 

"And  he  looked  round  about  on  them  which  sat  about  him, 
and  said :  Behold  my  mother  and  my  brethren.  For  whosoever 
shall  do  the  will  of  God,  the  same  is  my  brother,  my  sister,  and 
my  mother." 

The  reading  of  these  words  acted  upon  me  as  the  shock  of  a 
sword  going  through  and  through  the  body  of  one  who  had 
already  been  mortally  wounded.  I  felt  absolutely  confounded. 
The  voice  continued  to  sound  in  my  ears :  "  Do  you  not  see  you 
have  presented  a  blasphemous  lie,  every  time  you  said  that  Jesus 
always  granted  the  petitions  of  his  mother?" 

I  remained  again,  a  considerable  time,  bewildered,  not  know- 
ing how  to  fight  down  thoughts  which  were  so  mercilessly  shak- 
ing my  faith,  and  demolishing  the  respect  I  had  kept,  till  then, 
for  my  church.  After  more  than  half  an  hour  of  vain  struggle 
to  silence  these  thoughts,  it  came  to  my  mind  that  St.  Luke  had 
narrated  this  interview  of  Mary  and  Jesus  in  a  very  different 


PIP 


ppipppippiiiiiipiil 


i 


m 


476 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OP    ROME. 


way.  I  opened  the  holy  book  again  to  read  the  eighth  chapter. 
Bui  how  shall  I  find  words  to  express  my  distress  when  I  saw  that 
the  rebuke  of  Jesus  Christ  Was  expressed  in  a  still  sterner  way  by 
St.  Luke  than  by  the  two  other  evangelists! 

« Then  came  to  him  his  mother  and  brethren,  and  could  not 
come  at  him  for  the  press. 

«  And  it  was  told  him :  Thy  mother  and  thy  brethren  stand 
without,  desiring  to  see  thee. 

"  And  he  answered,  and  said  unto  them :  my  mother  and  breth- 
ren are  those  who  will  hear  the  word  of  God  and  do  it."  (Luke 
viii:   19,  20,  21.) 

It  then  seemed  to  me  as  if  those  three  Evangelists  said  to 
me:  "How  dare  you  preach,  with  your  apostate  and  lying 
church,  that  Jesus  has  always  granted  all  the  petitions  of  Mary, 
when  we  were  ordered  by  God  to  writ?;  and  proclaim  that  all 
the  public  petitions  she  had  presented  to  him,  when  working  as 
the  Son  of  God,  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  had  been  answered 
by  a  public  rebuke?" 

What  could  I  answer?  How  could  I  stand  the  rebuke  of 
these  three  Evangelists?  Trembling  from  head  to  foot,  I  fell 
upon  my  knees,  crying  to  the  Virgin  Mary  to  come  to  my  help 
and  pray  that  I  might  not  succumb  to  this  temptation,  and  lose 
my  faith  and  confidence  in  her.  But  the  more  I  prayed,  the 
louder  the  voice  seemed  to  say :  "  How  dare  you  preach  that  Jesus 
has  always  granted  the  petitions  of  Mary,  when  we  tell  you  the 
contrary  by  the  order  of  God  himself?" 

My  desolation  became  such,  that  a  cold  sweat  covered  my 
whole  frame  again;  my  head  was  aching,  and  I  think  I  would 
have  fainted  had  I  not  been  released  by  a  torrent  of  tears.  In 
my  distress,  I  cried :  "  Oh !  my  God !  my  God !  look  down  upon 
me  in  thy  mercy;  strengthen  my  faith  in  thy  Holy  Church! 
Grant  me  to  follow  her  voice  and  obey  her  commands  with  more 
and  more  fidelity ;  she  is  thy  beloved  church.  She  cannot  err. 
She  cannot  be  an  apostate  church."  But  in  vain  I  wept  and 
cried  for  help.  My  whole  being  was  filled  with  dismay  and 
terror  from  the  voices  of  the  three  witnesses,  who  were  crying 
louder  and  louder: 


l>!B«w^^!!PfRf9??^ 


MY    SERMON   ON    THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 


477 


"  How  dare  you  preach  that  Christ  has  always  granted  the 
petitions  of  Mary,  when  the  gospels,  written  under  the  insph-a- 
tion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  tell  you  so  clearly  the  contrary  ?" 

When  I  had,  in  vain,  wept,  prayed,  cried,  and  struggled  from 
ten  at  night  till  three  in  the  morning;  the  miraculous  change  of 
water  into  wine,  by  Christ,  at  the  request  of  his  mother,  suddenly 
came  to  my  mind.  I  felt  a  momentary  relief  from  my  terrible 
distress,  by  the  hope  that  I  could  prove  to  myself  that  in  this 
case  the  Saviour  had  obeyed  the  demands  of  his  holy  mother.  I 
eagerly  opened  my  Bible  again  and  read: 

«  And  the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana,  of  Galilee, 
and  the  mother  of  Jesus  was  thei'e. 

"  And  both  Jesus  was  called,  and  his  disciples,  to  the  marriage. 
And  when  they  wanted  wine,  the  mother  of  Jesus  said  unto 
him,  they  have  no  wine.  Jesus  saith  unto  her:  Woman,  what 
have  I  to  do  with  thee?     Mine  hour  is  not  yet  come. 

"  His  mother  saith  unto  the  servants :  whatsoever  he  saith  unto 
you,  do  it."     (John  ii:  2.) 

Till  that  hour  I  had  always  accepted  that  text  in  the  sense 
given  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  proving  that  the  very  first 
miracle  of  Jesus  Christ  was  wrought  at  the  request  of  his  mother. 
And  I  was  preparing  myself  to  answer  the  three  mysterious 
witnesses :  "  Here  is  the  proof  that  you  are  three  devils,  and  not 
three  evangelists,  when  you  tell  me  that  Jesus  has  never  granted 
the  petitions  of  his  mother,  except  when  a  child.  Here  is  the 
glorious  title  of  Mary  to  my  confidence  in  her  intercession;  here 
is  the  seal  of  her  irresistible  superhuman  power  over  her  divine 
son;  here  is  the  undeniable,  evidence  that  Jesus  cannot  refuse 
anything  asked  by  his  divine  mother!"  But  when,  armed  with 
these  explanations  of  the  .church,  I  was  preparing  to  meet  what 
Matthew,  St.  Mark,  and  St  Luke  had  just  told  me,  a  sudden  dis- 
tressing thought  came  to  my  mind ;  and  this  thought  was  as  if 
I  heard  the  three  witnesses  saying:  "  How  can  you  be  so  blind 
as  not  to  see  that  instead  of  being  a  favor  granted  to  Mary,  this 
first  miracle  is  the  first  opportunity  chosen  by  Christ  to  protest 
against  her  intercession.  It  is  a  solemn  warning  to  Mary  never 
to  ask  anything  from  him,  and  to  us,  never  to  put  any  confidence 


:Jt)&t^' 


ppp^plplplpipp 


478 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


in  her  requests.  Here,  Mary,  evidently  full  of  compassion  for 
those  poor  people,  who  had  not  the  means  to  provide  the  wine, 
for  the  guests  who  had  come  with  Jesus,  wants  her  Son  to  give 
them  the  wine  they  wanted.  How  does  Christ  answer  her 
requests?  He  answers  it  by  a  rebuke,  a  most  solemn  rebuke. 
Instead  of  saying :  "  Yes,  mother,  I  will  do  as  you  wish,"  he 
says,"  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ?"  which  clearly  means 
"  Woman,  thou  hast  nothing  to  do  in  this  matter.  I  do  not  want 
you  to  speak  to  me  of  the  bridegroom's  distress.  It  was  my  de- 
sire to  come  to  their  help  and  show  my  divine  power.  I  do  not 
want  you  to  put  yourself  between  the  wants  of  humanity  and 
me.  I  do  not  want  the  world  to  believe  that  you  had  any  right, 
any  power  or  influence  over  me,  or  more  compassion  on  the 
miseries  of  man  than  T  have.  Is  it  not  to  me,  and  me  alone,  the  lost 
children  of  Adam  must  look  to  be  saved?  Woman,  what  have 
I  to  do  with  thee  in  my  great  work  of  saving  this  perishing 
world?  Nothing,  absolutely  nothing.  I  know  what  I  have  to 
do  to  fulfill,  not  your  will,  but  my  Father's  will !" 

This  is  what  Jesus  meant  by  the  solemn  rebuke  given  tO 
Mary.  He  wante  1  to  banish  all  idea  of  her  ever  becoming  an 
intercessor  between  man  and  Christ.  He  wanted  to  protest 
against  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  that  it  is  through 
Mary  that  He  will  bestow  His  favor,  to  His  disciples,  and  Mary 
understood  it  well  when  she  said,  "  Whatsoever  He  saith  unto 
you,  do  it."  Never  come  to  me,  but  go  to  Him.  "  For  there  is  no 
other  name  given  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved." 

Every  one  of  these  thoughts  passed  over  my  distressed  soul 
like  a  hurricane.  Every  sentence  was  like  a  flash  of  lightning 
in  a  dark  night.  I  was  like  the  poor  dismantled  ship  suddenly 
overtaken  by  the  tempest  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean. 

Till  the  dawn  of  day,  I  felt  powerless  against  the  eflforts  of 
God  to  pull  down  and  demolish  the  huge  fortress  of  sophisms, 
falsehoods,  idolatries,  which  Rome  had  built  around  my  soul. 
What  a  fearful  thing  it  is  to  fight  against  the  Lord! 

During  the  long  hours  of  that  night,  my  God  was  contend. 
ing  with  me,  and  I  was  struggling  against  Him.  But  though 
brought  down  to  the  dust;  I  was  not   conquered.      My  under- 


iMigiiMiMMillli 


fmfww'fs^^w^^m'^^fm^'^^ 


MY    SERMON    ON   THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 


479 


standing  was  very  nearly  convinced.  My  rebellious  and  proud 
will  was  not  yet  ready  to  yield. 

The  chains  by  which  I  was  tied  to  the  feet  of  the  idols  of 
Rome,  though  rudely  shaken,  were  not  yet  broken.  However, 
to  say  the  truth,  my  views  about  the  worship  of  Mary  had  re- 
ceived a  severe  shock,  and  were  much  modified.  That  night 
had  been  sleepless;  and  in  the  morning  my  eyes  were  red,  and 
my  face  swollen  with  my  tears. 

When,  at  breakfast,  Bishop  Prince,  who  was  sitting  by  me, 
asked ;  "  Are  you  sick  ?  Your  eyes  are  as  if  you  had  wept  all 
night?" 

"Your  lordship  is  not  mistaken,  I  have  wept  the  whole 
night!"     I  answered. 

"Wept  all  the  night!"  replied  the  bishop.  "Might  I  know 
the  cause  of  your  sorrow?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord.  You  can,  you  must  know  it.  But  please 
come  to  your  room.  What  I  have  to  say  is  of  such  a  private 
and  delicate  nature,  that  1  want  to  be  alone  with  your  lordship, 
when  opening  my  mind  to  the  cause  of  my  tears." 

Bishop  Prince,  then  coadjutor  of  Bishop  Bourget  and  late 
bishop  of  St.  Hyacinthe,  where  he  became  insane  in  1858  and 
died  in  1S60,  had  been  my  personal  friend  from  the  time  I  enter- 
ed the  college  at  Nicolet,  where  he  was  professor  of  Rhetoric. 
He  very  often  came  to  confession  to  me,  and  had  taken  a  lively 
interest  in  my  labors  on  temperance. 

When  alone  with  him,  I  said:  "My  lord,  I  thank  you  for 
your  kindness  in  allowing  me  to  unburden  my  heart  to  you.  I 
have  passed  the  most  horrible  night  of  my  life.  Temptations 
against  our  holy  religion  such  as  I  never  had  before,  have  assailed 
me  all  night.  Your  lordship  remembers  the  kind  words  you 
addressed  to  me,  yesterday,  about  the  sermon  I  preached.  But, 
last  night,  very  different  things  came  to  my  mind,  which  have 
changed  the  joys  of  yesterday  into  the  most  unspeakble  desola- 
tion. You  congratulated  me  yesterday  on  the  manner  1  had 
proved  that  Jesus  had  always  granted  the  requests  of  His  mother, 
and  that  He  cannot  refuse  any  of  her  petitions.  The  whole 
night  it  has  been  told  me  that  this  was  a  blasphemous  lie,  and 


BflMHiili 


w'^mm'i^^^'WfWmmm, 


480 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


from  the  Holy  Scriptures  themselves,  I  have  been  nearly  convin- 
ced that  you  and  I,  nay,  that  our  holy  church,  are  preaching  a 
blasphemous  falsehood  every  time  we  proclaim  the  doctrines  of 
the  worship  of  Mary  as  the  gospel  truth." 

The  poor  bishop,  thunderstruck  by  this  simple  and  honest 
declaration,  quickly  answered :  "  I  hope  you  have  not  yielded  to 
these  temptations,  and  that  you  will  not  become  a  Protestant  as 
so  many  of  your  enemies  whisper  to  each  other." 

"  It  is  my  hope,  my  lord,  that  our  merciful  God  will  keep 
me,  to  the  end  of  my  life,  a  dutiful  and  faithful  priest  of  our 
holy  church.  However,  I  cannot  conceal  from  your  lordship 
that  my  faith  was  terribly  shaken  last  night. 

"As  a  bishop,  your  portion  of  light  and  wisdom  must  be 
greater  than  mine.  I  hope  you  will  grant  me  some  of  the  lights 
which  still  brightly  shine  before  your  eyes:  I  have  never  been  so 
much  in  need  of  the  counsels  of  your  piety  and  the  help  of  your 
scriptural  knowledge  as  to-day.  Please  help  me  to  come  out 
from  the  intellectual  slough  in  which  I  spent  the  night. 

"  Your  lordship  has  congratulated  me  for  having  said  that 
Jesus  Christ  has  always  granted  the  petitions  of  Mary.  Please 
tell  me  how  you  reconcile  that  proposition  with  the  text,  and  I 
handed  him  the  gospel  of  Matthew,  pointing  to  the  last  five  verses 
of  the  twelfth  chapter  I  requested  him  to  read  them  aloud." 

He  read  them  and  said :  "  Now  what  do  you  want  from 
me?" 

"  My  lord,  I  want  respectfully  to  ask  you  how  we  can  say 
that  Jesus  has  always  granted  the  requests  of  His  mother,  when 
this  evangelist  tells  us  that  He  never  granted  her  petitions,  when 
acting  in  His  capacity  of  Saviour  of  the  world. 

**  Must  we  not  fear  that  we  proclaim  a  blasphemous  false- 
hood when  we  support  a  proposition  directly  opposed  to  the 
gospel  ?" 

The  poor  bishop  seemed  absolutely  confounded  by  this  sim- 
ple and  honest  question.  I  also  felt  confused  and  sorry  for  his 
humiliation.  Beginning  a  phrase,  he  would  give  it  up;  trying 
arguments,  he  could  not  push  to  their  conclusion.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  he  had  never  read  that  text,  or  if  he  had  read  it,  he,  like 


mgljggtjtm 


f'f^swf^w^m^wfm^m 


"fT^J^I 


MY    SERMON   ON   THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 


48 1 


myself  and  the  rest  of  the  priests  of  Rome,  had  never  noted 
that  they  entirely  demolish  the  stupendous  impostures  of  the 
church,  in  reference  to  the  worship  of  Mary. 

In  order  to  help  him  out  of  the  inextricable  difficulties  into 
which  I  had  at  once  pushed  him,  I  said :  ''  My  lord,  will  you 
allow  me  to  put  a  few  mure  questions  to  you  ?" 

"With  pleasure,"  he  answered. 

"Well!  my  lord,  who  came  to  this  world  to  save  you  and 
me?  Is  it  Jesus  or  Mary?" 

"It  is  Jesus,"  answered  the  bishop. 

"Who  was  called,  and  is,  in  reality,  the  sinner's  best  friend? 
Was  it  Jesus  or  Mary. 

The  bishop  answered :  "  It  was  Jesus." 

«  Now  plesise  allow  me  a  few  more  questions." 

"  When  Jesus  and  Mary  were  on  earth,  whose  heart  was  most 
devoted  to  sinners?  Who  loved  them  with  a  more  efficacious 
and  saving  love;  was  it  Jesus  or  Mary?" 

"Jesus,  being  God,  His  love  was  evidently  more  efficacious  and 
saving  than  Mary's,"  answered  the  bishop. 

"  In  the  days  of  Jesus  and  Mary,  to  whom  did  Jesus  invite 
sinners  to  go  for  their  salvation ;  was  it  to  himself  or  Mary  ?'* 
I  asked  again. 

The  bishop  answered:  "Jesus  has  said  to  all  sinners,  'Come 
unto  me.'    He  never  said  come  or  go  to  Mary." 

"  Have  we  any  examples,  in  the  Scriptures,  of  sinners,  who, 
fearing  to  be  rebuked  by  Jesus,  have  gone  to  Mary  and  obtained 
access  to  him  through  her,  and  been  saved  through  her  interces- 
sions?" 

"  I  do  not  remember  of  any  such  cases,"  replied  the  bishop. 

I  then  asked :  "  To  whom  did  the  penitent  thief,  on  the 
cross,  address  himself  to  be  saved;  was  it  to  Jesus  or  Mary?" 

"  It  was  to  Jesus,"  replied  the  bishop. 

"Did  that  penitent  thief  do  well  to  address  himself  to  Jesus 
on  the  cross,  rather  than  to  Mary  who  was  at  his  feet?'*  said  I. 

"  Surely  he  did  better,"  answered  the  bishop. 

"Now,  my  lord,  allow  me  only  one  question  more.  You 
told  me  that  Jesus  loved  sinners,  when  on  earth,  infinitely  more 


mwmmmrn^ 


^^ 


/ 


483 


FIFTY   YBARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


than  Mary;  that  he  was  infinitely  more  their  true  friend  than  she 
was;  that  he  infinitely  took  more  interest  in  their  salvation,  than 
Mary;  that  it  was  infinitely  better  for  sinners  to  go  to  Jesus  than 
to  Mary,  to  be  saved ;  will  you  please  tell  me  if  you  think  that 
Jesus  has  lost,  iit  heaven,  since  he  is  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of 
his  Father,  any  of  his  divine  and  infinite  superiority  of  love  and 
mercy  over  Mary  for  sinners;'  and  can  you  show  me  that  what 
Jesus  has  lost  has  been  gained  by  Mary?'* 

«'  I  do  not  think  that  Christ  has  lost  any  of  his  love,  and 
power  to  save  us,  now  that  he  is  in  heaven,"  answered  the  bishop. 

"  Now,  my  lord,  if  Jesus  is  still  my  best  friend ;  my  most 
powerful,  merciful,  and  loving  friend,  why  should  I  not  go 
directly  to  him  ?  Why  should  we,  for  a  moment,  go  to  any  one 
who  is  infinitely  inferior,  in  power,  love  and  mercy,  for  our  sal- 
vation ?" 

The  bishop  was  stunned  by  my  questions. 

He  stammered  some  unintelligible  answer,  excused  himself 
for  not  being  able  to  remain  any  longer,  on  account  of  some 
pressing  business;  and  extending  his  hand  to  me  before  leaving, 
he  said :  « You  will  find  an  answer  to  your  questions  and  diffi- 
culties in  the  Holy  Fathers." 

"  Can  you  lend  me  the  Holy  Fathers,  my  lord  ?" 

He  replied:  "  No  sir,  I  have  them  not." 

This  last  answer,  from  my  bishop,  shook  my  faith  to  its  foun- 
dation, and  left  my  mind  in  a  state  of  great  distress.  With  the 
sincere  hope  of  finding  in  the  Holy  Fathers,  some  explanations 
which  would  dispel  my  painful  doubts,  I  immediately  went  to 
Mr.  Fabre,  the  great,  bookseller  of  Montreal,  who  got  me,  from 
France,  the  splendid  edition  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  by  Migne.  I 
studied,  with  the  utmost  attention,  every  page  where  I  might 
find  what  they  taught  of  the  worship  of  Mary,  and  the  doctrines 
that  Jesus  Christ  had  never  refused  any  of  her  prayers. 

What  was  my  desolation,  my  shame  and  my  surprise,  to  find 
that  the  Holy  Fathers  of  the  first  six  centuries  had  never  advocated 
the  worship  of  Mary,  and  that  the  many  eloquent  pages  on  the 
power  of  Mary  in  heaven,  and  her  love  for  sinners,  found  in 
every  page  of  my  theologians,  and  other  ascetic  books  I  had 


''|l!'^!!'l!IPW!^'3fpRP|(^^ 


MY    SERMON    ON    THE    VIRGIN    MARY. 


483 


read  till  then,  were  but  impudent  lies;  additions  interpolated  in 
their  works,  a  hundred  years  after  their  death. 

When  discovering  these  forgeries,  under  the  name  of  the 
Holy  Fathers,  of  which  my  church  was  guilty,  how  many  times, 
in  the  silence  of  my  long  nights  of  study  and  prayerful  medita- 
tions, did  I  hear  a  voice  telling  me:  "Come  out  of  Babylon!" 

But  where  could  I  go?  Out  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  where 
could  I  And  that  salvation  which  was  to  be  found  only  within 
her  walls?  I  said  to  myself,  "  Surely  there  are  some  errors  in 
my  dear  church." 

"  The  dust  of  ages  may  have  fallen  on  the  precious  gold  of 
her  treasures,  but  will  I  not  find  still  more  damnable  errors 
among  those  hundreds  of  Protestant  churches,  which,  under  the 
name  of  Episcopalians,  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  Methodists,  &c., 
&c.,  are  divided  and  sub-divided  into  scores  of  contemptible  sects, 
anathematizing  and  denouncing  each  other  before  the  world?" 

My  ideas  of  the  great  family  of  evangelical  churches,  com- 
prised under  the  broad  name  of  Protestantism,  were  so  exagger- 
ated then,  that  it  was  absolutely  impossible  for  me  to  find  in  them 
that  unity,  which  1  considered  the  essentials  of  the  church  of 
Christ. 

The  hour  was  not  yet  come,  but  it  was  coming  fast,  when 
my  dear  Saviour  would  make  me  understand  his  sublime  words: 

"  I  am  the  vine  and  ye  are  the  branches." 

It  was  some  titpe  later,  when  under  the  beautiful  vine  1  had 
planted  in  my  own  garden,  and  which  I  had  cultivated  with  mine 
own  hands,  I  saw  that  there  was  not  a  single  branch  like  another 
in  that  prolific  vine. 

Some  branches  were  very  big,  some  very  thin,  some  very 
long,  some  very  short,  some  going  up,  some  going  down,  some 
straight  as  an  arrow,  some  crooked  as  a  flash  of  lightning,  some 
turning  to  the  west,  some  to  the  east,  some  to  the  north,  and  others 
to  the  south. 

But,  although  the  branches  were  so  different  from  each  other 
in  so  many  things,  they  all  gave  me  excellent  fruit,  so  long  as 
they  remained  united  to  the  vine. 


|iA„i5i)^i^iii"jHP}«i«ii;'!Jiniwif' 


^!fp;ilffl«iR;Pii^iim  I 


Chapter    XLVI. 


THB  BOLT  7ATHBBS-NXW ICBNTAX.  TBOX7BIA8  AT  NOT  riBX). 
INO  THB  DOOTBZNB8  07  KT  CKUBCH  IN  THBIB  WBZTIN08- 
PUBOATOBT  AND  THB  SUOXINO  PZO  07  THB  FOOB  VAN  07 
VABBNNB8. 


THE  most  desolate  work  of  a  sincere  catholic  priest  is  the 
study  of  the  Holy  Fathers.  He  does  not  make  a  step  in 
the  labyrinth  of  their  discussions  and  controversies  without  see- 
ing the  dreams  of  his  theological  studies  and  religious  views  dis- 
appear as  the  thick  morning  mist,  when  the  sun  rises  above  the 
horizon.  Bound,  as  he  is,  by  a  solemn  oath,  to  interpret  the  Holy 
Scriptures  only  according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy 
Fathers,  the  first  thing  which  puzzles  and  distresses  him,  is  their 
absolute  want  of  unanimity  on  the  greater  part  of  the  subjects 
which  they  discuss.  The  fact  is,  that  more  than  two-thirds  of 
what  one  Father  has  written,  is  to  prove  that  what  some  other 
Holy  Father  has  written,  is  wrong  and  heretical. 

The  student  of  the  Fathers  not  only  detects  that  they  do  not 
agree  with  one  another,  but  finds  that  many  of  them  do  not  even 
agree  with  themselves.  Very  often  they  confess  that  they  were 
mistaken  when  they  said  this  or  that;  that  they  have  lately 
changed  their  minds;  that  they  now  hold  for  saving  truth,  what 
they  formerly  condemned  as  a  damning  error! 

What  becomes  of  the  solemn  oath  of  every  priest,  in  pres- 
ence of  this  undeniable  fact?  How  can  he  make  an  act  of  faith 
when  he  feels  that  its  foundation  is  nothing  but  falsehood  ? 

No  words  can  give  an  idea  of  the  mental  tortures  I  felt,  when 
I  saw  jxjsitively,  that  I  could  not,  any  longer,  preach  on  the  eter- 
nity of  the  suflFering  of  the  damned,  nor  believe  in  the  real  pres- 
ence of  the  body,  soul,  and  divinity  of  Christ  in  the  sacrament 

of  communion ;  nor  in  the  supremacy  of  the  sovereign  pontiff  of 

48« 


wppi^Jif.' 


THB    HOLY    PATHBR8. 


485 


Rome,  nor  in  any  of  the  other  dogmas  of  my  church,  without 
perjuring  myself!  For  there  was  not  one  of  thoHe  dogmas  which 
hud  not  been  flatly  and  directly  denied  by  some  Holy 
Fathers.  "* 

It  is  true,  that  in  my  Roman  Catholic  theological  books,  I  had 
long  extracts  of  Holy  Fathers,  very  clearly  supporting  and  con- 
firming my  faith  in  those  dogmas.  For  instance,  I  had  the  apos- 
tolic liturgies  of  St.  Peter,  St.  Mark,  and  St.  James,  to  prove 
that  the  sacrifice  of  the  mass,  purgatory,  prayers  for  the  dead, 
transubstantiation,  were  believed  and  taught  from  the  very  days 
of  the  apostles. 

But  what  was  my  dismay  when  I  discovered  that  those  litur- 
gies were  nothing  else  than  vile  and  audiicious  forgeries  presen- 
ted to  the  world,  by  my  Popes  and  my  church,  as  gospel  truths. 

I  could  not  find  words  to  express  my  sense  of  shame  and 
consternation,  wV":  i  I  became  sure  that  the  same  church  which 
had  invented  tho»c  apostolical  liturgies,  had  accepted  and  circula- 
ted the  false  decretals  of  Isidore,  and  forged  innumerable  additions 
and  interpolations  to  the  writings  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  in  order  to 
make  them  say  the  very  contrary  of  what  they  intended. 

How  many  times,  when  alone,  studying  the  history  of  the 
shameless  fabrications,  I.  said  to  myself :  "  Does  the  man  whose 
treasury  is  filled  with  pure  gold,  forge  false  coins,  or  spurious  pieces 
of  money?  No!  How,  then,  is  it  possible  that  my  church  does 
poss,ess  the  pure  truth,  when  she  has  been  at  work  during  so 
many  centuries,  to  forge  such  egregious  lies,  under  the  names  of 
liturgies  and  decretals,  about  the  holy  mass,  purgatory,  the 
supremacy  of  the  Pope,  etc." 

"If  those  dogmas  could  have  been  proved  by  the  gospel  and 
the  true  writings  of  the  Fathers,  where  was  the  necessity  of 
forging  lying  documents  ?  Would  the  Popes  and  councils  have 
treasuries  with  spurious  bank  bills^  if  they  had  had  exhaustless 
mines  of  pure  gold  in  hand?  What  right  has  my  church  to  be 
called  holy  and  infallible,  when  she  is  publicly  guilty  of  such  im- 
postures." 

From  my  infancy  I  had  been  taught,  with  all  the  Roman 
Catholics,  that   Mary   is  the  mother  of  God,  and  many  times, 


ir^T^m.^'^!^^  ^m^^m!S, 


y*f',*},w."m 


486 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


\t 


every  day,  when  praying  to  her,  I  used  to  say,  «  Holy  Mary, 
mother  of  God,  pray  for  me." 

But  what  was  my  distress  when  I  read  in  the  "  Treatise  on 
Faith  and  Creed,"  by  St  Augustine,  chapter  iv,  §  9,  these  very 
words:  "  When  the  Lord  said:  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do 
with  thee?  Mine  hour  is  not  yet  come."  (John  xix:  4.)  He 
rather  admonishes  us  to  understand  that,  in  respect  of  His  being 
God,  there  was  no  mother  for  Him. 

This  was  so  completely  demolishing  the  teachings  of  my 
church,  and  telling  me  that  it  was  a  blasphemy  to  call  Mary, 
mother  of  God,  that  I  felt  as  if  struck  with  a  thunderbolt. 

Several  volumes  might  be  written,  if  my  plan  were  to  give 
the  story  of  my  mental  agonies,  when,  reading  the  Holy  Fathers. 
I  found  their  furious  battles  against  each  other,  and  reviewed 
their  fierce  divisions  on  almost  every  subject.  The  horror  of 
many  of  them,  at  the  dogmas  which  my  church  had  taught  to 
make  me  believe  from  my  infancy,  as  the  most  solemn  and 
sacred  revelations  of  God  to  man,  such  as  transubstantiation, 
auricular  confession,  purgatory,  the  supremacy  of  Peter,  the  ab- 
solute supremacy  of  the  Pope  over  the  whole  Church  of  Christ. 
Yes!  what  thrilling  pages  I  would  give  to  the  world,  were  it  my 
intention  to  portray,  in  their  true  colors,  the  dark  clouds,  the 
flashing  lights  and  destructive  storms  which,  during  the  long 
and  silent  hours  of  the  many  nights  I  spent  in  comparing  the 
Fathers  with  the  Word  of  God  and  the  teachings  of  my  church 
Their  fierce  and  constant  conflicts;  their  unexpected,  though  un- 
deniable oppositions  to  many  of  the  articles  of  the  faith  I 
had  to  believe  and  preach ;  were  coming  to  me,  day  after  day,  as 
the  barbed  darts  thrown  at  the  doomed  whale  when  coming  out 
of  the  dark  regions  of  the  deep  to  see  the  light  and  breathe  the 
pure  air. 

Thus,  as  the  unexpected  contradictions  of  the  Holy  Fathers 
to  the  tenets  of  my  church,  and  their  furious  and  uncharitable  di- 
visions among  themselves,  were  striking  me,  I  plunged  deeper 
and  deeper  in  the  deep  waters  of  the  Fathers  and  the  Word  of 
God,  with  the  hope  of  getting  rid  of  the  deadly  darts  which  were 
piercing  my  Roman  Catholic  conscience.     But,  it  was  in  vain. 


■?pv^*'f' 


..'J'-.-'^U,* 


THE    HOLY    FATHERS. 


487 


d  breathe  the 


was  in  vain. 


The  deeper  I  went,  the  more  the  deadly  weapons  would  stick  to 
the  flesh  and  bone  of  my  soul.  How  deep  was  the  wound  I 
received  from  Gregory  the  Great,  one  of  the  most  learned  Popes 
of  Rome,  against  the  supremacy  and  universality  of  the  power 
of  the  Pope  of  Rome  as  taught  to-day,  the  following  extracts 
from  his  writings  will  show :  "  But  I  confidently  say  that  who- 
soever calls  himself  univei'sal  bishop,  or  desires  to  be  called  so,  in 
his  pride,  he  prefers  himself  to  the  rest.  And  he  is  led  to  error 
with  a  similar  pride.  For  as  that  wicked  one  wishes  to  appear 
a  God,  above  all  men,  whosoever  he  is,  who  alone  desires  to  be 
called  a  supreme  Bishop,  extols  himself  above  the  other  bishops." 
(Bk.  vii.  Int.  15.  Epist.  33.  to  Maurituus  Augustus.) 

These  words  wounded  me  very  painfully,  I  showed  them 
to  Mr.  Brassard,  saying :  "  Do  you  not  see  here  the  incontrover- 
tible proof  of  what  I  have  told  you  many  times,  that,  during  the 
first  six  centuries  of  Christianity,  we  do  not  find  the  least  proof  that 
there  was  anything  like  our  dogma  of  the  supreme  power  and 
authority  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  or  any  other  bishop,  over  the 
rest  of  the  Christian  world  ?  If  there  is  anything  which  comes 
to  the  mind  with  an  irresistible  force,  when  reading  the  Fathers 
of  the  first  centuries,  it  is  that,  not  one  of  them  had  any  idea  that 
there  was,  in  the  church,  any  man  chosen  by  God,  to  be  in  fact 
or  name,  the  universal  and  supreme  pontiff.  With  such  an 
undeniable  fact  before  us,  how  can  we  believe  and  say  that  the 
religion  we  profess  and  teach  is  the  same  which  was  preached 
from  the  beginning  of  Christianity  ? 

"My  dear  Chiniquy,"  answered  Mr.  Brassard,  "did  I  not  tell 
you,  when  you  bought  the  Holy  Fathers,  that  you  were  doing  a 
foolish  and  dangerous  thing?  In  every  age,  the  man  who  sin- 
gularises  himself  and  walks  out  of  the  common  tracks  of  life  is 
subject  to  fall  into  ridicule.  As  you  are  the  only  priest,  in  Can- 
ada, who  has  the  Holy  Fathers,  it  is  thought  and  said,  in  many 
quarters,  that  it  is  through  pride  you  got  them;  that  it  is  to 
raise  yourself  above  the  rest  of  the  clergy,  that  you  study  them, 
not  only  at  home,  but  that  you  carry  some  wherever  you  go.  I 
see  with  regret,  that  you  are  fast  losing  ground  in  the  mind,  not 
only  of  the   bishop,  but  of  the  priests   in  general,  on  account 


B5'PfP''!"P7f'!TP?P''!^^ 


^'«fi^j«e*flf?w«PV*WPP*P?' 


4S8 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OP  ROME. 


of  your  indomitable  perseverance  in  gfiving  all  your  spare  time 
in  their  study.  You  are  also  too  free  and  imprudent  in  speaking 
of  what  you  call  the  contradictions  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  and 
their  want  of  harmony  with  some  of  our  religious  views. 
Many  say  that  this  too  great  application  to  study,  without  a 
a  moment  of  relaxation,  will  upset  your  intelligence  and  trou- 
ble your  mind.  They  even  whisper  that  there  is  danger  ahead 
for  your  faith,  which  you  do  not  suspect,  and  that  they  would 
not  be  surprised  if  the  reading  of  the  Bible  and  the  Holy 
Fathers  would  drive  you  into  the  abyss  of  Protestantism.  I  know 
that  they  are  mistaken,  and  I  do  all  in  my  power  to  defend  you. 
But,  I  thought,  as  your  most  devoted  friend,  that  it  was  my  duty 
to  tell  you  those  things,  and  warn  you  before  it  is  too  late." 

I  replied :  "  Bishop  Prince  told  me  the  very  same  things, 
and  I  will  give  you  the  answer  he  got  from  me ;  '  When  you 
ordain  a  priest,  do  you  not  make  him  swear  that  he  will  never 
interpret  the  Holy  Scriptures,  except  according  to  the  unani- 
mous consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers  ?  Ought  you  not,  then,  to  know 
what  they  teach?  For,  how  can  we  know  their  unanimous  con- 
sent without  studying  them.  Is  it  not  more  than  strange  that, 
not  only  the  priests  do  not  study  the  Holy  Fathers,  but  the  only 
one  in  Canada,  who  is  trying  to  study  them,  is  turned  into  ridi- 
cule and  suspected  of  heresy?  Is  it  my  fault  if  that  precious 
stone,  called  *  unanimous  consent  of  the  Holy  Fathers '  which  is 
the  very  foundation  of  our  religious  belief  and  teaching,  is  to  be 
found  nowhere  in  them?  Is  it  my  fault  if  Origen  never  believed 
in  the  eternal  punishment  of  the  damned;  if  St.  Cyprien  denied 
the  supreme  authority  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  if  St.  Augus- 
tine positively  said  that  nobody  was  obliged  to  believe  in  purga- 
tory, if  St.  John  Chrysostom  publicly  denied  the  obligation  of 
auricular  confession,  and  the  real  presence  of  the  body  of  Christ 
in  the  eucharist  ?  Is  it  my  fault  if  one  of  the  most  learned  and  holy 
Popes,  Gregory  the  Great,  has  called  by  t)ie  name  of  Antichrist, 
all  his  successors,  for  taking  the  name  of  supreme  pontiff,  and 
trying  to  persuade  the  world  that  they  had,  by  divine  authority, 
a  supreme  jurisdiction  and  power  over  the  rest  of  the 
church?" 


:;nStIS!S^:ri 


W^&mmf^^^^'^^W^ 


i^tiTf  ■^rr-»iyrn_7^  vt**  ^'■">f*«" 


"','"?r('f' 


THE    HOLY    FATHERS. 


4S9 


"And  what  did  Bishop  Prince  answer  you?"  rejoined  Mr. 
Brassat'd. 

"Just  as  you  did,  by  expressing  his  fears  that  my  too  great 
application  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  and  the  Holy  Fathers, 
would  either  send  me  to  the  lunatic  asylum,  or  drive  me  into 
the  bottomless  abyss  of  Protestantism." 

I  answered  him,  in  a  jocose  way :  '*  that  if  the  too  great  study 
of  the  Bible  and  the  Holy  Fathers  were  to  open  me  the  gates 
of  the  lunatic  asylum,  I  feared  I  would  be  left  alone  there,  for  I 
know  that  they  are  keeping  themselves  at  a  respectable  distance 
from  those  dangerous  writings."  I  added  seriously.  "  So  long 
as  God  keeps  my  intelligence  sound,  I  cannot  join  Protestants, 
for  the  numberless  and  ridiculous  sects  of  these  heretics  are  a 
sure  antidote  against  their  poisonous  errors.  I  will  not  remain  a 
good  Catholic  on  account  of  the  unanimity  of  the  Holy  Fathers, 
which  does  not  exist,  but  I  will  remain  a  Catholic  on  account  of 
the  grand  and  visible  unanimity  of  the  prophets,  apostles  and 
the  evangelists  with  Jesus  Christ.  My  faith  will  not  be  found- 
ed upon  the  fallible,  obscure  and  wavering  words  of  Origen, 
Tertullian,  Chrysostom,  Augustine  or  Jerome;  but  01;  the 
infallible  word  of  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  and  of  His  inspired 
writers:  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  John,  Peter,  James  and  Paul. 
It  is  Jesus,  and  not  Origen  who  will  now  guide  me ;  for  the 
second  was  a  sinner,  like  myself,  and  the  first  is  forever  my 
Saviour  and  my  God.  I  know  enough  of  the  Holy  Fathers  to 
assure  your  lordship  that  the  oath  we  take  of  accepting  the  Word 
of  God  according  to  their  unanimous  consent,  is  a  miserable 
blunder,  if  not  a  blasphemous  perjury.  It  is  evident  that  Pius 
IV.,  who  imposed  the  obligation  of  that  oath  upon  us  all,  never 
read  a  single  volume  of  the  Holy  Fathers.  He  would  not  have 
been  guilty  of  such  an  incredible  blunder,  if  he  had  known  that 
the  Holy  Fathers  are  unanimous  in  only  one  thing,  which  is  to 
differ  from  each  other  on  almost  everything ;  except  we  suppose 
that,  like  the  last  Pope,  he  was  too  fond  of  good  champagne, 
and,  that  he  wrote  that  ordinance  after  a  luxurious  dinner." 

I  spoke  this  last  sentence  in  a  half-serious  and  half  joking 
way. 


JSS^HissKispzsffijagirss 


i.i  »j'i-i.v>iji.fei»' 


^3fg!WW','i?4T,,'".^WWH«^'"*1S!»!ifJVf.'^w^^^^ 


490 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


The  bishop  answered :  "  Who  told  you  that  about  our 
last  Pope?" 

"  Your  lordship,"  I  answered,  "told  me  that,  when  you  com- 
plimented  me  on  the  apostolical  benediction  which  the  present 
Pope  sent  me  through  my  Lord  Baillargeon,  *  that  his  predecess- 
or would  not  have  given  me  his  benediction  for  preaching  tem- 
perance because  he  was  too  fond  of  wine !' " 

"Oh  yes!  yes  I  I  remember  it  now,"  answered  the  bishop. 
"  But  it  was  a  bad  joke  on  my  part,  which  I  regret." 

"  Good  or  bad  joke,  "  I  replied,  "  It  is  not  the  less  a  fact,  that 
our  last  Pope  was  too  fond  of  wine.  There  is  not  a  single  priest 
of  Canada  who  has  gone  to  Rome,  without  bringing  that  back 
as  a  public  fact,  from  Italy." 

«  And  what  did  my  Lord  Prince  say  to  that,"  asked  again 
Mr.  Brassard. 

"Just  as  when  he  was  cornered  by  me,  on  the  subject  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  he  abruptly  put  an  end  to  the  conversation,  by 
looking  at  his  watch  and  saying  that  he  had  a  call  to  make,  at 
that  very  hour." 

Not  long  after  that  painful  conversation  about  the  Holy 
Fathers,  it  was  the  will  of  God,  that  a  new  arrow  should  be 
thrust  into  my  Roman  Catholic  conscience,  which  went  through 
and  through,  in  spite  of  myself. 

I  had  been  invited  to  give  a  course  of  three  sermons  at 
Varennes.  The  second  day,  at  tea  time,  after  preaching  and 
hearing  confessions  for  the  whole  afternoon,  I  was  coming  from 
the  church  with  the  curate,  when,  half-way  to  the  parsonage, 
we  were  met  by  a  poor  man,  who  looked  more  like  one  coming 
out  of  the  grave,  than  a  living  man ;  he  was  covered  with  rags, 
and  his  pale  and  trembling  lips  indicated  that  he  was  reduced  to 
the  last  degree  of  human  misery.  Taking  off  his  hat,  through 
respect  for  us,  he  said  to  Rev.  Primeau,  with  a  trembling  voice : 
"  You  know,  Mr.  le  Cure,  that  my  poor  wife  died,  and  was 
buried  ten  days  ago,  but  I  was  too  poor  to  have  a  funeral  ser- 
vice sung  the  day  she  was  buried,  and  I  fear  she  is  in  purgatory. 
For  almost  every  night,  I  see  her,  in  my  dreams,  wrapped  up  in 
burning  flames.     She  cries  to  me  for  help,  and  asks  me  to  have 


'^    ■^^^^f?P'5^^  ^ 


li!|(af»JPV«'-^iii.iP»^^ 


THE    HOLY   FATHERS. 


491 


a  high  mass  sung  for  the  rest  of  her  soul.     I  come  to  ask  you  to 
be  so  kind  as  to  sing  that  high  mass  for  her." 

«  Of  course,"  answered  the  curate,  "  your  wife  is  in  the  flames 
of  purgatory,  and  suffers  there,  the  most  unspeakable  tortures, 
which  can  be  relieved  only  by  the  offering  of  the  holy  sacrifice  of 
mass.  Give  me  five  dollars  and  I  will  sing  that  mass  to-morrow 
morning." 

"You  know  very  well,  Mr.  le  Cure,"  answered  the  poor 
man,  in  a  most  supplicating  tone,  "  that  my  wife  has  been  sick, 
as  well  as  myself,  a  good  part  of  the  year.  I  am  too  poor  to 
give  you  five  dollars  1" 

"  If  you  cannot  pay,  you  cannot  have  any  mass  sung.  You 
know  it  is  the  rule.     It  is  not  in  my  power  to  change  it." 

These  words  were  said  by  the  curate  with  a  high  and  unfeel- 
ing tone,  which  were  in  absolute  contrast  with  the  solemnity  and 
distress  of  the  poor  sick  man.  They  made  a  very  painful  im- 
pression upon  me,  for  I  felt  for  him.  I  knew  the  curate  was 
well-off,  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  richest  parishes  of  Canada; 
that  he  had  several  thousand  dollars  in  the  bank.  I  hoped,  at 
first,  that  he  would  kindly  grant  the  petition  presented  to  him, 
without  speaking  of  the  pay,  but  I  was  disappointed.  My  first 
thought,  after  hearing  his  hard  rebuke,  was  to  put  my  hand  in  my 
pocket  and  take  one  of  the  several  five-dollar  gold  pieces  I  had, 
and  give  it  to  the  poor  man,  that  he  might  be  relieved  from  his 
terrible  anxiety  about  his  wife.  It  came  also  to  my  mind  to  say 
to  him :  "  I  will  sing  your  high  mass  for  nothing  to-morrow."  But 
alas!  I  must  confess,  to  my  shame,  I  was  too  cowardly  to  do  that 
noble  deed.  I  had  a  sincere  desire  to  do  it,  but  was  prevented  by 
the  fear  of  insulting  that  priest,  wlio  was  older  than  myself,  and 
for  whom  I  had  always  entertained  great  respect.  It  was  evi- 
dent to  me  that  he  would  have  taken  my  action  as  a  condemna- 
tion of  his  conduct. 

When  I  was  feeling  ashamed  of  my  own  cowardice,  and  still 
more  indignant  against  myself  than  against  the  curate,  he  said 
to  the  disconcerted  poor  man:  "That  woman  is  your  wife;  not 
mine.  It  is  your  business,  and  not  mine,  to  see  how  to  get  her 
out  of  purgatory." 


ip|PIPIi'P!-.p»WIWfi^^^ 


492 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME, 


Turning  to  me,  he  said,  in  the  most  amiable  way :  «  Please, 
sir,  come  to  tea." 

We  hardly  started,  when  the  poor  man,  raising  his  voice,  said, 
in  a  most  touching  way :  "  I  cannot  leave  my  poor  wife  in  the 
flames  of  purgatory;  if  you  cannot  sing  a  high  mass,  will  you 
please  sny  Bve  low  masses  to  rescue  her  soul  from  those  burning 
flames?" 

The  priest  turned  towards  him  and  said :  "  Yes,  I  can  say 
five  masses  to  take  the  soul  of  your  wife  out  of  purgatory,  but 
give  me  five  shillings;  for  you  know  the  price  of  a  low  mass  is 
one  shilling." 

The  poor  man  answered :  "  I  can  no  more  give  one  dollar 
than  I  can  five.  I  have  not  a  cent;  and  my  three  poor  little 
children  are  as  naked  and  starving  as  myself." 

"  Well !  well,"  answered  the  curate,  "  when  I  passed  this 
morning,  before  your  house,  I  saw  two  beautiful  sucking  pigs. 
Give  me  one  of  them,  and  I  will  say  your  five  low  masses." 

The  poor  man  said :  "  These  small  pigs  were  given  me  by  a 
charitable  neighbo;,  that  I  might  raise  them  to  feed  my  poor 
children  next  winter.  They  will  surely  starve  to  death,  if  I  give 
my  pigs  away." 

But  I  could  not  listen  any  longer  to  that  strange  dialogue; 
every  word  of  which  fell  upon  my  soul  as  a  shower  of  burning 
coals.  I  was  beside  myself  with  shame  and  disgust.  I  abruptly 
left  the  merchant  of  souls,  finishing  his  bargains,  went  to  my 
sleeping-room,  locked  the  door,  and  fell  upon  my  knees  to  weep 
to  my  heart's  content. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  the  curate  knocked  at  my  door 
and  said :  "  Tea  is  ready ;  please  come  down !"  I  answered :  "  I 
am  not  well;  I  want  some  rest.  Please  excuse  me,  if  I  do  not 
take  my  tea  to-night." 

It  would  require  a  more  eloquent  pen  than  mine,  to  give  the 
correct  history  of  that  sleepless  night.  The  hours  were  dark 
and  long. 

"  My  God  f  my  God !"  I  cried,  a  thousand  times,  «*  Is  it  pos- 
sible that,  in  my  so  dear  Church  of  Rome,  there  can  be  such 
abominations  as  I  have  seen  and  heard  to-day  ?     Dear  and  adora- 


M 


praippmifpiiiPipppiliM 


WWfJ 


THE    HOLY    FATHERS. 


493 


ble  Saviour,  if  thou  wert  still  on  earth,  and  should  see  the  soul 
of  a  daughter  of  Israel  fallen  into  a  burning  furnace,  wouldst 
thou  ask  a  shilling  to  take  it  out?  Wouldst  thou  force  the  poor 
father,  with  his  starving  children,  to  give  their  last  morsel  of 
bread,  to  persuade  thee  to  extinguish  the  burning  flames  ?  Thou 
hast  shed  the  last  drop  of  thy  blood  to  save  her.  And  how 
cruel,  how  merciless,  we,  thy  priests,  are,  for  the  same  precious 
soul!  But  are  we  really  thy  priests?  Is  it  not  blasphemous  to 
call  ourselves  thy  priests,  when  not  only  we  will  not  sacrifice 
anything  to  save  that  soul,  but  will  starve  the  poor  husband  and 
his  orphans?  What  right  have  we  to  extort  such  sums  of  money 
from  thy  poor  children  to  help  them  out  of  purgatory  ?  Do  not 
thy  apostles  say  that  thy  blood  alone  can  purify  the  soul  ? 

"  Is  It  possible  that  there  is  such  a  fiery  prison  for  the  sinners 
after  death,  and  that  neither  thyself  nor  any  of  thy  apostles  has 
said  a  word  about  it? 

"  Several  of  the  Fathers  consider  purgatory  as  of  Pagan  ori- 
gin. TertuUian  spoke  of  it  only  after  he  had  joined  the  sect 
of  the  Montanists,  and  he  confesses  that  it  is  not  through  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  but  through  the  inspiration  of  the  Paraclete  of 
Montanus  that  he  knows  anything  about  purgatory.  Augustine, 
the  most  learned  and  pious  of  the  Holy  Fathers,  does  not  find 
purgatory  in  the  Bible,  and  positively  says  that  its  existence  is 
dubious;  that  every  one  may  believe  what  he  thinks  proper 
about  it.  Is  it  possible  that  I  am  so  mean  as  to  have  refused  to 
extend  a  helping  hand  to  that  poor  distressed  man,  for  fear  of 
offending  the  cruel  priest? 

«  We  priests  believe,  and  say  that  we  can  help  souls  out  of 
the  burning  furnace  of  purgatory,  by  our  prayers  and  masses; 
but  instead  of  rushing  to  their  rescue,  we  turn  to  the  parents, 
friends,  the  children  of  those  departed  souls,  and  say :  "  Give 
me  five  dollars ;  give  me  a  shilling,  and  I  will  put  an  end  to  those 
tortures;  but  if  you  refuse  us  that  money,  we  will  let  your 
father,  husband,  wife,  child,  or  friend  endure  those  tortures,  hun- 
dreds of  years  more !  Would  not  the  people  throw  us  into  the 
river,  if  they  could  once  understand  the  extent  of  our  meanness 
and  avarice  ?     Ought  we  not  to  be  ashamed  to  ask  a  shilling  to 


494 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


take  out  of  the  fire  a  human  being  who  calls  us  to  the  rescue? 
Who,  except  a  priest,  can  descend  so  low  in  the  regions  of 
depravity  ?" 

It  would  take  too  long  to  give  the  thoughts  which  tortured 
me  during  that  terrible  night.  I  literally  bathed  my  pillow  with 
my  tears.  Before  saying  my  mass  next  morning,  I  went  to  con- 
fess my  criminal  cowardice  and  want  of  charity  towards  that 
poor  man,  and  also  the  terrible  temptation  against  my  faith  which 
tortured  my  conscience  during  the  long  hours  of  that  night! 
And  I  repaired  my  cowardice  by  giving  $5.00  to  that  poor  man. 

I  spent  the  morning  in  hearing  confessions  till  ten  o'clock, 
when  I  delivered  a  very  exciting  sermon  on  the  malice  of  sin, 
proved  by  the  sufferings  of  Christ  on  the  cross.  This  address 
gave  a  happy  diversion  to  my  mind,  and  made  me  forget  the  sad 
story  of  the  sucking  pig. 

After  the  sermon,  the  curate  took  me  by  the  hand  to  his  din- 
ing  room,  where  he  gave  me,  in  spite  of  myself,  the  place  of  honor. 

He  had  the  reputation  of  having  one  of  the  .best  cooks  of 
Canada,  in  the  widow  of  one  of  the  governors  of  Nova  Scotia, 
whom  he  had  as  his  housekeeper.  The  dishes  before  our  eyes 
did  not  diminish  his  good  reputation. 

The  first  dish  was  a  sucking  pig,  roasted  with  an  art  and  per- 
fection as  I  had  never  seen ;  it  looked  like  a  piece  of  pure  gold, 
and  its  smell  would  have  brought  water  to  the  lips  of  the  most 
penitent  anchorite. 

I  had  not  tasted  anything  for  the  last  twenty-four  hours;  had 
preached  two  exciting  sermons,  and  spent  six  hours  in  hearing 
confessions.  I  felt  hungry;  and  the  sucking  pig  was  the  most 
tempting  thing  to  me.  It  was  a  real  epicurean  pleasure  to  look 
at  it  and  smell  its  fragrance.  Besides,  that  was  a  favorite  dish 
with  me.  I  cannot  conceal  that  it  was  with  real  pleasure  that  I 
saw  the  curate,  after  sharpening  his  long,  glittering  knife  on  the 
file,  cutting  a  beautiful  slice  from  the  shoulder,  and  offering  it  to 
me.  I  was  too  hungry  to  be  over  patient.  My  knife  and  fork 
had  soon  done  their  work.  I  was  carrying  to  my  mouth  the 
tempting  and  succulent  mouthful  when,  suddenly,  the  remem- 
brance of  the  poor  man's  sucking  pig  came  to  my  mind.     I  laid 


.      »i  i  J  Vj  "  J   V  J  ^' 


mm^fm^^^^^^s^^ 


THE    HOLY    FATHERS. 


495 


the  piece  on  my  plate,  and  with  painful  anxiety,  looked  at  the 
curate  and  said:  <*Will  you  allow  me  to  put  you  a  question 
about  this  dish  ?" 

''Oh!  yes;  ask  me,  not  only  one,  but  two  questions,  and  I 
will  be  happy  to  answer  you  to  the  best  of  my  ability,"  answered 
he,  with  his  fine  manners. 

"  Is  this  the  sucking  pig  of  the  poor  man  of  yesterday  ?"  I 
asked. 

With  a  convulsive  fit  of  laughter,  he  replied :  "  Yes ;  it  is 
just  it.  If  we  cannot  take  away  the  soul  of  the  poor  woman 
out  of  the  flames  of  purgatory,  we  will,  at  all  events,  eat  a  fine 
sucking  pig !" 

The  other  thirteen  priests  filled  the  room  with  laughter,  to 
show  their  appreciation  of  their  host's  wit. 

However,  their  laughter  was  not  of  long  duration.  With  a 
feeling  of  shame  and  uncontrollable  indignation,  I  pushed  away 
my  plate  with  such  force,  that  it  crossed  the  table  and  nearly  fell 
on  the  floor;.. saying,  with  a  sentiment  of  disgust  which  no  pen 
can  describe :  "  I  would  rather  starve  td  death  than  eat  of  that 
execrable  dish ;  I  see  in  it  the  tears  of  the  poor  man ;  1  see  the 
blood  of  his  starving  children;  it  is  the  price  of  a  soul.  No! 
no,  gentlemen;  do  not  touch  it.  You  know,  Mr.  Curate,  how 
30,000  priests  and  monks  were  slaughtered  in  France,  in  the 
bloody  days  of  1792.  It  was  for  such  iniquities  as  this  that 
God  Almighty  visited  the  church  in  France.  The  same  future 
awaits  us  here  in  Canada,  the  very  day  that  people  will  awaken 
from  their  slumber  and  see  that,  instead  of  being  ministers  of 
Christ,  we  are  vile  traders  of  souls,  under  the  mask  of 
religion." 

The  poor  curate,  stunned  by  the  solemnity  of  my  words,  as 
well  as  by  the  consciousness  of  his  guilt,  lisped  some  excuse. 
The  sucking  pig  remained  untouched ;  and  the  rest  of  the  dinner 
had  more  the  appearance  of  a  burial  ceremony  than  of  a  con- 
vivial repast. 

By  the  mercy  of  God,  I  had  redeemed  my  cowardke  of  the 
day  before.  But  I  had  mortally  wounded  the  feelings  of  that 
curate  and  his  friends,  and  for  ever  lost  their  good-will. 


p 


pwiPPWiwipppi^^ 


496 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


It  is  in  such  ways  that  God  was  directing  the  steps  of  his 
unprofitable  servant  through  ways  unknown  to  him.  Furious 
storms  were  constantly  blowing  around  my  fragile  bark,  and 
tearing  my  sails  into  fragments.  But,  every  storm  was  pushing 
me,  in  spite  of  myself,  towards  the  shores  of  eternal  life,  where 
I  was  to  land  safely,  a  few  years  later. 


!^jp^!l^^«!y!Pi:#ll!p|||i!l«^,y|  ..*w^wv'*w^^"«»l"|•  •»  wf  p!pipii|!f||!inf||i,jii  i  m 


Chap-er    XLVII. 

LETTBB  FBOU  THE  BEV.  BISHOP  VANDBVELD  OF  OHIOAOO- 
VAST  FBOJBCT  OF  THB  BISHOPS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  TO 
TAKE  POSSESSION  OF  THE  BIOH  VALLET  OF  THE  MISSISS« 
IPFI  AND  THE  PBAIBIES  OF  THE  WEST,  TO  BUIiE  THAT 
QBEAT  BEPUBLIO-THET  WANT  TO  PUT  ME  AT  THE  HEAD 
OF  THB  WOBK-MT  LEOTUBES  ON  TEMPEBANCE  AT  DB- 
TBOIT-INTBUPBBANOB  OF  THB  BISHOP  AND  PBIBST8  OF 
THAT   CITY.  » 


ON  the  15th  of  Dec,  1850, 1  received  the  following  letter: 
Chicago  Ilt..,  Dec.  ist,  1850. 
Rev.  Father  Chiniquy: 

Apostle  of  Temperance  of  Canada. 

Dear  Sir  : — When  I  was  in  Canada,  last  fall,  I  intended  to  confer  with 
you  on  a  very  important  subject.  But  you  were  then  working  in  the  diocese 
of  Boston,  and  my  limited  time  prevented  me  from  going  so  far  to  meet 
you.  You  are  aware  that  the  lands  of  the  State  of  Illinois  and  the  whole 
valley  of  the  Mississippi  are  among  the  richest  and  most  fertile  of  the 
world.  In  a  near  future,  those  regions,  which  are  now  a  comparative  wil- 
derness, will  be  the  granary,  not  only  of  the  United  States,  but  of  the  whole 
world;  and  those  who  will  possess  them,  will  not  only  possess  the  very 
heart  and  arteries  of  this  young  and  already  so  great  republic,  but  will 
become  its  rulers. 

"  It  is  our  intention,  without  noise,  to  take'  possession  of  those  vast  and 
magnificent  regions  of  the  west  in  the  name  and  for  the  benefit  of  our  holy 
church.  Our  plan  to  attain  that  object,  is  as  sure  as  easy.  There  is,  every 
year,  an  increasing  tide  of  emigration  from  the  Roman  Catholic  regions 
of  Europe  and  Canada  towards  the  United  States.  Unfortunately,  till 
now,  our  emigrants  have  blindly  scattered  themselves  among  the  Protes- 
tant populations,  which  too  often  absorb  them  and  destroy  their  faith. 

"Why  should  we  not  direct  their  steps  to  the  same  spot?  Why  should 
wc  not,  for  instance,  induce  them  to  come  and  take  possession  of  these  fer- 
tile States  of  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Kansas,  &c.  They  can  get  those  lands 
now,  at  a  nominal  price.     If  we  succeed,  as  I  hof^  we  will,  our  holy  church 

W 


fl««ii^fl^Miil9ii.|i|iiil.|ili|l.llHppi9fp|^ 


498 


FIKTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OK    ROME. 


will  80on  count  her  children  here  by  ten  and  twenty  millions,  and  through 
their  numbers,  tluir  wealth  and  unity,  they  will  have  such  a  weight  in  the 
balance  of  power  that  they  will  rule  everything. 

"The  Protestants,  always  divided  among  themselves,  will  never  form 
any  strong  party  without  the  help  of  the  united  vote  of  our  Catholic  peo- 
ple; and  that  party  alone,  which  will  ask  and  get  our  help  by  yielding  to 
our  just  demands,  will  rule  the  country.  Then,  in  reality,  though  not  in 
appearance,  our  holy  church  will  rule  the  United  States,  as  she  is  called  by 
our  Savior  himself  to  rule  the  whole  world.  There  is,  to-day,  a  wave  of 
emigrants  from  Canada  towards  the  United  Stales  which,  if  not  stopped  or 
well  directed,  is  threatening  to  throw  the  good  Frer.':h  Canadian  people 
into  the  mire  of  Protestantism.  Your  countrymen,  when  once  mixed  with 
the  numberless  sects  which  try  to  attract  them,  are  soon  shaken  in  their 
faith.  Their  children  sent  to  Protestant  schools,  will  be  unable  to  defend 
themselves  against  the  wily  and  united  efforts  made  to  pervert  them. 

"  But  put  yourself  at  the  head  of  the  emigrants  from  Canada,  France 
and  Belgium ;  prevent  them  from  settling  any  longer  among  the  Protest- 
ants, by  inducing  them  to  follow  you  to  Illinois,  and  with  them,  you  will 
soon  see  here,  a  Roman  Catholic  people,  whose  number,  wealth  and  influ- 
ence will  amaze  the  world.  God  Almighty  has  wonderfully  blessed  your 
labors  in  Canada,  in  that  holy  cause  of  temperance.  But  now  the  work  is 
done,  the  same  Great  God  presents  to  your  Christian  ambition  a  not  less 
great  and  noble  work  for  the  rest  of  your  life.  Make  use  of  your  great 
influence  over  your  countrymen  to  prevent  them  from  scattering  any  longer 
among  Protestants,  by  inducing  them  to  come  here,  in  Illinois.  You  will 
then  lay  the  foundation  of  a  Roman  Catholic  French  people,  whose  piety, 
unity,  wealth  and  number  will  soon  renew  and  revive,  on  this  continent,  the 
past  and  fading  glories  of  the  Church  of  France. 

"  We  have  already,  at  Bourbonnr.is,  a  fine  colony  of  French  Canadians. 
They  long  to  see  and  hear  you.  Come  and  help  me  to  make  that  compar- 
atively small,  though  thriving  people,  grow  %vith  the  emigrants  from  the 
French-speaking  countries  of  Europe  and  America,  till  it  covers  the  whole 
territory  of  Illinois  with  its  sturdy  sons  and  pious  daughters.  I  will  ask 
the  Pope  to  make  you  my  coadjutor,  and  you  will  soon  become  my  suc- 
cessor, for  I  already  feel  too  weak  and  unhealthy  to  bear  alone  the  burden 
of  my  too  large  diocese. 

"  Please  consider  what  I  propose  to  you  before  God,  and  answer  me. 
But  be  kind  enough  to  consider  this  overtuic  is  strictly  confidential  between 
you  and  me,  till  we  have  brought  our  plans  in  >  execution. 
Truly  Yours,  |^  Oliv  Vandeveld, 

Bishop  of  Chicago. 

I  answered  him  that  the  Bishops  of  Boston,  Buffalo  and 
Detroit,  had  already  advised  me  to  put  myself  at  the  head  of  the 


iiiiijHi    jii.^  JiiPPiiWI-i 


^il^llllPi.MiWliP4f9il*iPP^ipip|p' 


"""^T^WW 


MY    LECTURES   ON    TEMPERANCE    AT    DETROIT. 


499 


French  Canadian  cmigrntion,  in  order  to  direct  its  tide  towards 
tlie  vast  and  rich  regions  of  the  west.  I  wrote  him  that  I  felt  as 
he  did,  that  it  was  the  best  way  to  prevent  my  countrymen  from 
falling  into  the  snares  laid  before  them  by  Protestants,  among 
whom  they  were  scattering  themselves.  I  told  him  that  I  would 
consider  it  a  great  honor  and  privilege  to  spend  the  last  part  of 
my  life  in  extending  the  power  and  influence  of  our  holy  church 
over  the  United  States,  and  that  I  would,  in  June  next,  pay  my 
respects  to  him  in  Chicago,  when  on  my  way  towards  the  colony 
of  my  countrymen  at  Bourbonnais  Grove.  1  added  that  after  I 
should  have  seen  those  territories  of  Illinois  and  the  Mississippi 
valley,  with  my  own  eyes,  it  would  be  more  easy  to  give  him  a 
definite  answer.  I  ended  my  letter  by  saying :  "  But  I  respect- 
fully request  your  lordship  to  give  up  the  idea  of  selecting  mt 
for  your  coadjutor,  or  successor.  I  have  already  twice  refused 
to  become  a  bishop.  That  high  dignity  is  too  much  above  my 
merits  and  capacities  to  be  ever  accepted  by  me.  I  am  happy 
and  proud  to  fight  the  battles  of  our  holy  church;  but  let  my 
superiors  allow  me  to  continue  to  remain  in  her  ranks  as  a  simple 
soldier,  to  defend  her  honor  and  extend  her  power.  I  may,  then, 
with  the  help  of  God,  do  some  good.  But  I  feel,  and  know 
that  I  would  spoil  everything,  if  raised  to  an  elevated  position, 
for  which  I  am  not  fit." 

Without  speaking  to  anybody  of  the  proposition  of  the 
Bishop  of  Chicago,  I  was  preparing  to  go  and  see  the  new  field 
where  he  wanted  me  to  work,  when,  in  the  beginning  of  May  185 1, 
1  received  a  very  pressing  invitation  from  my  Lord  Lefebre, 
Bishop  of  Detroit,  to  lecture  on  temperance  to  the  French  Cana 
dians  v/ho  were,  then,  forming  the  majority  of  the  Roman 
Catholics  of  that  city. 

That  bishop  had  taken  the  place  of  Bishop  Rese,  whose 
public  scandals  and  infamies  had  covered  the  whole  Catholic 
Church  of  America  with  shame.  During  the  last  years  he  had 
spent  in  his  diocese,  very  few  weeks  had  passed  without  his 
being  picked  up  beastly  drunk  in  the  lowest  taverns,  and  even  in 
the  streets  of  Detroit,  and  dragged,  unconscious  to  his  palace. 

After  long  and  vain  efforts  to  reform  him,  the  Pope  and  the 


mm 


m 


m 


m 


500 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


bishops  of  America  had  happily  succeeded  in  persuading  him  to 
go  to  Rome,  and  pay  his  respects  to  the  so-called  vicar  of  Jesus 
Christ.  This  was  a  snare  too  skillfully  laid  to  be  suspected  by 
the  drunken  bishop.  He  had  hardly  set  his  feet  in  Rome  when 
the  inquisitors  threw  him  into  une  of  their  dungeons,  where  he 
remained  till  the  republicans  set  him  at  liberty,  in  1848,  after 
Pope  Pius  IX.  had  fled  to  Civita  Vccchia. 

In  order  to  blot  out  from  the  face  of  his  church  the  black 
spots  with  which  his  predecessor  had  covered  it,  my  Lord  Lefc- 
bre  made  the  greatest  display  of  zeal  for  the  cause  of  temper- 
ance. As  soon  as  he  was  inducted,  he  invited  his  people  to  fol- 
low his  example  and  enroll  themselves  under  its  banners,  in  a 
very  powerful  address  on  the  evils  caused  by  the  use  of  intoxi- 
icating  drinks.  At  the  end  of  his  eloquent  sermon,  laying  his 
right  hand  on  the  altar,  he  made  a  solemn  promise  never  to 
drink  any  alcoholic  liquors. 

His  telling  sermon  on  temperance,  with  his  solemn  and  pub- 
lic promise,  were  published  through  almost  all  the  pajjers  of  that 
time,  "If'  I  read  it  many  times  to  the  people  with  good  effect. 
When,  on  my  way  to  Illinois,  I  reached  the  city  of  Detroit  to 
give  the  course  of  lectures  demanded  by  the  bishop,  in  the  first 
week  of  June.  Though  the  bishop  was  absent,  I  immediately 
began  to  preach  to  an  immense  audience  in  the  Cathedral.  I  had 
agreed  to  give  five  lectures,  ana  it  was  only  during  the  third  one 
that  Bishop  Lefebre  arrived.  After  paying  me  great  compli- 
ments for  my  zeal  and  success  in  the  temperance  cause,  he  took 
me  by  the  hand  to  his  dining-room,  and  said :  «  Let  us  go  and 
refresh  ourselves." 

I  shall  never  forget  my  surprise  and  dismay,  when  1  per- 
ceived the  long  dining  table,  covered  with  bottles  of  brand v, 
wine,  beer  &c.,  prepared  for  himself  and  his  six  or  seven  priests, 
who  were  already  around  it,  joyfully  emptying  their  glasses. 
My  first  thought  was  to  express  my  surprise  and  indignation, 
and  leave  the  room  in  disgust,  but  by  a  second  and  better 
thought  I  waited  a  little  to  see  more  of  that  unexpected  specta- 
cle. I  accepted  the  seat  offered  me  by  the  bishop  at.  his  right 
hand. 


%.-. 


MY    LECTURES   ON    TEMPERANCE    AT    DETROIT. 


50I 


«  Father  Chiniquy,"  he  said,  "  this  is  the  sweetest  claret  you 
ever  drank."  And  before  I  could  utter  a  word,  he  had  filled  my 
large  glass  with  the  wine,  and  drank  his  own  to  my  health. 

Looking  at  the  bishop  in  amazement,  I  said,  "What  does 
this  mean,  my  lord?" 

«  It  means  that  I  want  to  drink  with  you  the  best  claret  you 
ever  tasted." 

"  Do  you  take  me  for  a  comedian  ?  and  have  you  called  me  here 
to  play  such  a  strange  comedy  ?"  I  replied,  with  lips  trembling 
with  indignation. 

"  I  did  not  invite  you  to  play  a  comedy,"  he  answered.  "I  in- 
vited you  to  lecture  on  temperance  to  my  people,  and  you  have 
done  it  in  a  most  admirable  way,  these  last  three  days.  Though 
you  did  not  see  me,  I  was  present  at  this  evening's  address.  I 
never  heard  anything  so  eloquent  on  that  subject  as  what  you 
said.  But  now  that  you  have  fulfilled  your  duty,  I  must  do 
mine,  which  is  to  treat  you  as  a  gentleman  and  drink  that  bottle 
of  wine  with  you." 

«  But,  my  lord,  allow  me  to  tell  you  that  I  would  not  deserve 
to  be  called,  or  treated  as  a  gentleman,  were  I  vile  enough  to 
drink  wine  after  the  address  I  gave  this  evening." 

« I  beg  your  pardon  for  differing  from  you,"  answered  the 
bishop.  "  Those  drunken  people  to  whom  you  spoke  so  well 
against  the  evils  of  intemperance,  are  in  need  of  the  stringent 
and  bitter  remedies  you  offer  them  in  your  tetotalism.  But  here 
we  are  sober  men  and  gentlemen,  we  do  not  want  such  remedies. 
I  never  thought  that  the  physicians  were  absolutely  bound  to 
take  the  pills  they  administer  to  their  patients." 

"  I  hope  your  lordship  will  not  deny  me  the  right  you  claim 
for  yourself,  to  differ  with  me  in  this  matter.  I  entirely  differ 
from  yoii,  when  you  say  that  men  who  drink  as  you  do  with 
your  priests,  have  a  right  to  be  called  sober  men." 

"I  fear,  Mr.  Chiniquy,  that  you  forget  where  you  are,  and  to 
whom  you  speak  just  now,"  replied  the  bishop. 

"  It  may  be  that  I  have  made  a  blunder,  and  that  I  am  guilty 
of  some  grave  error  in  coming  here,  and  speaking  to  you  as  I  am 
doing,  my  lord.     In  that  case,  I  am  ready  to  ask  your  pardon. 


pfif!!^PPP^95Sipp!i|fPPii^^ 


m. 


Soa 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH"  OF    ROME. 


But  before  I  retract  what  I  have  said,  please  allow  me  to  respect- 
fully ask  you  a  very  simple  question." 

Then  taking  from  my  pocket-book  his  printed  address,  and 
his  public  and  solemn  promise  never  to  drink,  neither  to  offer 
any  intoxicating  drinks  to  others,  I  read  it  aloud,  and  said : 

"  Are  you  the  same  Bishop  of  Detroit,  called  Lefebre,  who 
has  made  this  solemn  promise?  If  you  are  not  the  same  man,  I 
will  retract  and  beg  your  pardon,  but  if  you  are  the  same,  I  liave 
nothing  to  retract." 

My  answer  fell  upon  the  poor  bishop  as  a  thunderbolt. 

He  lisped  some  unintelligible  and  insignificant  explanation, 
which,  however,  he  ended  by  a  coup  d'etat^  in  saying: 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  I  did  not  invite  you  to  preach  to  the 
bishop,  but  only  to  the  people  of  Detroit." 

"  You  are  right,  my  lord,  I  was  not  called  to  preach  to  the 
bishop,  but  allow  me  to  tell  you  that  if  I  had  known  sooner,  that 
when  the  bishop  of  Detroit,  with  his  priests,  solemnly,  publicly, 
and  with  their  right  hand  on  the  altar,  promised  that  they  would 
never  drink  any  intoxicatJug  drinks,  it  means  that  they  will  drink 
and  fill  themselves  with  those  detestable  liquors,  till  their  brains 
shiver  with  their  poisonous  fumes,  I  would  not  have  troubled  you 
with  my  presence  or  my  remarks  here.  However,  allow  me  to 
tell  your  lordship  to  be  kind  enough  to  find  another  lecturer  for 
your  temperance  meetings.  For  I  am  determined  to  take  the 
train  to-morrow  morning  for  Chicago." 

There  is  no  need  to  say  that,  during  that  painful  conversation, 
the  priests  (with  only  one  exception)  were  as  full  of  indignation 
against  me  as  they  were  full  of  wine.  I  left  the  table  and  went 
to  my  sleeping  apartment,  overwhelmed  with  sadness  and  shame. 

Half  an  hour  later,  the  bishop  was  with  me,  conjuring  me  to 
continue  my  lectures,  on  account  ot  the  fearful  scandals  which 
would  result  from  my  sudden  and  unexpected  exit  from  Detroit, 
when  the  whole  people  had  the  assurance  from  mc,  that  very 
night,  that  I  would  continue  to  lecture  the  two  following  even- 
ings. I  acknowledged  that  there  would  be  a  great  scandal,  but 
I  told  him  that  he  was  the  only  one  responsible  for  it  by  his 
want  of  faith  and  consistency. 


j.!(!J!|i«,piWii^'J  -Iffl 


MY    LECTURES   ON    TEMPERANCE    AT    DETROIT. 


503 


He,  at  first,  tried  to  persuade  me  that  he  was  ordered  to  drink, 
by  his  own  physicians,  for  his  health ;  but  I  showed  him  that 
this  was  a  miserable  illusion.  He  then  said  that  he  regretted 
what  had  occurred,  and  confessed  that  it  would  be  better  if  the 
priests  practiced  what  they  preached  to  the  people.  After  which, 
he  asked  me,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  forget  the 
errors  of  the  bishops  and  priests  of  Detroit,  in  order  to  think 
only  of  the  good  which  the  conversion  of  the  numberless  drunk- 
ards of  that  city  would  do  to  the  people. 

He  spoke  to  me  with  such  earnestness,  of  the  souls  saved,  the 
tears  dried,  the  happiness  restored  to  hundreds  of  families,  by 
temperance,  that  he  touched  the  most  sensitive  chords  of  my  heart, 
and  got  from  me  the  promise  that  I  would  deliver  the  other  two 
expected  lectures.  He  was  so  glad,  that  he  pressed  me  on  his 
bosom,  and  gave  me,  what  we  call  in  French,  Lc  baiser  de  paix^ 
(kiss  of  peace)  to  show  me  his  esteem  and  gratitude. 

When  alone,  I  tried  to  drown  in  a  sound  sleep,  the  sad  emo- 
tions of  that  evening ;  but  it  was  impossible.  That  night  was  to 
be  again  a  sleepless  one  to  mc.  The  intemperance  of  that  high 
dignitary  and  his  priests  filled  me  with  an  unspeakable  horror 
and  disgust.  Many  times,  during  the  dark  hours  of  that  night, 
I  heard  as  if  it  were  a  voice,  saying  to  me :  "  Do  you  not  see 
that  the  bishops  and  priests  of  your  church  do  not  believe  a 
word  of  their  religion?  Their  only  object  is  to  throw  dust  in 
the  eyes  of  the  people,  and  live  a  jolly  life.  Do  you  not  see 
that  you  do  not  follow  the  Word  of  God,  but  only  the  vain  and 
lying  traditions  of  men,  in  the  Church  of  Rome?  Come  out  of 
it.  Break  the  heavy  yoke  which  is  upon  you,  and  follow  the 
simple,  pure  religion  of  Jesus  Christ." 

I  tried  to  silence  that  voice  by  saying  to  myself:  "  These  sins 
are  act  the  sins  of  my  holy  church;  they  are  the  sins  of  indi- 
viduals. It  was  not  the  fault  of  Christ  if  Jtidas  was  a  thief!  It 
is  not  more  the  fault  of  my  holy  church  if  this  bishop  and  his 
priests  are  drunkards  and  worldly  men.  Where  will  I  go  if  I 
leave  my  church?  Will  I  not  find  drunkards  and  infidels  every- 
where I  may  go  in  search  of  a  better  religion  ?" 

The  dawn  of  the  next  day  found  me  feverish,  and  unable  to 


!«ifffiW!MJW!^j!jp^!!  juijl^l:  iv'*i^«|pp|||f  JiUp<i|pi|J|lijp 


504 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THg    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


get  any  rest  in  my  bed.  Hoping  that  the  first  fresh  air  of  the 
morning  would  do  me  good,  I  went  to  the  beautiful  garden, 
covered  with  fruit  trees  of  all  kinds,  which  was,  then,  around 
the  episcopal  residence.  But  what  was  my  surprise  to  see  the 
bishop  leaning  on  a  tree,  with  his  handkerchief  over  his  face,  and 
bathed  in  tears.  I  approached  him  with  the  least  noise  possible.  I 
saw  that  he  did  not  perceive  me.  By  the  motion  of  his  head  and 
shoulders,  it  became  evident  to  me  that  he  was  in  anguish  of  soul. 
I  said  to  him:  "My  dear  bishop,  what  is  the  matter?  Why  do 
you  weep  and  cry  at  such  an  early  hour?" 

Pressing  my  hand  convulsively  in  his,  he  answered: 
"  Dear  Father  Chiniquy,  you  do  not  yet  know  the  awful  calam- 
ity which  has  befallen  me  this  night?" 

«  What  calamity  ?"  I  asked. 

"  Do  you  not  remember,"  he  answered, "  that  young  priest  who 
was  sitting  at  your  right  hand,  last  evening?  Well!  he  went 
away,  during  the  night,  with  the  wife  of  a  young  man,  whom 
he  had  seduced,  and  stole  $4,000  from  me  before  he  left." 

"  I  am  not  at  all  surprised  at  that,  when  I  remember  how  that 
priest  emptied  his  glasses  of  beer  and  wine  last  night,"  I 
answered.  "  When  the  blood  of  a  man  is  heated  by  those  fiery 
liquors,  it  is  sheer  absurdity  to  think  that  he  will  keep  his  vow 
of  chastity." 

"You  are  right!  You  are  right!  God  Almighty  has  pun- 
ished me  for  breaking  the  public  pledge  I  had  taken,  never  to 
drink  any  intoxicating  drinks.  We  want  a  reform  in  our  midst, 
and  we  will  have  it,"  he  answered.  "  But  what  horrible  scan- 
dal I  One  of  my  young  priests  gone  with  that  young  wife,  after 
stealing  $4,000  from  me!  Great  God!  Must  we  not  hide  our 
face  now,  in  this  city  ?" 

I  could  say  noihing  to  alleviate  the  sorrow  of  the  poor  Bishop, 
but  to  mingle  my  tears  of  shame  and  sorrow  with  his.  I  went 
back  to  my  room,  where  I  wept  a  part  of  the  day,  to  my  heart's 
content,  on  the  unspeakable  degradation  of  that  priesthood  of 
which  I  had  been  so  proud,  and  about  which  I  had  such  exalted 
views  when  I  entei'ed  its  ranks,  before  I  had  an  inside  view  of 
its  dark  mysteries. 


ipii  i!iiijiiJi«flP:yM:W  '1.. ,  :'>Mpi!fil!|if^^ 


Ww^WW'ms^W'^'WK'''' 


MY    LECTURES   ON    TEMPERANCE    AT    DETROIT. 


505 


Of  course,  the  next  two  days  that  I  was  the  guest  of  bishop 
Lefebre,  not  a  single  drop  of  intoxicating  drink  was  seen  on  the 
table.  But  I  know  that  not  long  after,  that  representative  of  the 
Pope,  forgot  again  his  solemn  vows,  and  continued  with  his 
priests,  drinking,  till  he  died  a  most  miserable  death  in  1875. 


||ipJ,ilUf^iillf!ifil||Vf^i|IP«P^PP.«^^ 


Chapter  XLVIII. 
mr  vxsiT  TO  ohioago  in  isst-bzshop  vandbyxsld-his 

FBBDEOESSOB  POISONED-MAQNIFZOENT  FBAZBIES  OF  THE 
WEST-BETT7BN  TO  CANADA-BAD  FBEIilNGS  OF  BISHOP 
BOXTBGET-I  DEOIjINE  SENDXNO  A  HIGH  WOUAN  TO  THE 
KUXTUEB'S'  TO  ENBIOH  THE  BISBOF-A  FI<OT  TO  DESTBOT 
KB. 

THE  journey  from  Detroit  to  Chicago,  in  the  month  of  June, 
[851,  was  not  so  pleasant  as  it  is  to-day.  The  Michigan 
Central  '^ailn.  ^  was  completed,  then,  only  to  New  Buffalo. 
We  took  the  .st'jainer  there  and  crossed  Lake  Michigan  to  Chicago, 
where  we  arrived  the  next  morning,  after  nearly  perishing  in  a 
terrible  storn  Oi  "•i"  15th  of  June,  I  first  landed,  with  the 
greatest  difiiculty,  011  a  badly  wrecked  wharf,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  Some  of  the  streets  I  had  to  cross  in  order  to  reach  the 
bishop's  palace  were  almost  impassable.  In  many  places  loose 
planks  had  been  thrown  across  them  to  prevent  people  from 
miring  in  the  mud  and  quicksands. 

The  first  sight  of  Chicago,  was  then,  far  from  giving  an 
idea  of  what  that  city  has  become  in  1884.  Though  it  had 
rapidly  increased  the  last  ten  years,  its  population  was  then  not 
much  more  than  30,000.  The  only  line  of  railroad  finished  was 
from  Chicago  to  Aurora,  about  forty  miles. 

The  whole  population  of  the  state  of  Illinois  was  then  not  much 
beyond  200,000.  To-day,  Chicago  alone  numbers  more  than 
500,000  souls  within  her  limits.  Probably  more  grain,  lumber 
beef  and  pork,  are  now  bought  and  sold  in  a  single  day 
in  Chicago,  than  were  then  in  a  whole  year. 

When  I  entered  the  miserable  house  called  the  « bishop's 

palace,"  I  could   hardly   believe  my  eyes.     The  planks  of  the 

lower  floor,  in  the  dining-room,  were  floating,  and  it  required  a 

great  deal  of  ingenuity  to  keep  my  feet  dry  while  dining  with 

S06 


iOjmmiggjggmm 


A    PLOT    TO    DESTROY    ME. 


507 


him  for  the  first  time.  But  the  Christian  kindness  and  courtesy 
of  the  bishop,  made  me  more  happy  in  his  poor  house,  than  I 
felt,  later,  in  the  white  marble  palace  built  by  his  haughty  suc- 
cessor, C.  Regan. 

There  were,  then,  in  Chicago  about  200  French  Canadian 
families,  un^er  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  M.  A.  Lebel,  who,  like 
myself,  was  born  in  Kamouraska.  The  drunkenness  and  other 
immoralities  of  the  clergy,  pictured  to  me  by  that  priest,  surpassed 
all  I  had  ever  heard  or  known. 

After  getting  my  promise  that  I  would  never  reveal  the  fact 
before  his  death,  he  assured  me  that  the  last  bishop  had  been 
poisoned  by  one  of  his  grand  vicars  in  the  following  way.  He 
said,  the  grand  vicar,  being  father  confessor  of  the  nuns  of 
Loretto,  had  fallen  in  love  with  one  of  the  so-called  virgins,  who 
died  a  few  days  after  becoming  the  mother  of  a  still-born 
child. 

This  fact  having  transpired,  and  threatening  to  give  a  great 
(leal  of  scandal,  the  bishop  thought  it  was  his  duty  to  make  an 
inquest  and  punish  his  priest,  if  he  should  be  found  guilty.  But 
the  grand  vicar,  seeing  that  his  crime  was  to  be  easily  detected, 
found  that  the  shortest  way  to  escape  exposure  was  to  put  an 
end  to  the  inquest  by  murdering  the  poor  bishop.  A  poison  very 
difficult  to  detect  was  administered,  and  the  death  of  the  prelate 
soon  followed,  without  exciting  any  surprise  in  the  community. 

Horrified  by  the  long  and  minute  details  of  that  mystery  of 
iniquity,  I  came  very  near  returning  to  Canada,  immediately, 
without  going  any  further.  But  aftei  more  mature  consideration, 
it  seemed  to  me  that  these  awful  iniquities  on  the  part  of  the 
priests  of  Illinois,  was  just  the  reason  why  I  should  not  shut  my 
ears  to  the  voice  of  God,  if  it  were  His  will  that  I  should  come 
to  take  care  of  the  precious  souls  he  would  trust  to  me.  I  spent 
a  week  in  Chicago,  lecturing  on  temperance  every  evening,  and 
listening  during  the  days  to  the  grand  plans  the  bishop  was 
maturing,  in  order  to  make  our  Church  of  Rome  the  mistress 
and  ruler  of  the  magnificent  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  which  in- 
cluded the  states  of  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Kansas,  Mississ- 
ippi, &c.    He  clearly   demonstrated   to   me,  that  once  mistress 


Mhi 


5o8 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


of  the  incalculable  treasures  of  those  rich  lands,  through  the 
millions  of  her  obedient  children,  our  church  would  easily  com- 
mand the  respect  and  the  submission  of  the  less  favored  states  of 
the  eas»t. 

My  zeal  for  my  church  was  so  sincere,  that  I  would  have 
given,  with  pleasure,  every  drop  of  my  blood,  in  order  to  secure 
to  her  such  a  future  of  power  and  greatness.  I  felt  really  happy 
and  thankful  to  God  that  He  should  have  chosen  me  to  help  the 
Pope  and  the  bishops  realize  such  a  noble  and  magnificent  pro- 
ject. 

Leaving  Chicago,  it  took  me  nearly  three  days  to  cross  the 
vast  prairies,  which  were  then  a  perfect  wilderness,  between 
Chicago  and  Bourbonnais,  where  I  spent  three  weeks  in  preach- 
ing and  exploring  the  country,  extending  from  the  Kankakee 
river  to  the  southwest,  towards  the  Mississippi. 

It  was  only  then  that  I  plainly  understood  the  greatness  of 
the  plans  of  the  bishop,  and  that  I  determined  to  sacrifice  the 
exalted  position  God  had  given  me  in  Canada  to  guide  the  steps 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  emigrants  from  France,  Belgium  and 
Canada,  towards  the  regions  of  the  west,  in  order  to  extend  the 
power  and  influence  of  my  church  all  over  the  United  States. 

On  my  return  to  Chicago,  in  the  second  week  of  July,  all 
was  arranged  with  the  bishop  for  my  coming  back  in  the 
autumn,  to  help  him  to  accomplish  his  gigantic  plans. 

However,  it  was  understood,  between  us,  that  my  leaving 
Canada  for  the  United  States,  would  be  kept  a  secret  till  the  last 
hour,  on  account  of  the  stern  opposition  I  expected  from  my 
bishop. 

The  last  thing  to  be  done,  on  my  return  to  Canada,  in  order 
to  prepare  the  emigrants  to  go  to  Illinois,  rather  than  any  other 
part  of  the  United  States,  was  to  tell  them  through  the  press  the 
unrivaled  advantages  which  God  had  prepared  for  them  in  the 
west.  I  did  so  by  a  letter,  which  was  published  not  only  by  the 
press  of  Canada,  but  also  in  many  papers  of  France  and  Bel- 
gium. The  importance  of  that  letter  is  such,  that  I  hope  my 
readers  will  bear  with  me  in  reproducing  the  following  extracts 
from  it. 


r-*^ 


P,P!|^piipP^WW!HiP!Ifl..ili|| 


lil»"l»ipPIWliil|"HP" 


A    PLOT    TO    DESTROY    ME. 


509 


Montreal,  Canada  East. 

August  13th,  1 85 1. 

It  Is  impossible  to  give  our  friends,  by  narration,  an  idea  of  what  we 
(eel,  when  we  cross,  for  the  first  time,  the  immense  prairies  of  Illinois.  It 
is  a  spectacle  which  must  be  seen  to  be  well  understood. 

As  you  advance  in  the  midst  of  these  boundless  deserts,  where  your 
eyes  perceive  nothing  but  lands  of  inexhaustible  richness,  remaining  in  the 
most  desolating  solitude,  you  feel  something  which  you  cannot  express  by 
any  words. 

Is  your  soul  filled  with  joy,  or  your  heart  broken  with  sadness?  You 
cannot  say ;  you  lift  up  your  eyes  to  heaven,  and  the  voice  of  your  soul  is 
chanting  a  hymn  of  gratitude.  Tears  of  joy  are  trickling  down  your  cheeks, 
and  you  bless  God,  whose  curse  seems  not  to  have  fallen  on  the  land  where 
you  stand :  "  Cursed  is  the  earth  in  thy  work ;  thorns  and  thistles  shall  it 
bring  forth  to  thee." 

You  see  around  you  the  most  luxuriant  verdure;  flowers  of  every  kind, 
and  magnificence  above  description. 

But,  if  in  the  silence  of  meditation,  you  look  with  new  attention  on 
those  prairies,  so  rich,  so  magnificent,  you  feel  an  Inexpressible  sentiment 
of  sadness,  and  addressing  yourself  to  the  blessed  land,  you  say :  "  Why 
art  thou  so  solitary.'     Why  is  the  wild  game  alone  here  to  glorify  my  God.'" 

And  if  you  continue  to  advance  through  those  immense  prairies,  which, 
like  a  boundless  ocean,  are  spreading  their  rolling  waves  before  you,  and 
seem  to  long  after  the  presence  of  man,  to  cover  themselves  with  incalculable 
treasures,  3'ou  remember  your  friends  in  Canada,  and  more  particularly 
those  among  them  who,  crushed  down  by  misery,  are  watering  with  the 
sweat  of  their  brow  a  sterile  and  desolated  soil,  you  say : 

"Ah!  if  such  and  such  of  my  friends  were  here,  how  soon  they  would 
see  their  hard  and  ungrateful  labors  changed  into  the  most  smiling  and 
happy  position." 

Perhaps  I  will  be  accused  then  of  trying  to  depopulate  my  country,  and 
drive  my  countrymen  from  Canada  to  the  United  States. 

No!  no.  I  never  had  so  perverse  a  design.  Here  is  my  mind  about 
the  subject  of  emigration,  and  I  see  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  it,  or  to 
conceal  it. 

It  is  a  fact  that  a  great  number  (and  much  greater  than  generally 
believed)  of  French  Canadians  are  yearly  emigrating  from  Canada,  and 
nobody  regrets  it  more  than  I  do ;  but  as  long  as  those  who  govern  Canada 
will  not  pay  more  attention  to  that  evil,  it  will  be  an  incurable  one,  and 
every  j-ear  Canada  will  lose  thousands  and  thousands  of  its  strongest  arms 
and  noblest  hearts,  to  benefit  our  happy  neighbors. 

With  many  others,  I  had  the  hope  that  the  eloquent  voice  of  the  poor 
settlers  of  our  eastern  townships  would  be  heard,  and  that  the  government 
would  help  them ;  but  that  hope  is  gone  like  a  dream ;  and  we  have  now 


5»o 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


every  reason  to  fear  that  our  unfortunate  settlers  of  the  east  will  be  left  to 
themselves. 

The  greatest  part  of  them,  for  the  want  of  roads  to  the  markets  of  Que- 
bec and  Montreal,  and  still  more  by  the  tyranny  of  their  cruel  landlords, 
will  soon  be  obliged  to  bid  an  eternal  adieu  to  their  country,  and  with  an 
enraged  heart  against  their  haughty  oppressors,  they  will  seek.  In  the  exile 
to  a  strange  land,  the  protection  they  could  not  find  in  their  own  country. 

Yes!  If  our  Canadian  government  continues  a  little  longer  to  show  the 
same  incomprehensible  and  stupid  apathy  for  the  welfare  of  its  own  sub- 
jects, emigration  will  increase  every  year  from  Canada,  to  swell  the  ranks  of 
the  American  people. 

Since  we  cannot  stop  that  emigration,  is  it  not  our  first  duty  to  direct  it 
in  such  a  way  that  it  will  be,  to  the  poor  emis^rants,  as  little  injury  as 
possible? 

Let  us  do  everything  to  hinder  them  from  going  to  the  large  cities  of 
the  United  States. 

Drowned  in  the  mixed  population  of  American  cities,  our  unfortunate- 
emigrating  countrymen  would  be  too  much  exposed  to  losing  their  morality 
and  their  faith. 

Surely  there  is  not  another  country  under  the  heavens  where  space, 
bread,  and  liberty  are  so  universally  assured  to  every  member  of  the  com- 
munity, as  the  United  States.  But  it  is  not  in  the  great  cities  of  the  United 
States  that  our  poor  countrymen  will  sooner  find  these  three  gifts.  The 
French  Canadian  who  will  stop  in  the  large  cities,  will  not,  with  a  very  few 
exceptions,  raise  himself  above  the  unenviable  position  of  a  poor  jour- 
neyman. 

But  those  among  them  who  will  direct  their  steps  toward  the  rich  and 
extensive  prairies  of  Bourbonnais,  will  certainly  find  a  better  lot. 

Many  in  Canada  would  believe  that  I  am  exaggerating,  were  I  to  pub- 
lish how  happy,  prosperous  and  respectable  is  the  French  Canadian  popula- 
tion of  Bourbonnais. 

The  French  Canadians  of  Bourbonnais  have  had  the  intelligence  to 
follow  the  good  example  of  the  industrious  American  farmers,  in  the  man- 
ner of  cultivating  the  lands. 

On  their  farms  as  well  as  on  those  of  their  neighbors,  you  will  find  the 
best  machinery  to  cut  their  crops,  to  thresh  their  grain. 

They  enjoy  the  just  reputation  of  having  the  best  horses  of  the  country, 
and  very  few  can  beat  them  for  the  number  and  quality  of  their  cattle. 

Now,  what  can  be  the  prospect  of  a  young  man  in  Canada,  if  he  has 
not  more  than  $200?  A  whole  life  of  hard  labor  and  continued  privation  is 
his  too  certain  lot.  But,  let  that  young  inan  go  directly  to  Bourbonnais, 
and  if  he  is  industrious,  sober  and  religious,  before  a  couple  of  years  he 
will  see  nothing  to  envy  in  the  most  happy  farmer  of  Canada. 

As  the  land  he  will  take  in  Illinois,  is  entirely  prepared  for  the  plough, 
he  has  no  trees  to  cut  or  eradicate,  no  stones  to  move,  no  ditch  to  dig,  his 


-w^ 


Y'""'TT''?'~'V™~ 


A    PLOT    TO    DESTROY    ME. 


5'i 


will  find  the 


only  work  is  to  fence  and  break  his  land  and  sow  It,  and  the  very  first  year 
the  value  of  the  crop  will  be  sufficient  to  pay  for  his  farm. 

Holy  Providence  has  prepared  everything  for  the  benefit  of  the  happy 
farmers  of  Illinois. 

That  fertile  country  Is  well  watered  by  a  multitude  of  rivers  and  large 
creeks,  whose  borders  are  generally  covered  with  the  most  rich  and  exten- 
sive groves  of  timber  of  the  best  quality,  as  black  oak,  maple,  white  oak, 
burr  oak,  ash,  &c. 

The  seeds  of  the  beautiful  acacia  (locust),  after  five  or  six  years^  will 
give  you  a  splendid  tree. 

The  greatest  variety  of  fruits  are  growing  naturally  in  almost  every  part 
of  Illinois ;  coal  mines  have  been  discovered  in  tlie  very  heart  of  the  country, 
more  than  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  the  people.  Before  long,  a  railroad 
from  Chicago  to  Bourbonnals  will  bring  our  happy  countrymen  to  the  most 
extensive  market,  the  Queen  city  of  the  west — Chicago. 

1  will  then  say  to  my  young  countrymen  who  Intend  emigrating  from 
Canada:  "My  friend,  exile  is  one  of  the  greatest  calamities  that  can  befall 
a  man. 

"  Young  Canadian,  remain  in  the  country,  keep  thy  heart  to  love  it,  thy 
intelligence  to  adorn  it,  and  thine  arms  to  protect  it, 

"  Young  and  dear  crountrymcn,  remain  in  thy  beautiful  country ;  there 
is  nothing  more  grand  and  sublime  In  the  world  than  the  waters  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  It  is  on  its  deep  and  majestic  waters  that,  before  long,  Eu- 
rope and  America  will  meet  and  bind  themselves  to  each  other  by  the 
blessed  bonds  of  an  eternal  peace ;  it  is  on  its  shores  that  they  will  exchange 
their  incalculable  treasures.  Remain  in  the  country  of  thy  birth,  my 
dear  son.  Let  the  sweat  of  thy  brow  continue  to  fertilize  it,  and  let  the 
perfume  of  thy   virtues  bring  the  blessing  of  God  upon  it. 

"  But,  my  dear  son,  if  thou  hast  no  more  room  in  the  valley  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  if,  by  the  want  of  protection  from  the  Government,  thou 
canst  not  go  to  the  forest  without  running  the  danger  of  losing  thy  life  in 
a  pond,  or  being  crushed  under  tlie  feet  of  an  English  or  Scotch  tyrant,  I 
am  not  the  man  to  invite  thee  to  exhaust  thy  best  days  for  the  benefit  of  the 
insolent  strangers,  who  are  the  lords  of  the  eastern  lands.  I  will  sooner 
tell  thee,  'go  my  child,'  there  are  many  extensive  places  still  vacant  on  the 
earth,  and  God  is  everywhere.  That  Great  God  calleth  thee  to  another 
land,  submit  thyself  to  His  Divine  Will. 

"  But,  before  you  bid  a  final  adieu  to  thy  country,  engrave  on  thy  heart 
and  keep  as  a  holy  deposit,  the  love  of  thy  holy  religion,  of  thy  beautiful 
language,  and  of  the  dear  and  unfortunate  country  of  thy  birth. 

"  On  thy  way  to  the  land  of  exile,  stop  as  little  as  possible,  in  the  great 
cities,  for  fear  of  the  many  snares  thy  eternal  enemy  has  prepared  for  thy 
perdition. 

"  But  go  straiglit  to  Bourbonnals.  There  you  will  find  many  of  tii^ 
brothers,  who  have  erected  the  cross  of  Christ ;  join  thyself  to  them,  thou 


pppp 


I 


^^iiiPPiiifiipppiMiliPi^^ 


5>2 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHUHCH   OF    ROME. 


Shalt  be  strong  of  their  strength ;  go  and  help  them  to  conquer  to  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  those  ricli  conntrics,  which  shall,  very  soon,  weigh  more  than  is 
generally  believed,  in  the  balance  of  the  nations, 

"  Yes,  go  straight  to  Illinois.  Thou  shalt  not  be  entirely  in  a  strange 
and  alien  country.  Holy  Providence  has  chosen  thy  fathers  to  find  that  rich 
cpuntry,  and  to  reveal  to  the  world  its  admirable  resources. 

"  More  than  once,  that  land  of  Illinois  has  been  sanctified  by  the  blood 
of  thy  ancestors. 

"  In  Illinois,  thou  shalt  not  make  a  step  without  finding  indestructible 
proof  of  the  perseverance,  genius,  bravery  and  piety  of  the  F'rench  forefathers. 

"Go  to  Illinois,  and  the  many  names  of  Bourbonnais,  Joliet,  Dubuque, 
La  Salle,  St.  Charles,  St.  Mary,  &c.,  that  you  will  meet  everywhere,  will 
tell  you  more  than  my  words,  that  that  country  is  nothing  but  the  ricli  In. 
hcritance  which  your  fathers  tiavc  found  for  the  benefit  of  their  grand- 
children." 

C.  CHINIQUY. 


I  would  never  have  published  this  letter,  if  I  had  foreseen  its 
effects  on  the  farmers  of  Canada.  In  a  few  days  after  its  appear- 
ance, their  farms  fell  to  half  their  value.  Every  one,  in  some 
parishes,  wanted  to  sell  their  lands  and  emigrate  to  the  west. 
It  was  only  for  want  of  purchasers  that  we  did  not  see  an  emi- 
gration which  would  have  surely  ruined  Canada.  I  was  fright- 
ened by  its  immediate  effect  on  the  public  mind.  However, 
while  some  were  praising  mc  to  the  skies,  for  having  published 
it,  others  were  cursing  me,  and  calling  me  a  traitor.  The  very 
day  after  its  publication,  I  was  in  Quebec,  where  the  Bishops  of 
Canada  were  met  in  council.  The  first  one  I  met,  was  my  Lord 
t)e  Charbonel,  Bishop  of  Toronto.  After  having  blessed  me,  he 
pressed  my  hand  in  his,  and  said: 

"  I  have  just  read  your  admirable  letter.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  eloquently  written  articles  I  ever  read.  The 
Spirit  of  God  has  surely  inspired  every  one  of  its  sentences.  I 
have,  just  now,  forwarded  six  copies  of  it  to  different  journals  of 
France  and  Belgium,  where  they  will  be  republished  and  do  an 
incalculable  amount  of  a^ood,  by  directing  the  French-speaking 
Catholic  emigrants  tovvards  a  country  where  they  will  run  no 
risk  of  losing  their  faith,  with  the  assurance  of  securing  a  future 
of  unbounded  prosperity  for  their  families.  Your  name  will  be 
put  among  the  names  of  the  greatest  benefactors  of  humanity." 


!.'■-    |i  (  I- 


\"  im 


RjrriwwTTTTT- 


A    I'LOT    TO    DESTROY    ME. 


5»3 


c,  in  some 


Though  these  complhrjents  seemed  to  me  much  exaggerated 
and  unmerited,  1  cannot  deny  that  they  pleased  me,  by  adding  to 
my  hopes  and  convictions  that  great  good  wo\ild  surely  come 
from  the  plan  I  had  of  gathering  all  the  Roman  Catholic  emi- 
grants on  the  same  spot,  to  form  such  large  and  strong  congre- 
gations; that  they  wouUl  have  nothing  to  fear  from  heretics.  I 
tiianked  the  bishop  for  his  kiml  and  friendly  words,  and  left  him, 
lo  go  and  present  my  respectful  salutations  to  my  Bishop  of 
Montreal,  my  Lord  Bourget,  and  give  him  a  short  sketch  of  my 
voyage  to  the  far  west.  1  found  him  alone  in  his  room,  in  the 
very  act  of  reading  my  letter.  A  lioness,  who  had  just  lost  her 
whelps,  would  not  have  looked  upon  me  with  more  angry  and 
threatening  eyes  than  that  bishop  did. 

"  Is  it  possible,"  he  said,  "  Mr.  Chiniquy,  that  your  hand  has 
written  and  signed  such  a  perfidious  document?  How  could  you 
so  cruelly  pierce  the  bosom  of  your  own  country,  after  her  deal- 
ing so  nobly  with  you?  Do  you  not  see  that  your  treasonable 
letter  will  give  such  an  impetus  to  emigration  that  our  most 
thriving  parishes  will  soon  be  turned  into  solitude?  Though  you 
do  not  say  it,  we  feel  at  every  line  of  that  letter,  that  you  slso 
will  leave  your  country,  to  give  help  and  comfort  lo  our  natural 
enemies."  • 

Surprised  by  this  unexpected  burst  of  bad  feelings,  I  kept  my 
iang  froid^  and  answered: 

"  My  lord,  your  lordship  has  surely  misunderstood  me,  if 
you  have  found  in  my  letter  any  treasonable  plan  to  ruin  our 
country.  Please  read  it  again,  and  you  will  see  that  every  line 
has  been  inspired  by  the  purest  motives  of  patriotism,  and  the 
highest  views  of  religion.  How  is  it  possible  that  the  worthy 
Bishop  of  Toronto  should  have  told  me  that  the  Spirit  of  God 
Himself  had  dictated  every  line  of  that  letter,  when  my  good 
bishop's  opinion  is  so  completely  opposite?" 

The  abrupt  answer  the  bishop  gave  to  these  remarks,  clearly 
indicated  that  my  absence  would  be  more  welcome  than  my 
presence.  I  left  him,  after  asking  his  blessing,  which  he  gave 
me  in  the  coldest  manuor  possible. 

On  the  25th  of  August,  I  was  back  at  Longueuil,  from  my 

\ 


^ii 


5H 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


voyage  to  Quebec,  which  I  had  extended  as  far  as  Kamouraska. 
to  see  again  the  noble-hearted  parishioners,  whose  unanimity  in 
taking  the  25ledge  of  temperance,  and  admirable  fidelity  in  keep- 
ing it  then,  had  filled  my  heart  with  such  joy. 

I  related  my  last  interview  with  Bishop  Bourget  to  my  faith- 
ful  friend  Mr.  Brassard.     He  answered  me: 

"  The  present  bad  feelings  of  the  Bishop  of  Montreal  against 
you,  are  not  a  secret  to  me.  Unfortunately  the  low-minded  men 
who  surround  and  counsel  him,  are  as  unable  as  the  bishop 
himself,  to  understand  your  exalted  views  in  directing  the  steps 
of  the  Roman  Catholics  towards  the  splendid  valley  of  the 
Mississippi.  They  are  beside  themselves,  because  they  see  that 
you  will  easily  succeed  in  forming  a  grand  colony  of  French- 
speaking  people  in  Illinois.  Now,  I  am  sure  of  what  I  say, 
though  I  am  not  free  to  tell  you  how  it  came  to  my  knowledj^-e, 
there  is  a  plot  somewhere  to  dishonor  and  destroy  you,  at  once. 
Those  who  are  at  the  head  of  that  plot,  hope  that  if  they  can 
succeed  in  destroying  your  popularity,  nobody  will  be  tempted 
to  follow  you  to  Illinois.  For,  though  you  have  concealed  it  as 
well  as  you  could,  it  is  evident  to  every  one  now,  that  you  are 
the  man  selected  by  the  bishops  of  the  west  to  direct  the  uncer- 
tain steps  of  the  poor  emigi'ants  towards  those  rich  lands." 

"Do  you  mean,  my  dear  Mr.  Brassard,"  I  replied,  "that 
there  are  priests  around  the  Bishop  of  Montreal,  cruel  and  vile 
enough  to  forge  calumnies  against  me,  and  spread  them  before 
the  country  in  such  a  way  that  I  shall  be  unable  to  refute 
them  ?" 

"  It  is  just  what  I  mean,"  answered  Mr.  Brassard,  "  Mind 
what  I  tell  you ;  the  bishop  has  made  use  of  you  to  reform  his 
diocese.  He  likes  you  for  that  work.  But  your  popularity  is 
too  great,  to-day,  for  your  e.iemies;  they  want  to  get  rid  of  you, 
and  no  means  will  be  too  vile  or  criminal  to  accomplish  your 
destruction,  if  they  can  attain  their  object." 

"  But,  my  dear  Mr.  Brassard,  can  you  give  me  any  details  of 
the  plots  which  are  in  store  against  me?"  I  asked. 

"  No !  I  cannot,  for  I  know  them  not.  But  be  on  your 
guard ;  for  you*;  few,  but  powerful  enemies,  are  jubilant.     They 


jsyi^ftid&iOiM. 


tSvi.'i'iaaiEiiSAiUj.-, 


A    PLOT    TO    DESTROY    ME. 


515 


speak  of  the  absolute  impotency  to  which  you  will  soon  be 
reduced ;  if  you  accomplish  what  they  so  maliciously  and  falsely 
call  your  treacherous  objects." 

I  answered :  "  Our  Saviour  has  said  to  all  His  disciples:  '  In 
the  world,  ye  shall  have  tribulations.  But  be  of  good  cheer,  I 
have  overcome  the  world.'  I  am  more  determined  than  ever,  to 
put  my  trust  in  God,  and  to  fear  no  man." 

Two  hours  after  this  conversation,  I  received  the  following 
from  the  Rev.  M.  Pare,  secretary  to  the  Bi$hop: 

To  THE  Rev..  Mr.  Chiniquv, 

Apostle  of  Temperance. 
Mv  Dear  Sir: — My  lord  Bishop  of  Montreal  would  like  to  see  you 
upon  some  important  business.     Please  come  at  your  earliest  convenience. 

Yours  Truly, 

Jos.  Pare,  Secretary. 

The  next  morning  I  was  alone  with  Monseigneur  Bourget, 
who  received  me  very  kindly.  He  seemed  at  first  to  have  en- 
tirely banished  the  bad  feelings  he  had  shown  in  our  last  inter- 
view, at  Quebec.  After  making  some  friendly  remarks  on  my 
continual  labors  and  success  in  the  cause  of  temperance,  he 
stopped  for  a  moment,  and  seemed  embarrassed  how  to  resume 
the  conversation.     At  last  he  said : 

"Are  you  not  the  father  confessor  of  Mrs.  Chenier?"    <CI      ' 

"  Yes,  my  lord.  I  have  been  her  confessor  since  I  lived  in 
Longueuil." 

"  Very  well,  very  well,"  he  rejoined,  "  I  suppose  that  you 
know  that  her  only  child  is  a*  nun,  in  the  Congregation  Con- 
vent." 

"  Yes!  my  lord,  I  know  it,"  I  replied. 

"  Could  you  not  induce  Mrs.  Chenier  to  become  a  nun  also?" 
asked  the  bishop. 

"  I  never  thought  of  that;  my  lord,"  I  answered,  «  and  I  do 
not  see  why  I  should  advise  her  to  exchange  her  beautiful  cot- 
tage, washed  by  the  fresh  and  pure  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
where  she  looks  so  happy  and  cheerful,  for  the  gloomy  walls  of 
the  nunnery." 


5^6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


"  But  she  is  still  young  and  beautiful ;  she  may  be  deceived 
by  temptations  when  she  is  there,  in  that  beautiful  house,  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  enjoyments  of  her  fort' me,"  replied  the 
bishop. 

"  I  understand  your  lordship.  Yes,  Mrs.  Chenier  has  the 
reputation  of  being  rich;  though  I  know  nothing  of  her  fortune 
she  has  kept  well  the  charms  and  freshness  of  her  youth.  How- 
ever, I  think  that  the  best  remedy  against  the  temptations  you 
seem  to  dread  so  much  for  her,  is  to  advise  her  to  marry.  A 
good  Christian  husband  seems  to  me  a  much  better  remedy 
against  the  dangers,  to  which  your  lordship  alludes,  than  the 
cheerless  walls  of  a  nunnery." 

"  You  speak  just  as  a  Protestant,"  rejoined  the  b*  p,  with 
an  evident  nervous  irritation.  "  We  remark  that,  though  you 
hear  the  confessions  of  a  great  number  of  young  ladies,  there  is 
not  a  single  one  of  them  who  has  ever  become  a  nun.  You 
seem  to  ignore,  that  the  vow  of  chastity  is  the  shortest  way  to  a 
life  of  holiness  in  this  world  and  happiness  in  the  next." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  difler  from  your  lordship,  in  that  mat- 
ter," I  replied.  "  But  I  cannot  help  it,  the  remedy  you  have 
found  against  sin  is  quite  modern.  The  old  remedy  offered  bv 
our  God  Himself,  is  very  different  and  much  better,  I  think." 

"'  It  is  not  good  that  man  shall  remain  alone,  1  will  make  a 
help-niat^  for  him,'  said  our  Creator  in  the  earthly  paradise. 
'  And  to  avoid  fornication,  let  every  man  have  his  wife,  and  let 
every  woman  have  her  own  husband,'  said  the  same  God,  through 
His  apostle  Paul.  * 

"  I  know  too  well  how  the  great  majority  of  nuns  keep  their 
vows  of  chastity,  to  believe  that  the  modern  remedy  against  the 
temptations  you  mention,  is  an  improvement  on  the  old  one 
found  and  given  by  our  God !"  I  answered. 

With  an  angry  look,  the  bishop  replied: 

"This  is  Protestantism,  Mr.  Chiniquy.  This  is  sheer  Pro- 
testantism." 

"  I  respectfully  ask  your  pardon  for  differing  from  your 
lordship.  This  is  not  Protestantism.  It  is  simply  and  absolute- 
ly the  '  pure  word  of  God.'     But,  my  lord,  God  knows  that  it  is 


'^T^^^T^^^'^'W^^i^f^^^ 


A    PLOT   TO    DESTROY    ME. 


517 


my  sincere  desire,  as  it  is  my  interest  and  my  duty,  to  do  all  in 
my  power  to  deserve  your  esteem.  I  do  not  want  to  vex  nor 
disobey  you.  Please  give  me  a  good  reason  why  I  should  ad- 
vise Mrs.  Chenier  to  enter  a  monastery,  and  I  will  comply  with 
your  request  the  very  first  time  she    comes  to  confess." 

Resuming  his  most  amiable  manner,  the  bishop  answered  me : 

"  My  first  reason  is,  the  spiritual  good  which  she  would  receive 
from  her  vows  of  perpetual  chastity  and  poverty  in  a  nunnery. 
The  second  reason  is,  that  the  lady  is  rich;  and  we  are  in  need  of 
money.  We  would  soon  possess  her  whole  fortune;  for  her  only 
child  is  already  in  the  Congregation  Convent." 

«My  dear  bishop,"  I  replied,  "you  already  know  what  I 
think  of  your  first  reason.  After  having  investigated  that  fact, 
not  in  the  Protestant  books,  but  from  the  lips  of  the  nuns  them- 
selves, as  well  as  from  their  father  confessors,  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced that  the  real  virtue  of  purity  -s  much  better  kept  in  the 
homes  of  our  Cbi-istian  mothers,  married  sisters,  and  female 
friends,  than  in  the  secret  rooms,  not  to  say  prisons,  where  the 
poor  nuns  are  enchained  by  the  heavy  fetters  assumed  by  their 
vows,  which  the  great  majority  curse  when  they  cannot  break 
them. 

"  And  for  the  second  reason,  your  lordship  gives  me  to  in- 
duce Mrs.  Chenier  becoming  a  nun,  I  am  again  soiTy  to  say, 
that  I  cannot  conscientiously  accept  it.  I  have  not  consecrated 
myself  to  the  priesthood  to  deprive  respectable  families  of  their 
le^al  inheritance  in  order  to  enrich  myself,  or  anybody  else.  I 
know  she  has  poor  relations  who  need  her  fortune  after  her 
death." 

"  Do  you  pretend  to  say  that  your  bishop  is  a  thief  ?"  angrily 
rejoined  the  bishop. 

"No,  my  lord!  By  no  means.  No  doubt,  from  your  high 
standpoint  of  view,  your  lordship  may  see  things  in  a  very  diff- 
erent aspect,  from  what  I  see  them,  in  the  low  position  I  occupy 
in  the  church.  But,  as  your  lordship  is  bound  to  follow  the  dic- 
tates of  his  conscience  in  everything,  I  also  feel  obliged  to  give 
heed  to  the  voice  of  mine." 

This  painful  conversation  had  already  lasted  too  long.     I  was 


y 


r" 


-> ' 


518 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


anxious  to  see  the  end  of  it;  for  I  could  easily  read  in  the  face 
of  my  superior,  that  every  word  I  uttered  was  sealing  my  doom. 
I  rose  up  to  take  leave  of  him,  and  said :  "  My  lord,  I  beg  your 
pardon  for  disappointing  your  lordship." 

He  coldly  answered  me: 

"  It  is  not  the  first  time ;  though  I  would  it  were  the  last,  that 
you  show  such  a  want  of  respect  and  submission  to  the  will  of 
your  superiors.  But,  as  I  feel  it  is  a  conscientious  affair  on  your 
part,  I  have  no  ill-will  against  you,  and  I  am  happy  to  tell  you 
that  I  entertain,  for  you,  all  my  past  esteem.  The  only  favor  I  ask 
from  you,  just  now  is,  that  this  conversation  may  be  kept  secret." 

I  answered :  "  It  is  still  more  to  my  interest  than  yours  to  keep 
this  unfortunate  affair  a  secret  between  us.  I  hope  that  neither 
your  lordship,  nor  the  Great  God,  who  alone  has  heard  us,  will 
ever  make  it  an  imperious  duty  for  me  to  mention  it." 

"  What  good  news  do  you  bring  me  from  the  bishop's  pal- 
ace?" asked  my  venerable  friend,  Mr.  Brassard,  when  I  returned, 
late  in  the  afternoon. 

"  I  would  have  very  spicy,  though  unpalatable  news  to  give 
you,  had  not  the  bishop  asked  me  to  keep  what  has  been  said 
between  us  a  secret." 

Mr.  Brassard  laughed  outright,  at  my  answer,  and  replied: 

"  A  secret !  a  secret !  Ah  I  but  it  is  a  gazette  secret ;  for  the 
bishop  has  bothered  me,  as  well  as  many  others,  with  that  matter, 
frequently,  since  your  return  from  Illinois.  Several  times  he  has 
asked  us  to  persuade  you  to  advise  your  devoted  penitent,  Mrs. 
Chenier,  to  become  a  nun.  I  knew  he  invited  you  to  his  palace, 
yesterday,  for  that  object. 

«  The  eyes  and  the  heart  of  our  poor  bishop,"  continued  Mr. 
Brassard,  "are  too  firmly  fixed  on  the  fortune  of  that  ladv. 
Hence,  his  zeal  about  the  salvation  of  her  soul,  through  the 
monastic  life.  In  vain  I  tried  to  dissuade  the  bishop  from  speak- 
ing to  you  on  that  subject,  on  account  of  your  prejudices  against 
our  good  nuns.  He  would  not  listen  to  me.  No  doubt  you 
have  realized  my  worst  anticipations;  you  have,  with  your  usual 
stubbornness,  refused  to  yield  to  his  demands.  I  fear  you  have 
added  to  his  bad  feelings,  and  consummated  your  disgrace." 


frm^m'^W'^-'mi^ill^^iilf^ 


A    PLOT    TO   DESTROY    ME. 


519 


«What  a  deceitful  than  that  bishop  is,"  I  answered,  indig- 
nantly. "  He  has  given  me  to  understand  that  this  was  a  most 
sacred  secret  between  him  and  me,  when  I  see,  by  what  you  say, 
that  it  is  nothing  else  than  a  farcical  secret,  known  by  the  hun- 
dreds who  have  heard  of  it. 

"  But,  please  my  dear  Mr.  Brassard,  tell  me,  is  it  not  a  burning 
shame  that  our  nunneries  are  changed  into  real  traps,  to  steal, 
cheat,  and  ruin  so  many  unsuspecting  families?  I  have  no  words 
to  express  my  disgust  and  indignation,  when  T  see  that  all  those 
great  demonstrations  and  eloquent  tirades  about  the  perfection 
and  holiness  of  the  nuns,  on  the  part  of  our  spiritual  rulers, 
are  nothing  else,  in  realitr,  than  a  veil  to  conceal  their  steal- 
ing operations.  Do  you  not  feel,  that  those  poor  nuns  are 
the  victims  of  the  most  stupendous  system  of  swindling,  the 
world  has  ever  seen  ? 

"I  know  that  there  are  some  honorable  exceptions.  For 
instance,  the  nunnery  you  have  founded  here,  is  an  exception. 
You  haVe  not  built  it  to  enrich  yourself,  as  you  have  spent  your 
last  ceqt  in  its  erection.  But  you  and  I  are  only  simpletons,  who 
have,  till  now,  ignored  the  terrible  secrets  which  put  that 
machine  of  the  nunneries  and  monkeries  in  motion.  I  am  more 
than  ever  disgusted  and  terrified,  not  only  by  the  unspeakable 
corruptions  ,but  also  by  the  stupendous  system  of  swindling,  which 
is  their  foundation  stone.  If  the  cities  of  Quebec  and  Montreal 
could  know,  what  I  know,  of  the  incalculable  sums  of  money 
secretly  stolen  through  the  confessional,  to  aid  our  bishops  in 
building  the  famous  cathedrals  and  splendid  palaces ;  or  to  cover 
themselves  with  robes  of  silk,  satin,  silver  and  gold ;  to  live  more 
luxurious  than  the  Pashas  of  Turkey;  they  would  set  fire  to  all 
those  palatial  buildings;  they  would  hang  the  confessors,  who 
have  thrown  the  poor  nuns  into  these  dungeons,  under  the  pre- 
text of  saving  their  souls,  when  the  real  motive  was  to  lay  hands 
on  their  inheritance,  and  raise  their  colossal  fortunes.  The 
bishop  has  opened  before  me  a  most  deplorable  and  shameful 
page  of  the  history  of  our  church.  It  makes  me  understand 
many  facts  which  were  a  mystery  to  me  till  to-day.  Now  I 
understand  the  terrible  wrath  of  the  English  people  in  the  days 


14 


msa.^^  ijnr^ 


ffe- 


5ao 


PIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


of  old,  and  of  the  French  people  more  recently,  when  they  so 
violently  wrenched  from  the  hands  of  the  clergy  the  enor- 
mous  wealth  they  had  accumulated  during  the  dark  ages.  I 
have  condemned  those  great  nations  till  now.  But,  to-day,  I 
absolve  them.  I  am  sure  that  those  men,  though  blind  and 
cruel  in  their  vengeance,  were  the  ministers  of  the  justice  of  God. 
The  God  of  Heaven  could  not,  forever,  tolerate  a  sacrilegious 
system  of  swindling,  as  I  know,  now,  to  be  fn  operation  from 
one  end  to  the  other,  not  only  of  Canada,  but  of  the  whole 
world,  under  the  mask  of  religion.  I  know  that  the  bishop  and 
his  flatterers  will  hate  and  persecute  me  for  my  stern  opposition 
to  his  rapacity.  But  I  do  feel  happy  and  proud  of  his  hatred. 
The  God  of  truth  and  justice,  the  God  of  the  gospel,  will  be  on 
my  side,  when  they  attack  me.  I  do  not  fear  them ;  let  them 
come.  That  bisliop  surely  did  not  know  me,  when  he  thought 
that  I  would  consent  to  be  the  instrument  of  his  hypocrisy,  and 
that,  under  the  false  pretext  of  a  delusive  perfection,  I  would 
throw  that  lady  into  a  dungeon  for  her  life,  that  he  might  become 
rich  with  her  inheritance." 

Mr.  Brassard  answered  me:  "I  cannot  blame  you  for  your 
disobeying  the  bishop,  in  this  instance.  I  foretold  him  what  has 
occurred ;  for  I  knew  what  you  think  of  the  nuns.  Though  I 
do  not  go  so  far  as  you  in  that,  I  cannot  absolutely  shut  my  eyes 
to  the  facts  which  stare  us  in  the  face.  Those  monkish  commu- 
nites  have,  in  every  age,  been  the  principal  cause  of  the  calamities 
which  have  befallen  the  church.  For  their  love  of  riches,  their 
pride  and  laziness,  with  their  otiier  scandals,  have  always  been 
the  same. 

"  Had  I  been  able  to  foresee  what  has  occurred  inside  the 
walls  of  the  nunnery  I  built  up  here,  I  never  would  have  erected 
it.  However,  now  that  I  have  built  it,  it  is  as  the  child  of  my 
old  age;  I  feel  bound  to  support  it  to  the  end.  This  docs  not 
prevent  me  from  being  afflicted  when  I  see  the  facility  with 
which  our  poor  nuns  yield  to  the  criminal  desires  of  their  too 
weak  confessors.  Who  could  have  thought,  for  instance,  that, 
that  lean  and  ugly  superior  of  the  oblates.  Father  Allard, 
could  have  fallen  in  love  with  his  young  nuns,  and  that  so  many 


Ui(UUrPffll!l<iP|8fpiPf|RpQ|i 


A    PLOT    TO    DESTROY    ME. 


5a> 


MTOuld  have  lost  their  hearts  on  his  account.  Have  you  heard 
how  the  young  men  of  our  village,  indignant  at  his  spending 
the  greater  part  of  the  night  with  the  nuns,  have  whipped  him, 

when  he  was  crossing  the  bridge,  not  long  before  his  leaving 
Longueuil  for  Africa?     It  is  evident  that  our  bishop  multiplies 

too  fast  those  religious  houses. 

"  My  fear  is  that  they  will,  sooner  then  we  expect,  bring 
upon  our  Church  of  Canada,  the  same  cataclysms  which  have  so 
often  desolated  her  in  England,  France,  Germany  and  even  in 
Italy." 

The  clock  struck  twelve  just  when  this  last  sentence  fell 
from  the  lips  of  Mr.  Brassard.  It  was  quite  time  to  take  some 
rest.     When  leaving  me  for  his  sleeping  room  he  said: 

"My  dear  Chiniquy;  gird  your  loins  well,  sharpen  your 
sword  for  the  impending  conflict.  My  fear  is,  that  the  bishop 
and  his  advisers  will  never  forget  your  wrenching  from  their 
hands,  the  booty  they  were  coveting  so  long. 

"They  will  never  forgive  the  spirit  of  independence  with 
which  you  hav»"  rebuked  them. 

« In  fact,  the  conflict  is  already  begun,  may  God  protect  you 
against  the  open  blows,  and  the  secret  machinations  they  have 
in  store  for  you." 

I  answered  him:  "  I  do  not  fear  them.  I  put  my  trust  in 
God.  It  is  for  His  honor  I  am  fighting  and  suffering.  He  will 
surely  protect  me  from  those  sacrilegious  traders  in  souls." 


'%  ■ 


fjff^i^^^jgjg^^^^^^^^^^ 


Chapter    XLIX. 

THE  PLOT  TO  DESTBOT  ME-THE  ZNTEBDIOT-THB  BBTBBAT 
AT  THE  JESUITS'  OOXiI.EaB-THE  LOST  OZBI.,  EMPLOY- 
ES BY  THE  BISHOP,  BETBACTS-THE  BISHOP  CONFOUNDED, 
SEES  HIS  INJUSTICE,  MABIBS  AMENDS-TESTIMONIAL  LET- 
TEBS-THE  CHALIOE-THE  BENEDICTION  BEFOBB  I  LEAVE 
CANADA. 


THE  first  week  of  Sept.,  1851,  I  was  hearing  confessions  in 
one  of  the  churches  of  Montreal,  when  a  fine-looking 
girl  came  to  confess  sins,  whose  depravity  surpassed  anything  I 
had  ever  heard.  Though  I  forbade  her  twice,  to  do  it,  she  gave 
me  the  names  of  several  priests  who  were  the  accomplices  of 
her  orgies.  The  details  of  her  iniquities  were  told  with  such  cyni- 
cal impudence  that  the  idea  struck  me,  at  once,  that  she  was  sent  by 
some  one,  to  ruin  me.  I  abruptly  stopped  her  disgusting  stones 
by  saying :  "  The  way  you  confess  your  sins,  is  a  sure  indication 
that  you  do  not  come  here  to  reconcile  yourself  to  God,  but  to 
ruin  me.  By  the  grace  of  God,  you  will  fail.  I  forbid  you  to 
come  any  more  to  my  confessional.  If  I  see  you  again  among 
my  penitents,  I  will  order  the  beadle  to  turn  you  out  of  the 
church." 

I  instantly  shut  the  door  of  the  small  aperture  through  which 
she  was  speaking  to  me. 

She  answered  something  which  I  could  not  understand.  But 
the  tone  of  her  voice,  the  shaking  of  her  hands  and  head,  with 
her  manner  of  walking,  when  she  left  the  confessional,  indicated 
that  she  was  beside  herself  with  rage,  as  she  went  to  speak  a 
few  words  to  a  carter  who  was  in  the  church,  preparing  himself 
to  confess. 

The  next  evening,  I  said  to  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard  that  I  suspec- 
ted that  a  girl  was  sent  to  my  confessional  to  rum  me. 

532 


ipi 


PI',ipi^i*J^'''^.'^wf;"f' WW ''![''? 


THE    INTERDICT. 


523 


;ssions  in 


He  answered:  "Did  I  not  warn  you,  sometime  ago  that 
there  was  a  plot  to  destroy  you  ?  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  but 
that  that  girl  was  hired  to  begin  that  diabolical  work.  You 
have  no  idea  of  my  anxiety  about  you.  For  I  knov/  your 
enemies  will  not  shrink  from  any  iniquity  to  destroy  your  good 
name,  and  prevent  you  from  directing  the  tide  of  emigration 
from  Canada  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi." 

I  replied,  "  that  I  could  not  partake  of  his  fears ;  that  God 
knew  my  innocence  and  the  purity  of  my  motives ;  He  would 
defend  and  protect  me." 

"My  dear  Chiniqny,"  replied  Mr.  Brassard,  "I  know  your 
enemies.  They  are  not  numerous,  but  they  are  implacable,  and 
their  power  for  mischief  knows  no  limits.  Surely,  God  can  save 
you  from  their  hands;  but  I  cannot  share  your  security  for  the 
future.  Your  answer  to  the  bishop,  in  reference  to  Mrs. 
Chenier,  when  you  refused  to  send  her  to  the  nunnery,  that  he 
might  inherit  her  fortune,  has,  forever,  alienated  him  from  you 
Bishop  Bourget  has  the  merited  reputation  of  being  the  most 
revengeful  man  in  Canada.  He  will  avail  himself  of  the  least 
opportunity  to  strike  you  without  mercy." 

I  answered, "  Though  there  should  be  a  thousand  Bishops 
Bourget  to  plot  against  me,  I  will  not  fear  them,  so  long  as  I  am 
in  the  right,  as  I  am  to-day." 

As  the  clock  struck  twelve,  I  bade  him  good  night,  and  ten 
minutes  later,  I  was  sound  asleep. 

The  following  days,  I  went  to  deliver  a  course  of  lectures  on 
temperance  to  several  parishes  south  of  Laprairie,  till  the  aSth 
of  September,  after  which  I  came  back  from  St.  Constant  to  rest, 
for  a  few  days,  and  prepare  to  start  for  Chicago. 

On  my  arrival,  I  found,  on  my  t.ible,  a  short  letter  from 
Bishop  Bourget  telling  me,  that,  for  a  criminal  action,  which  he 
did  not  want  to  mention,  committed  with  a  person  he  would  not 
name,  he  had  withdrawn  all  my  priestly  powers  and  interdicted  me. 

I  handed  the  letter  to  Mr.  Brassard  and  said :  "  Is  not  this 
the  fulfillment  of  your  prophecies?  What  do  you  think  of  a 
bishop  who  interdicts  a  priest  without  giving  him  a  single  fact, 
and  without  even  allowing  him  to  know  his  accusers  ?" 


iUMjw 


524 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


'♦  It  is  just  what  I  expected  from  the  implacable  vengeance  of 
the  B'''hop  of  Montreal.  He  will  never  give  you  the  reasons  of  your 
interdi>  for  he  knows  well  you  are  innocent,  and  he  will  never 
confront  you  with  your  accusers;  for  it  would  be  too  easy  for  you 
to  confound  them." 

"  But  is  not  this  against  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man?  Is  it 
not  against  the  laws  of  the  church?"  I  replied. 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  answered  he,  "  but  do  you  not  know  that, 
on  this  continent  of  America,  the  bishops  have,  long  ago,  thrown 
overboard  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  and  all  the  laws  of  the 
church,  to  rule  and  enslave  the  priests?" 

I  replied :  "  If  it  be  so,  are  not  Protestants  correct,  when 
they  say  that  our  church  has  rejected  the  Word  of  God,  to  follow 
the  traditions  of  man?  What  can  we  answer  them  when  they 
tell  us  that  our  church  has  no  right  to  be  called  the  church  of 
God?  Would  the  Son  of  God  have  given  up  his  life  on  the 
cross  to  save  men,  that  they  might  be  the  property  of  a  few  law- 
less tyrants,  who  should  have  the  right  to  take  away  their  honor 
and  life?" 

"  I  am  not  ready  to  answer  those  puzzling  questions,"  he 
answered,  "  but  this  is  the  fact.  Though  it  is  absolutely  against 
all  the  laws  of  the  church,  to  condemn  a  priest  without  showing 
him  his  guilt,  and  confronting  him  with  his  accusers,  our  modern 
bishops,  every  week,  condemn  some  of  their  priests  without 
specifying  any  fact,  or  even  giving  them  the  names  of  their 
accusers." 

"  Mind  what  I  tell  you,"  1  replied.  "  I  will  not  allow  the 
bishop  to  deal  with  me  in  that  way.  If  he  dares  to  trample  the 
laws  of  the  gospel  under  his  feet,  to  accomplish  my  ruin,  and 
satisfy  his  vengeance,  I  will  teach  him  a  lesson  that  he  will  never 
forget.  Thanks  be  to  God,  it  is  not  the  gory  cross  of  the  bloody 
Inquisition,  but  the  emblem  of  the  British  Lion,  which  I  see 
there  floating  on  the  tower,  to  protect  our  honor  and  life,  in 
Canada.  I  am  innocent;  God  knows  it.  My  trust  is  in  Him; 
He  will  not  forsake  me.  I  will  go  immediately  to  the  bishop. 
If  he  never  knew  what  power  there  is  in  an  honest  priest,  he 
will  learn  it  to-day." 


'PTOiP^^PPPWTOTWWn^^ 


THE    INIKRDICT. 


5*5 


Two  hours  later,  I  was  knocking  at  the  bishop's  door.  He 
received  me  with  icy  politeness. 

"My  lord,"  I  said,  "you  already  know  why  I  am  in  your 
presence.  Here  is  a  letter  from  you,  accusing  me  of  a  crime 
which  is  not  specified,  under  the  testimony  of  accusers  whom 
you  refuse  to  name!  And  before  hearing  me,  and  confronting 
me  with  my  accusers,  you  punish  me  as  guilty!  You  . -^ 
only  take  away  my  honor,  with  that  unjust  sentence,  but  my  life! 
I  come  in  the  name  of  God,  and  of  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  to 
respectfully  ask  you  to  tell  me  the  crime  of  which  I  am  accused, 
that  I  may  show  you  my  innocence.  I  want  to  be  confronted 
with  my  accusers,  that  I  may  confound  them." 

The  bishop  was,  at  first,  evidently  embarrassed  by  my  pres- 
ence; his  lips  were  pale  and  trembling,  but  his  eyes  were  dry  and 
red,  like  the  tiger's  eyes,  in  the  presence  of  his  prey.  He 
answered : 

"  I  cannot  grant  your  request,  sir." 

Opening,  then,  my  New  Testament,  I  read : 

"Receive  no  accusation  against  a  priest,  except  under  two  or 
three  witnesses,"  (istTim.  v:  19).  I  added:  "It  was  after  I 
had  heard  this  voice  of  God,  and  of  his  holy  church,  that  I  con- 
sented to  be  a  priest.  I  hope  it  is  not  the  intention  of  your  lord- 
ship to  put  aside  this  Word  of  God,  and  of  his  church.  It  is 
not  your  intention  to  break  that  solemn  covenant  made  by  Christ, 
with  his  priests,  and  sealed  with  his  blood?" 

With  an  air  of  contempt  and  tyrannical  authority,  which  I  had 
never  suspected  to  be  possible  in  a  bishop,  he  answered: 

"  I  have  no  lesson  of  Scripture,  or  canonical  law  to  receive 
from  you,  sir,  and  no  answer  to  give  to  your  impertinent  ques- 
tions: you  are  interdicted!  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  you." 

These  words,  uttered  by  the  man  whom  I  was  accustomed  to 
consider  as  my  superior,  had  a  strange  effect  upon  me.  I  felt  as 
if  awakening  from  a  long  and  painful  dream. 

For  the  first  time,  i  understood  the  sad  prophecies  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Brassard,  and  I  realized  the  horror  of  my  position.  My 
ruin  was  accomplished.  Though  I  knew  that  that  high  dignitary 
was  a  monster  of  hypocrisy,  injustice  and  tyranny,  he  had,  among 


*1 


526 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OK    ROME. 


the  mnKses,  the  reputation  of  a  snint.  His  unjust  sentence  would 
be  considered  as  just  and  equitable,  by  the  multitude  over  whom 
he  was  reigning  supremely;  at  a  notl  of  his  head,  the  people 
would  fall  at  his  feet,  and  obey  his  commands  to  crush  me.  All 
ears  would  be  shut,  and  all  hearts  hardened  against  me.  In  that 
fatal  hour,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  my  moral  strength  and 
courage  failed  me.  I  felt  as  if  I  had  just  fallen  into  a  bottom- 
less abyss,  out  of  which  it  was  impossible  to  escape.  What  would 
my  innocence,  known  only  to  God,  avail  me,  when  the  whole 
world  would  believe  me  guilty?  No  words  can  give  an  idea  of 
the  mental  torture  of  that  horrible  hour. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  not  a  word  was  exchanged 
between  the  bishop  and  me.  He  seemed  very  busy  writing  let- 
ters, while  I  was  resting  my  head  between  my  hands,  and  shed- 
ding torrents  of  tears.  At  last,  I  fell  on  my  knees,  took  the 
hands  of  the  bishop  in  mine,  and,  with  a  voice  half-choked  wUh 
sighs,  I  said:  "My  lord,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  in  the  presence  of  God,  I  swear  that  I  have  done  nothing 
which  could  bring  such  a  sentence  against  me.  I  again  implore 
your  lordshii?  to  confront  me  with  my  accusers,  that  I  may  show 
you  my  innocence." 

With  a  savage  insolence,  the  bishop  withdrew  his  hands,  as 
if  I  had  contaminated  them,  and  said,  after  rising  from  his  chair: 

"  You  are  guilty;  go  out  of  my  presence." 

A  thousand  times  since,  I  have  thanked  my  God  that  I  had 
no  dagger  with  me;  for  I  would  have  plunged  it  into  his  heart. 
But,  strange  to  say,  the  diabolical  malice,  and  dishonesty  of  that 
depraved  man,  suddenly  brought  back  my  former  self-respect 
and  courage.  I,  at  once,  took  the  stern  resolution  to  face,  the 
storm.  I  felt,  in  my  soul,  that  giant  strength  which,  often,  God 
himself  implants  in  the  breast  of  the  oppressed,  when  he  is  in  the 
presence  of  his  merciless  tyrants.  It  seemed  that  a  flash  of  light- 
ning had  passed  through  my  soul,  after  having  written  in  letters 
of  fire,  on  the  walls  of  the  palace:  "Mystery  of  iniquity." 

Relying  entirely  on  the  God  of  truth  and  justice,  who  knew 
my  innocence  and  the  great  perversity  of  my  oppressm  T  Ic'^i 
the  room,  without  saying  a  word,  and  hastened  back  to  ail, 


,1  >,  t,„wH ,  mwm  'wm^mimmmmmm^mimfm^' 


THE    INTERDICT. 


537 


to  acquaint  the  Rev.  Mr.  BrasHurd  with  my  firm  resolution  to 
fight  the  bishop  to  the  end.  He  burst  into  tears  when  I  told 
him  what  had  occurred  in  the  bishop's  palace. 

"  Thoufjh  innocent,  you  are  condemned,"  he  said.  "  The 
infallible  proof  of  your  innocence,  is  the  cruel  refusal  of  allowing 
you  to  be  confronted  with  your  accusers.  Were  you  guilty,  they 
would  be  too  glad  to  show  it,  by  confounding  you  before  those 
witnesses.  But  the  perversity  of  your  accusers  is  so  well  known, 
that  they  are  ashamed  of  giving  their  names.  The  bishop  pre- 
fers to  crush  you  under  the  weight  of  his  uimicrited  reputation  for 
•justice  and  holiness;  for  very  few  know  him  as  we  do.  My  fear 
is  that  he  will  succeed  in  destroying  you.  Though  innocent,  you 
are  condemned  and  lost;  you  will  never  be  able  to  contend  against 
such  a  mighty  adversary." 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Brassard,  you  are  mistaken,"  I  replied.  "  I 
never  was  so  sure  of  coming  out  victorious  from  a  conflict  as  to- 
day. The  monstrous  iniquity  of  the  bishop  carries  its  antidote 
with  itself.  It  was  not  a  dream  I  saw  when  hesoignominiously 
turned  me  out  of  his  room.  A  flash  of  lightning  passed  before 
my  eyes,  and  wrote,  as  if  on  the  walls  of  the  palace:  '  Mystery 
of  iniquity!'  When  Canada,  the  whole  of  Christendom,  shall 
know  the  infamous  conduct  of  that  dignitary;  when  they  shall 
hce  the  '  mystery  of  iniquity,'  which  I  shall  stamp  upon  his 
forehead,  there  will  be  only  one  cry  of  indignation  against  him  I 
Oh!  If  I  can  only  find  out  the  names  of  my  accusers!  How  I 
will  force  that  mighty  tyrant  to  withdraw  Ihat  sentence,  at  double 
quick. 

"I  am  determined  to  show,  not  only  to  Canada,  but  to  the 
whole  world,  that  this  infamous  plot  is  but  the  work  of  the  vile 
male  and  female  slaves  by  whom  the  bishop  is  surrounded. 

"My  first  thought,  was  to  start  immediately  for  Chicago, 
where  Bishop  Vandeveld  expected  me. 

"  But  I  am  resolved  not  to  go  untd  I  have  forced  my  mer- 
ciless oppressor  to  withdraw  his  unjust  sentence.  I  will,  im- 
mediately, goto  the  Jesuit  College,  where  I  purpose  spending  the 
next  eight  days  in  prayer  and  retreat. 

« The  Jesuits  are  the  ablest  men  under  heaven  to  detect  the 


-S'^^#'"-' '"" 


528 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   ClIUlUll    OF    ROME. 


most  hidden  things.  I  hope  they  will  help  me  to  unearth  that 
dark  mystery  of  iniquity,  and  expose  it  to  the  world," 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  do  not  fear  the  terrible  storm 
which  is  upon  you,  and  that  your  sails  are  so  well  trimmed," 
answered  Mr.  Brassard.  "You  do  well  in  putting  your  trust  in 
God,  first,  and  in  the  Jesuits  nfterwards.  The  fearless  way  in 
which  you  intend  to  meet  the  attacks  of  your  merciless  enemies, 
will  give  you  an  easy  victory.  My  hope  is  that  the  Jesuits  will 
help  you  to  find  out  the  names  of  your  false  accusers,  and  that 
you  will  make  use  of  them  to  hurl  back  in  the  face  of  the  bishop 
the  shame  and  dishonor  he  had  prepared  for  you." 

At  six  p.  M.,  in  a  modest,  well-lighted,  and  ventilated  room 
of  the  Jesuit  College,  I  was  alone  with  the  venerable  Mr. 
Schneider,  its  director. 

I  told  him  how  the  Bishop  of  Montreal,  four  years  before, 
after  giving  up  his  prejudices  against  me,  when  I  had  left  the 
oblate,  had  earnestly  supported  me  in  my  labors.  I  acquainted 
him  also  with  the  sudden  change  of  those  good  feelings,  into  the 
most  uncontrollable  hatred,  from  the  day  I  had  refused  to  force 
Mrs.  Chenier  to  become  a  nun,  that  he  might  secure  her  fortune. 
I  told  him  also  how  those  bad  feelings  had  found  new  food  in 
my  pl.\n  of  consecrating  the  rest  of  my  life  to  direct  the  tide  of 
the  French  Catholic  emigration  towards  the  Mississippi  Valley. 
I  exposed  to  him  my  suspicions  about  that  miserable  girl  I  had 
turned  out  from  ray  confessional.  "  I  have  a  double  object  in 
view,"  I  added. 

"  The  fir  t,  is  to  spend  the  last  eight  days  of  my  residence 
in  Canada,  in  prayer.  But  my  second  is,  to  ask  the  help  of  your 
charity,  wisdom,  and  experience,  in  forcing  the  bishop  to  withdraw 
his  unjust  sen^^ence  against  me.  I  am  determined,  if  he  does  not 
withdraw  it,  to  den  <unce  him  before  the  whole  country, 
and  to  challenge  him,  publicly,  to  confront  me  with  my  ac- 
cusers." 

"If  you  do  that,"  answered  Mr.  Schneider,  "  I  fear  lest  you, 
not  only  do  an  irreparable  damage  to  the  Bishop  of  Montreal, 
but  to  our  holy  church  also. 

Jl  replied :  "  Our  holy  church  would  indeed  suffer  an  irreparable 


pspiliipisili 


ppppwp'5'PEMPiippw'p^  w^imw^W^i^l^iwsm^ 


THE    INTERDICT. 


529 


damage,  if  she  sanctioned  the  infamous  conduct  of  the  bishop; 
but  this  is  impossible" 

"  You  are  correct,"  rejoined  the  Jesuit.     "  Our  holy  church 
cannot    sanction    such   criminal   conduct.      She    has,    hundreds 
of   times,   condemned  those    tyrannical    and    unjust    actions,   in 
other  bishops.       Such    want  of   common    honesty    and  justice 
will  be  condemned   everywhere,  as  soon  as  it  is  known.     The 
first  thing  we   have   to  do,  is  to  find   out   the   names   of  your 
accusers.     I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  they  are  the  bhnd  in- 
struments of  Machiavelist  plots  against   you.       But  those  plots 
have  only  to  be  brought  to  light,  to  vanish  away.     My  impres- 
sion is,  that  the  miserable  girl  you  have  so  .ibruptly  and  so  wisely 
turned  out  of  your  confessional,  knows  more  than  the  bishop 
wants  us  to  find  out,  about  the  plots.      It  is  a  pity  you  did  not 
ask  her  name  and  residence.    At  all  events,  you  may  rely  on  my 
efforts  to  persuade  our  bishop  that  his  personal  interest,  as  well 
as  the  interest  of  our  holy  religion,  is,  that   he  should  speedily 
withdraw  that  sentence,  which  is  a  nullity  by  itself.     It  will  not 
be  diflicult  for  me  to  show  him  that  he  is  fallen  into  the  very  pit 
he  has  dug  under  your  feet.     He  has  taken    a  position  against 
you  which  is  absolutely  untenable.     Before  your  retreat  is  at  an 
end,  no  doubt  he  will  be  too  happy  to  make  his  peace  with  you. 
Only  trust  in   God,  and  in   the  blessed   Virgin   Mary,  and  you 
have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  conflict.    Our  bishop  has  put  him- 
self above  all  the  laws  of  man  and  God,  to  condemn   the  priest 
he  had  himself  officially  named :  '  the  Apostle  of  Temperance  of 
Canada.'      There  is  not  a  single  man,  in  the    church,   who   will 
allow  him   to  stand   on  that  ground.     The  200,000  soldiers  you 
have  enrolled  under  the  holy  banners  of  temperance,  will  force 
I'irr.  to  retract  his  too  hasty  and  unjust  sentence." 

It  would  be  too  long  to  repeat  here  all  the  encouraging 
words  wliich  that  wise  Jesuit  uttered. 

Father  vSchneider  was  a  European  priest,  who  was  in  Montreal 
only  since  1S49.  He  had  won  my  confidence,  the  very  first  time 
I  tnct  him,  and  I  had  chosen  bin.  it  once,  for  my  confessor  an<l 
adviser.  The  third  day  of  my  retreat,  Father  Schneider  came  to 
my  rc^m  earlier  than  usual,  and  said: 


■»jiiiiiaii'.<i»a>i<^jtJw'i^<^. -.'*»'■''■«■' 


530 


FIFTY   YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


•'  I  have  worked  hard  the  last  two  days,  to  find  out  the  name 
and  residence  of  the  carter  to  whom  that  miserahle  girl  spoke 
in  the  church,  after  you  had  turned  her  out  of  your  confessional, 
and  1  have  it.  If  you  have  no  objection  I  will  send  for  him. 
He  may  know     that  girl  and  induce  her  to  come  here." 

"By  all  means,  dear  father,"  I  answered,  "do  it  without 
losing  a  moment." 

Two  hours  later,  the  carter  was  with  me.  I  recognized  him 
as  one  of  those  dear  countrymen  whom  our  society  of  temper- 
perance  had  transformed  into  a  new  man.  I  asked  him  if  he 
remembered  the  name  of  the  girl  who,  a  few  days  before,  had 
spoken  to  him  in  the  church,  after  going  out  of  my  confessional. 
"Yes  sir!  I  know  her  well.  She  has  a  very  bad  name, 
though  she  belongs  to  a  respectable  family." 

I  added :  "  Do  you  think  you  can  induce  her  to  come  here, 
by  telling  her  that  a  priest,  in  the  Jesuit  College,  wants  to  see 
her?     But  do  not  give  her  my  name." 

He  answered :  "  Nothing  is  more  easy.  She  will  be  here  in 
a  couple  of  hours,  if  I  find  her  at  home." 

At  three  p.  m.,  tlie  carter  was  again  knocking  at  my  door,  and 
said,  with  a  low  voice: 

"  The  girl  you  want  is  in  the  parlor;  she  has  no  idea  you  are 
here,  for  she  told  me  that  you  were  now  preaching  in  St.  Cou- 
stant.  Slie  seems  to  be  very  angry  against  you,  and  bitterly 
complains  against  your  want  of  courtesy,  the  very  first  time  she 
went  to  confess  to  you." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  she  told  you  that?"  I  replied. 
"Yes  sir!  She  told  me  that  to  explain  her  terrible  excite- 
ment when  coming  out  of  your  confessional,  the  other  day ;  she 
then  requested  me  to  drive  her  home.  She  was  really  beside  her- 
8el£>and  swore  that  she  would  make  you  pay  for  your  harsh  words 
and  rude  manners  towards  her.  You  will  do  well  to  be  on  your 
guard  with  her.  She  is  one  of  the  most  depraved  girls  of 
Montreal,  and  has  a  most  dangerous  tongue,  though  to  the 
shame  of  our  holy  religion,  she  is  daily  seen  in  the  bishop's 
palace." 

I  immediately   went  to  Father  Schneider,  and    iiaid :  "  My 


WtfifW^ 


1!PFPWpfpi!PfP'W!pPR^^ 


THE    INTERDICT. 


531 


dear  father,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  the  girl  we  want  to  see  is  in 
the  parlor.  By  what  I  have  just  heard  from  the  carter  who 
drove  her,  I  have  not  the  least  doiibt  but  that  she  is  the  one  em- 
ployed by  the  bishop  to  slander  me,  and  get  a  pretext  for  what 
he  has  done.  Please  come  with  me  to  witness  my  innocence. 
But,  take  your  gospel,  ink,  paper  and  pen  with  you." 

"  All  right,"  answered  the  wise  Jesuit. 

Two  minutes  later  we  were  in  her  presence. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  her  dismay,  when  she  saw  me. 
She  came  near  fainting.  I  feared  she  should  not  be  able  to  utter 
a  word. 

I  spoke  to  her  very  kindly,  and  ran  to  get  a  glass  of  cold 
water,  which  did  her  good. 

When  she  recovered,  I  said  to  her,  with  a  tone  of  mixed 
authority  and  kind  firmness :  "  You  are  here  in  the  presence  of 
God  and  of  two  of  his  priests.  That  great  God  will  hear  every 
word  which  will  fall  from  your  lips.  You  must  speak  the  truth. 
You  have  denounced  me  to  the  bishop  as  guilty  of  some  great 
iniquity.  You  are  the  cause  of  my  being  interdicted.  You, 
alone,  can  repair  the  injury  you  have  done  me.  That  injury 
is  very  great;  but  it  can  be  easily  repaired  by  you.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  that  venerable  priest,  say  whether  oj-  not,  I  am  guilty  of 
the  crime  you  have  brought  to  my  charge !" 

At  these  words,  the  unfortunate  girl  burst  into  tears.  She 
hid  her  face  in  her  handkerchief,  and  with  a  voice  half-suffocated 
with  sighs,  she  said : 

«No  sir!  You  are  not  guilty." 

I  added:  "  Confess  another  thing.  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  you 
had  come  to  my  confessional  more  with  the  intention  of  tempting 
me  to  sin,  than  to  reconcile  yourself  to  God  ?" 

"Yes  sir!"  she  added,     ^lis  was  my  wicked  intention." 

"  Continue  to  tell  the  truth,  and  our  great  and  merciful  God 
will  forgive  you.  Is  it  not  to  revenge  yourself  for  my  rebuking 
you,  that  you  have  brought  the  false  accusations  to  the  bishop  in 
order  that  he  might  interdict  me  ?" 

"Yes  sir!  that  is  the  only  reason  I  had  for  accusing  you." 

After   Father    Schneider    had    made    four   copies   of    those 


53» 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


declarations,  signed  by  him  as  witness,  and  after  sne  had  sworn  on 
the  gospel,  I  forgave  her  the  injury  she  had  done  me,  I  gave 
her  some  good  advice  and  dismissed  her. 

"  Is  it  not  evident,"  I  said  to  Father  Schneider,  « that  our 
merciful  God  never  forsakes  those  who  trust  in  Him?" 

"  Yes,  I  never  saw  the  interposition  of  God  so  marvellously 
manifested  as  in  this  perfect  deliverance  from  the  hands  of  your 
enemies.  But,  please  tell  me  why  you  requested  me  to  make 
four  copies  of  her  sworn  declaration  of  your  innocence;  was  not 
one  sufficient?"  asked  Mr  Schneider. 

I  answered:  "One  of  those  copies  \\\.-  for  the  bishop; 
another  will  remain  in  your  hands,  Mr.  Brassard  will  have  one, 
and  I  need  one  for  myself.  For  the  dishonesty  of  the  bishop 
is  so  evident  to  me,  now,  that  I  think  him  able  to  destroy  the 
copy  I  will  send  him,  with  the  hope,  after  its  destruction,  of 
keeping  me  at  his  feet.  If  he  does  that  nev/  act  of  iniquity,  I 
will  confound  him  with  the  three  other  authentic  copies  which 
will  remain.  Besides,  this  unfortunate  girl  may  die  sooner  than 
we  expect.  In  that  case,  I  would  find  njyself  again  with  the 
bishop's  knife  or  my  throat,  if  I  had  no  other  retractation  to 
the  perjured  declaration  which  he  has  persuaded  herto  give  him." 

"You  are  right,"  replied  Father  Schneider;  "  now  the  only 
thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  send  that  retractation  to  the  bishop,  with 
a  firm  and  polite  request  to  retract  his  unjust  sentence  against 
you.  Let  me  do  the  rest  with  him.  The  battle  is  over.  It 
has  been  fierce,  but  short.  However,  thanks  be  to  God,  you 
have  a  most  complete  victory  over  your  unjust  aggressors.  The 
bishop  will  do  all  m  his  power,  no  doubt,  to  make  you  forget 
this  darkest  page  of  his  life." 

The  shrewd  Jesuit  was  correct,  in  his  previsions.  Never  did 
any  bishop  receive  me  with  so  many  marks,  not  only  of  kind- 
ness, but  I  dare  say  of  respect,  than  Bishop  Bourget,  when,  after 
my  retreat,  I  went  to  take  leave  of  him,  before  my  departure 
from  Canada  for  the  United  States. 

"  I  trust,  my  lord,"  I  said,  "  that,  to-day,  I  can  hope  to 
possess  the  confidence  and  friendly  feelings  of  your  lordship?" 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  certainly ;  you  possess 


PII||||||PPPPP||PPPlfPf9!P^^ 


^W^ 


THE    INTERDICT. 


533 


my  full  confidence  and  friendship.  I  dare  say  more ;  you  possess 
my  most  sincere  gratitude,  for  what  you  have  done  in  my 
diocese." 

I  answered :  "  I  am  much  obliged  to  your  lordship  for  this 
expression  of  your  kind  feelings.  But,  now,  I  have  two  new  favors 
to  ask  from  your  lordship.  The  first,  is  a  written  document 
expressive  of  those  kind  feelings. 

«  The  second,  is  a  chalice  from  your  hands  to  offer  the  holy 
sacrifice  of  mass  the  rest  of  my  life." 

"  I  will  grant  your  request  with  the  utmost  pleasure," 
answered  the  bishop;  and  without  losing  a  moment,  he  wrote  the 
following  letter  which  I  reproduce  here,  on  account  of  its  im- 
portance. 

TRANSLATION. 

Montreal,  Oct.  13th,  1851. 
Sir  :-- You  request  me  to  give  you  permission  to  leave  my  diocese,  in  order 
to  go  and  offer  your  services  to  the  Bishop  of  Chicago.  As  you  still  belong 
to  the  Diocese  of  Quebec,  I  think  you  ought  to  address  yourself  to  my  lord 
of  Quebec,  to  get  the  extract  you  want.  As  for  me,  I  cannot  but  thank  you 
for  what  you  have  done  in  our  midst ;  and  in  my  gratitude  towards  you,  I 
wish  you  the  most  abundant  blessing  from  heaven.  Every  day  of  my  life, 
I  will  remember  you.  You  will  always  be  in  my  heart,  and  I  hope  that  on 
some  future  day,  the  providence  of  God  will  give  me  some  opportunity  of 
showing  you  all  the  feelings  of  gratitude  I  feel  towards  you. 
I  remain,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

^  Ignace. 

Rkv.  C  Chiniquv.  Bishop  of  Montreal. 

Though  that  letter  was  a  most  perfect  recantation  of  all  he 
had  said  and  done  against  me,  and  was  of  immense  value  to  me 
in  such  circumstances,  the  bishop  added  to  its  importance  by  the 
exceedingly  kind  manner  in  which  he  handed  it  to  me. 

As  he  was  going  into  another  room  he  said : 

"I  will  give  you  the  silver  chalice  you  want,  to  offer  the 
holy  sacrifice  of  mass  the  rest  of  your  days." 

But,  he  came  back  and  said : 

"  My  secretary  is  absent,  and  has  the  key  of  the  trunk  which 
contains  those  vases." 

"  It  makes  no  difference,  my  lord,''  I  replied,  '*  please  order 


m. 


mk 


Wa 


534 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


your  secretary  to  put  that  chalice  in  the  hands  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Brassard,  who  will  forward  it,  with  a  box  of  books  which  he  has 
to  send  me  to  Chicago,  next  week." 

The  bishop  very  kindly  promised  to  do  so;  and  he  fulfilled 
his  promise.  The  next  day,  that  precious  gift  was  put  in  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Brassard,  in  presence  of  several  priests. 

It  was  sent,  the  following  week,  to  Chicago,  where  I  got  it, 
and  that  fine  silver  chalice  is  still  in  my  possession. 

I  then  fell  on  my  knees,  and  said : 

«  My  lord,  I  am  just  leaving  Canada  for  the  Far  West,  please 
give  me  your  benediction." 

He  blessed  me  and  pressed  me  to  his  heart  with  the  tender- 
ness of  a  father,  saying : 

"  May  God  Almighty  bless  you,  wherever  you  go  and  in 
everything  you  do,  till  the  end  of  your  life." 


•  ■)!! 


Chapter    L. 


ADDBESS  FBESBNTED  ME  AT  liONGUETTIXi-I  ABBIVE  AT  OHI> 
OAQO-I  SELECT  THE  SPOT  FOB  M7  COIiOlTS'-I  BUILD  THE 
FIBST  CHAFEL- JEALOUSY  AND  OFFOSITION  OF  THE 
PBIESTS  OF  BOXTBBOKirAIS  AND  CHZCAOO-OBEAT  SUO- 
OBSS    OF    THE    O    ^ONT. 


THOUGH  I  had  kept  my  departure  from  Canada  as  secret  as 
possible,  it  had  been  suspected,  by  many ;  and  Mr.  Brassard, 
unable  to  resist  the  desire  that  his  people  should  give  me  the  ex- 
pression of  their  kind  feelings,  had  let  the  secret  slip  from  his  lips, 
two  days  before  I  left.  I  was  not  a  little  surprised,  a  few  hours 
before  my  taking  leave  of  him,  to  see  his  whole  parish  gathered 
at  the  door  of  his  parsonage,  to  present  me  the  following 
address: 


TO    THE    REV.    FATHER    CHINIQUY. 

Venerable  Sir: — It  is  only  three  years  since  we  presented  you  your 
portrait,  not  only  as  an  expression  of  our  gratitude  for  your  labors  and  suc- 
cess in  the  cause  of  temperance  in  our  midst,  but  also  as  a  memorial,  which 
would  tell  our  grandchildren  the  good  you  have  done  to  our  country.  We 
were,  then,  far  from  thinking  that  we  were  so  near  the  day  when  we  would 
have  the  sorrow  to  see  you  separating  yourself  from  us. 

Your  unforeseen  exit  from  Canada  fills  us  with  a  regret  and  sadness, 
which  is  increased  by  the  fear  we  have,  that  the  reform  you  have  started, 
and  so  gloriously  established  everywhere,  will  suffer  from  your  absence. 
May  our  merciful  God  grant  that  your  faithful  co-laborers  may  continue  it, 
and  walk  in  your  footsteps. 

While  we  submit  to  the  decrees  of  providence,  we  promise  that  we  will 
never  forget  the  great  things  you  have  done  for  the  prosperity  of  our 
country.  Your  likeness,  which  is  in  every  Canadian  family,  will  tell  to  the 
future  generations,  what  Father  Chiniquy  has  done  for  Canada. 

We  console  ourselves  by  the  assurance  that,  wherever  you  go, 
you  will  raise  the  glorious  tenners  of  temperance,  among  those  of  our 

535 


536 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OP   ROME. 


countrymen  who  are  scattered  in  the  land  of  exile.  May  those  brethren 
put  on  your  forehead,  the  crown  of  immortality,  which  you  have  so  weH 
deserved  for  your  noble  work  in  our  midst.    Signed 

L.  M.  Brassard, 

Priest  aud  Curate, 
H.  Hicks,   Vicar. 

And  300  Others. 

1  answered: 

Gbntlbmbn  :— I  thank  you  for  the  honor  you  do  me  by  your  address. 
But  allow  me  to  tell  you,  that  the  more  I  look  upon  the  incalculable  good 
resulting  from  the  Temperance  Reform  I  have  established,  nearly  from  one 
end  of  Canada  to  the  other,  the  more  I  would  deceive  myself,  were  I  to 
attribute  to  myself  the  whole  merit  of  that  blessed  work. 

If  our  God  has  chosen  me,  his  so  feeble  servant,  as  the  instrument  of 
his  infinite  mercies  towards  our  dear  country  ;  it  is  because  he  wanted  us  to 
understand  that  He  alone  could  make  the  marvellous  change  we  see  every- 
where, and  that  we  shall  give  all  the  glory  to  Him. 

It  is  more  to  the  fervent  prayers,  and  to  the  good  examples  of  our  ven- 
erable bishops  and  curates,  than  to  my  feeble  efforts,  that  we  owe  the  tri- 
umph of  temperance  in  Canada ;  and  it  is  my  firm  conviction  that  that  holy 
cause  will  lose  nothing  by  my  absence. 

Our  merciful  God  lias  called  me  to  another  field.  I  have  heard  his 
voice.  Though  it  is  a  great  sacrifice  for  me  to  leave  my  own  beloved 
country,  I  must  go  to  work  in  the  midst  of  a  new  people,  in  the  distant 
lands  of  Illinois. 

From  many  parts  of  Europe  and  Canada,  multitudes  are  rushing  tow- 
ards the  western  territories  of  the  United  States,  to  secure  to  their  families, 
the  incalculable  treasures  which  the  good  providence  of  God  has  scattered 
over  those  broad  prairies. 

Those  emigrants  are  in  need  of  priests.  They  are  like  those  little  ones 
of  whom  God  speaks  in  his  Word,  who  wanted  bread  and  had  nobody  to 
give  them  any :  "  I  have  heard  their  cries,  I  have  seen  their  wants."  And 
in  spite  of  the  great  sacrifice  I  am  called  upon  to  make,  I  must  bless  the 
Good  Master,  who  calls  me  to  work  in  that  vineyard,  planted  by  his  own 
hands,  in  those  distant  lands. 

If  anything  can  diminish  the  sadness  of  my  feelings,  when  I  bid  adieu 
to  my  countrymen,  it  is  the  assurance  given  me  by  the  noble  people  of 
Longueuil,  that  I  have  in  Canada  many  friends  whose  fervent  prayers  will 
constantly  ascend  to  the  throne  of  Grace,  to  bring  the  benedictions  of  heaven 
upon  me,  wherever  I  go. 

C.  Chiniquy. 


I  arrived  at  Chicago  on  the  29th  of  October,  1851,  and  spent 


mmim. 


mmmm 


I    SELECT    THE   SPOT   FOR    MY   COLONY. 


537 


six  days  with  Bishop  Vandeveld,  in  maturing  the  plans  of  our 
Catholic  colonization. 

He  gave  me  the  wisest  advices,  with  the  most  extensive 
powers  which  a  bishop  can  give  a  priest,  and  urged  me  to  begin, 
at  once,  the  work,  by  selecting  the  most  suitable  spot  for  such  an 
important  and  vast  prospect. 

My  heart  was  filled  with  uncontrollable  emotions  when  the 
hour  came  to  leave  my  superior  and  go  to  the  conquest  of  the 
magnificent  State  of  Illinois,  for  the  benefit  of  my  church. 

I  fell  at  his  knees  to  ask  his  benediction,  and  requested 
him  never  to  forget  me  in  his  prayers.  He  was  not  less  affected 
than  I  was,  and  pressing  me  to  his  bosom,  bathed  my  face  with 
his  tears,  and  blessed  me. 

It  took  me  three  days  to  cross  the  prairies  from  Chicago  to 
Bourbonnais.  Those  prairies  were  then  a  vast  solitude,  with 
almost  impassable  roads.  At  the  invitation  of  their  priest,  Mr. 
Courgeault,  several  people  had  come  long  distances  to  receive 
and  overwhelm  me  with  the  public  expressions  of  their  joy  and 
respect. 

After  a  few  days  of  rest,  in  the  midst  of  their  interesting 
young  colony,  I  explained  to  Mr.  Courgeault  that,  having  been 
sent  by  the  bishop  to  found  a  settlement  of  Roman  Catholic 
emigrants,  on  a  sufficiently  grand  scale  to  rule  the  government 
of  Illinois,  it  was  my  duty  to  go  further  south,  in  order  to  find 
the  most  suitable  place  for  the  first  village  I  intended  to  raise.  But 
to  my  unspeakable  regret,  I  saw  that  my  proposition  filled  the, 
heart  of  that  unfortunate  priest  with  the  most  bitter  feelings  of 
jealousy  and  hatred.  It  had  been  just  the  same  thing  with  Rev. 
Mr.  Lebel,  at  Chicago. 

The  very  moment  I  told  him  the  object  of  my  coming  to 
Illinois,  I  felt  the  same  spirit  of  jealousy  had  turned  him  into  an 
implacable  enemy.  I  had  expected  very  different  things  from 
those  two  priests,  for  whom  I  had  entertained,  till  then,  most 
sincere  sentiments  of  esteem.  So  long  as  they  were  under  the 
impression  that  I  had  left  Canada  to  help  them  increase  their 
small  congregations,  by  inducing  the  emigrants  to  settle  among 
them,  they  loaded  me,  both  in  public  and  in  private,  with  marks 


538 


FIFTY  YEAKS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROMB. 


of  their  esteem.  But  the  moment  they  saw  that  I  was  going 
to  found,  in  the  very  heart  of  Illinois,  settlements  on  such  a  large 
scale,  they  banded  together  to  paralyze  and  ruin  my  efforts.  Had 
I  suspected  such  opposition  from  the  very  men  on  whose  moral 
help  I  had  relied  for  the  successs  of  my  colonizing  schemes,  I 
would  have  never  left  Canada,  for  Illinois.  But  it  was  now  too 
late  to  stop  my  onward  march.  Trusting  in  God  alone  for  suc- 
cess, I  felt  that  those  two  men  were  to  be  put  among  those  un- 
foreseen obstacles  which  Heaven  wanted  me  to  overcome,  if  I 
could  not  avoid  them.  I  persuaded  six  of  the  most  respectable 
citizens  of  Bourbonnais  to  accompany  me,  in  three  wagons,  in 
search  of  the  best  site  for  the  centre  of  my  future  colony.  I  had 
a  compass,  to  guide  me  through  those  vast  prairies,  '.vhich  were 
spread  before  me  like  a  boundless  ocean.  I  wanted  to  select  the 
highest  point  in  Illinois  for  my  first  town,  in  order  to  secure  the 
purest  air  and  water  for  the  new  emigrants. 

I  was  fortunate  enough,  under  the  guidance  of  God,  to 
succeed  better  than  I  expected,  for  the  government  surveyors 
have  lately  acknowledged  that  the  village  of  St.  Anne  occupies 
the  very  highest  point  of  that  splendid  state. 

To  my  great  surprise,  ten  days  after  I  had  selected  that 
spot,  fifty  families  from  Canada  had  planted  their  tents  around 
mine,  on  the  beautiful  site  which  forms  to-day  the  town  of  St. 
Anne. 

We  were  at  the  end  of  November,  and  though  the  weather 
was  still  mild,  I  felt  I  had  not  an  hour  to  lose  in  order  to  secure 
shelters  for  every  one  of  tiiose  families,  before  the  cold  winds 
and  chilly  rains  of  winter  should  spread  sickness  and  death 
among  them.  The  greater  part  were  illiterate  and  poor  people, 
without  any  idea  of  the  dangers  and  incredible  ditficulties  of 
establishing  a  new  settlement,  where  everything  had  to  be 
created.  There  were,  at  first,  only  two  small  houses,  one  25  by 
30,  and  the  other  16  by  20  feet,  to  lodge  us. 

With  the  rest  of  my  dear  emigrants,  wrapped  in  buffalo 
robes,  with  my  overcoat  for  my  pillow,  I  slept  soundly,  many 
nights  on  the  bare  floor,  during  the  three  months  which  it  took  to 
get  my  first  house  erected. 


I   8BLBCT   THE    SPOT    FOR    MY    COLONY. 


539 


Having  taken  the  census  of  the  people  on  the  first  ol  Decem- 
ber, I  found  two  hundred  souls,  one  hundred  of  whom  were 
adults.     I  said  to  them : 

w  There  are  not  three  of  you,  if  left  alone,  able  to  prepare  a 
shelter  for  your  families,  this  winter;  but  if,  forgetting  your- 
selves, you  work  for  each  other,  as  true  friends  and  brethren, 
you  will  increase  your  strength  tenfold,  and  in  a  few  weeks, 
there  will  be  a  sufficient  number  of  small,  but  solid  buildings, 
to  protect  you  against  the  storms  and  snow  of  the  winter  which 
is  f;ist  coming  upon  us.  Let  us  go  to  the  forest  together  and  cut 
the  wood,  to-day ;  and  to-morrow  we  will  draw  that  timber  to 
one  of  the  lots  you  have  selected,  and  you  will  see  with  what 
marvelous  speed  the  house  will  be  raised,  if  your  hands  and 
hearts  are  perfectly  united  to  work  for  each  other,  under  the 
eyes  and  for  the  love  of  the  merciful  God  who  jMves  us  this 
splendid  country  for  our  inheritage.  But  before  going  to  the 
forest,  let  us  kneel  down  to  ask  our  Heavenly  Father  to  bless 
the  work  of  our  hands,  and  grant  us  to  be  of  one  mind  and  one 
heart,  and  to  protect  us  against  the  too  common  accidents  of 
those  forests  and  buijding  works." 

We  all  knelt  on  the  grass,  and,  as  much  with  our  tears  as  with 
our  lips,  we  sent  to  the  mercy-seat  a  prayer,  which  was  surely 
lieard  by  the  One  who  said,  '  Ask  and  you  will  receive,'  and  we 
started  for  the  forest. 

The  readers  would  scarcely  believe  me,  were  I  to  tell  them 
with  what  marvelous  rapidity  the  first  forty  small,  but  neat 
houses  were  put  up  on  our  beautiful  prairies. 

Whilst  the  men  were  cutting  timber,  and  raising  one 
another's  houses,  with  a  unity,  a  joy,  a  good-will  and  rapidity, 
which  many  times  drew  from  me  tears  of  admiration,  the 
women  would  prepare  the  common  meals.  We  obtained  our 
fiour  and  pork  from  Bourbonnais  and  Momence,  at  a  very  low 
price;  and,  as  I  was  a  good  shot,  one  or  two  friends  and  I, 
used  to  kill,  every  day,  enough  prairie  chickens,  quails,  ducks, 
wild  geese,  brants  and  deer,  to  feed  more  people  than  there  were 
in  our  young  colony. 

Those  delicious  viands,  which  would  have  been  welcomed  on 


f.-m'"''r-'  V 


rr 


540 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THB   CHURCH   OP    ROME. 


the  table  of  the  king,  and  which  would  have  satisfied  the  most 
fastidious  gourmand,  caused  many  of  my  poor,  dear  emigrants 
to  say : 

"  Our  daily  and  most  common  meals  here,  arc  more  sumptuous 
and  delicate  than  the  richest  ones  in  Canada,  and  they  cost  almost 
nothing." 

When  I  saw  that  a  sufficient  number  of  houses  had  been 
built  to  give  shelter  to  every  one  of  the  first  emigrants,  I  called 
a  meeting  and  said: 

"  My  dear  friends,  by  the  great  mercy  of  God,  and  in  almost 
a  miraculous  way,  (thanks  be  to  the  unity  and  charity  which 
have  bound  you  to  each  other  till  now,  as  members  of  the  same 
family,)  you  are  in  your  little,  but  happy  homes,  and  you  have 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  wmds  and  snow  of  the  winter.  I  think 
that  my  duty  now  is  to  direct  your  attention  to  the  necessity 
of  building  a  two-story  house.  The  upper  part  will  be  used  as 
the  school-house  for  your  children  on  week  days,  and  for  a 
chapel  on  Sundays,  and  the  lower  part  will  be  my  parsonage.  I 
will  furnish  the  money  for  the  flooring,  shingles,  the  nails  and 
the  windows,  and  you  will  give  your  work  gratis  to  cut  and 
draw  the  timber  and  put  it  up.  I  will  also  pay  the  architect,  with- 
out asking  a  cent  from  you.  It  is  quite  time  to  provide  a  school  for 
your  children ;  for  in  this  country,  as  in  any  other  place,  there  is 
no  possible  prosperity  or  happiness  for  a  people,  if  they  neglect 
the  education  of  their  children.  Now,  we  are  too  numerous  to 
continue  having  our  Sabbath  worship  in  any  private  house,  as  we 
have  done  till  now.     What  do  you  think  of  this?" 

They  unanimously  answered : 

"  Yes!  after  you  have  worked  so  hard  to  give  a  home  to 
eVery  one  of  us,  it  is  just  that  we  should  help  you  to  make  one 
for  yourself.  We  are  happy  to  hear  that  it  is  your  intention  to 
secure  a  good  education  for  our  children.  Let  us  begin  the 
work  at  once." 

This  was  the  i6th  of  January,  1852.  The  sun  was  as  warm 
as  on  a  beautiful  day  of  May  in  Canada.  We  again  fell  upon 
our  knees  to  implore  the  help  of  God,  and  sang  a  beautiful 
French  hymn. 


I    SELECT   THE    SPOT    FOR    MV   COLONY. 


54' 


IS  as  warm 


The  next  day,  we  were  seventy-two  men  in  a  neighboring 
forest,  felling  the  great  oaks;  and  on  the  17th  of  April,  only 
three  months  later,  that  fine  two-story  building,  nearly  forty  feet 
square,  was  blessed  by  Bishop  Vandeveld. 

It  was  surmounted  by  a  nice  steeple,  thirty  feet  high,  in 
which  we  had  put  a  bell,  weighing  250  pounds,  whose  solemn 
sound  was  to  tell  our  joys  and  sorrows  over  the  boundless  prairies. 

On  that  day,  instead  of  being  only  fifty  families,  as  at  the  last 
census,  we  numbered  more  than  one  hundred,  among  whom 
more  than  500  were  adults.  The  chapel  which  we  thought,  at 
first,  would  be  too  large,  was  filled  to  its  utmost  capacity  on  the 
day  of  its  consecration  to  God. 

Not  a  month  later,  we  had  to  speak  of  making  an  addition  of 
forty  feet  more,  which,  when  finished,  six  months  later,  was  found 
to  be  still  insufficient  for  the  accommodation  of  the  constantly 
increasing  flood  of  immigration,  which  came,  not  only  from 
Canada,  but  from  Belgium  and  France.  It  soon  became  neces- 
sary to  make  a  new  centre,  and  expand  the  limits  of  my  first 
colony ;  which  I  did,  by  planting  a  cross  at  I'Erable,  about  fifteen 
miles  southwest  of  St.  Anne,  and  another  at  a  place  we  call  St. 
Mary,  twelve  miles  southeast,  in  the  county  of  Iroquois.  These 
settlements  were  soon  filled ;  for  that  very  spring,  more  than  one 
thousand  new  families  came  from  Canada,  to  join  us. 

No  words  can  express  the  joy  of  my  heart,  when  I  saw  with 
what  rapidity,  my  (then)  so  dear  Church  of  Rome  was  taking 
possession  of  those  magnificent  lands,  and  how  soon  she  would  be 
unrivaled  mistress,  not  only  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  but  of  the 
whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  But  the  ways  of  men  are  not 
the  ways  of  God.  I  had  been  called,  by  the  Bishops  of  Rome, 
to  Illinois,  to  extend  the  power  of  that  church.  But  my  God  had 
called  me  there,  that  I  might  give,  to  that  church,  the  most  deadly 
blow  she  has  ever  received  on  this  Continent. 

My  task  is  now  to  tell  my  readers,  how  the  God  of  Truth, 
and  Light  and  Life,  brokcj  one  after  another,  all  the  charmed 
bonds  by  which  I  was  kept  a  clave  at  the  feet  of  the  Pope;  and 
how  He  opened  my  eyes,  and  those  of  my  people,  to  the  unsus- 
pected and  untold  abominations  of  Romanism. 


Chapter    LI. 


ZNTBiaUES,  IMPOSTUBES,  AND  OBIMINAI<  IjIFB  OF  THB 
PRIEST  IN  BOTTBBCNNAIS-INBIONATION  OF  THB  BISHcP- 
THE  PBOFLE  lONOMINIOTTSL'S'  TXHEtN  OUT  THE  CBUCINAL 
PRIEST  FROU  THEIR  PARISH-FRIGHTFin.  SCAND/lL- 
FAITH  IN  THE  OHTTROH  OF  ROME  SERIOUSIiT  SHAKEN. 


44T)LEASE  accompany  me  to  Bourbonnais;  I  have  to  confer 
X       with  you  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Courjeault,  on  important  mat- 
ters," said  the  bishop,  half  an  hour  before  leaving  St.  Anne,  after 
having  blessed  the  chapel. 

«  I  intended,  my  lord,  to  ask  your  lordship  to  grant  me  that 
honor,  before  you  offered  it,"  I  answered. 

Two  hours  of  good  driving  took  us  to  the  parsonage  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Courejault,  who  had  prepared  a  sumptuous  dinner,  to 
which  several  of  the  principal  citizens  of  Bourbonnais  had  been 
invited. 

When  all  the  quests  had  departed,  and  the  bishop,  Mr. 
Courjeault,  and  I,  were  alone,  he  drew  from  his  trunk,  a  bundle 
of  weekly  papers  ^^f  Montreal,  Canada,  in  which  several  letters, 
very  insulting  and  compromising  for  the  bishop,  were  published, 
signed  R.  L.  C.     Showing  them  to  me,  by  said: 

"  Mr.  Chiniquy,  can  I  know  the  reasons  you  had  for  writing 
such  insulting  things  against  your  bishop  ?" 

«  My  lord,"  I  answered.  "  I  have  no  words  to  express  my 
surprise  and  indignation,  when  I  read  those  letters.  But,  thanks 
be  to  God,  I  am  not  the  author  of  those  infamous  writings.  I 
would  rather  have  my  right  hand  cut  ofT,  than  allow  it  to  pen 
such  false  and  perfidious  things  against  you,  or  any  one  else." 

"  Do  you  assure  me  that  you  are  not  the   writer  of  those 

letters?     Are  you  positive  in  that  denagatibn;  and  do  you  know 

the  contents  of  these  lying  communications?  "  replied  the  Bishop. 

S4a 


WWifipWiiiiPllppi^ 


FRIGHTFUL    SCANDAL. 

♦'  Yes,  my  lord,  I  know  the  contents  of  these  communications. 
I  have  read  them,  several  times,  with  supreme  disgust  and  indig- 
nation ;  and  I  positively  assert  that  I  never  wrote  a  single  line 
of  them." 

« Then,  can  you  cell  me  who  did  write  them  ?"  said  the 
bishop. 

I  answered :  "  Please,  my  lord,  put  that  question  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Courjeault;  he  Is  more  able  than  any  one  to  satisfy  your 
lordship  on  that  matter." 

I  looked  at  Mr.  Courjeault  with  an  indignant  air,  which  told 
him,  that  he  could  not  any  longer  wear  the  mask,  behind  which 
he  had  concealed  himself,  for  the  last  three  or  four  months.  The 
eyes  of  the  bishop  were  also  turned,  and  firmly  fixed  on  the 
wretched  priest. 

No!  Never  had  I  seen  anything  so  strange,  as  the  countenance 
of  that  guilty  man.  His  face,  though  usually  ugly,  suddenly 
took  a  cadaverous  appearance;  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  floor, 
as  if  unable  to  move. 

The  only  signs  of  life  left  in  him,  were  given  by  his  knees, 
which  were  shaking  convulsively;  and  by  the  big  drops  of 
sweat  rolling  down  his  unwashed  face;  for,  I  must  say  here, 
en  passant^  that,  with  very  few  exceptions,  that  priest  was  the 
dirtiest  man  I  ever  saw. 

The  bishop,  with  unutterable  expressions  of  indignation, 
exclaimed: 

*'Mr.  Courjeault;  you,  are  the  writer  of  those  infamous  and 
slanderous  letters !  Three  times,  you  have  written,  and  twice  you 
told  me,  verbally,  that  they  were  coming  from  Mr.  Chiniquy !  I 
do  not  ask  you  if  you  are  the  author  of  these  slanders  against  me. 

« I  see  it  written  in  your  face.  Your  malice  against  Mr. 
Chiniquy,  is  really  diabolical.  You  wanted  to  ruin  him  in  my 
estimation,  as  well  as  in  that  of  his  countrymen.  And  to  succeed 
the  better  in  that  plot,  you  publish  the  most  egregious  falsehoods 
against  me  in  the  Canadian  press,  to  induce  me  to  denounce 
Mr.  Chiniquy  as  an  impostor. 

"  How  is  it  possible  that  a  priest  can  so  completely  give 
himself  to  the  Devil?" 


544 


FIFTY    YEAnS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Addressing  me,  the  bishop  said:  "Mr.  Chiniquy, Ibegyour 
pardon  for  having  believed  and  repeated,  that  you  were 
depraved  enough  to  write  those  cahimnies  against  your  bishop,  I 
was  deceived  by  that  deceitful  man. 

"  I  will  immediately  retract  what  I  have  written  and  said 
against  you." 

Then,  addressing  Mr.  Counjeault  he  again  said: 

"The  least  punishment  I  can  give  you  is  to  turn  you  out  of 
my  diocese,  and  write  to  all  the  Bishops  of  America,  that  you  are 
the  vilest  priest  I  ever  saw,  that  they  may  never  give  you  any 
position  on  this  Continent." 

These  last  words  h.nd  hardly  fallen  from  the  lips  of  the 
bishop,  when  Mr.  Courjcault  fell  on  his  knees,  before  me,  and 
bathing,  with  his  tears,  my  hands,  which  he  was  convulsively 
pressing  in  his,  said: 

"Dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  I  see  the  greatness  of  my  iniquity 
against  you  and  against  our  common  bishop.  For  the  dear 
Saviour  Jesus'  sake,  forgive  me.  I  take  God  to  witness  that  you 
will  never  have  a  more  devoted  friend  than  I  will  be.  And  you, 
my  lord,  allow  me  to  tell  you,  that  I  thank  God  that  my  malice 
and  my  great  sin  against  both  you  and  Mr.  Chiniquy  is  known 
and  punished  at  once.  However,  in  the  name  of  our  crucified 
Saviour,  I  ask  you  to  forgive  me.  God  knows  tliat,  hereafter, 
you  will  not  have  a  more  obedient  and  devoted  priest  than  I." 

It  was  a  most  touching  spectacle  to  see  the  tears,  and  hear 
the  sobs  of  that  repentant  sinner.  I  could  not  contain  myself, 
nor  refrain  my  tears.  They  were  mingled  with  those  of  that 
returning  stray  sheep.     I  answered  ; 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Courjeault,  1  forgive  you  with  all  my  heart,  as 
I  wish  my  merciful  God  to  forgive  me  my  sins.  May  the 
God  who  sees  your  repentance  forgive  you  also!" 

Bishop  Vandeveld,  who  was  gifted  with  a  most  sensitive 
arid  kind  nature,  was  also  shedding  tears,  when  I  lifted  up  Mr. 
Courjeault  to  press  him  to  my  heart,  and  to  tell  him  again,  with 
my  voice  choked  by  sobs :  "  I  forgive  you  most  sincerely,  as  I 
want  to  be  forgiven." 

He  asked  me:  "  What  do  you  advise  me  to  do?     Must  I  for- 


-.>«'»<*t.;;*iiW««.*j»i4B.i  . 


■'^iii'iipppippip^'-'y'''  '  ^  -"'■  m 


FRIGHTFUL   SCANDAL. 


545 


f    iniquity 
the  dcnr 
3s  that  you 
And  you, 
my  ma'tice 
I  is  known 
crucified 
lereafter, 
lan  I." 
and  hear 
lin  myself, 
ose  of  that 

ly  heart,  as 
May   the 

(st  sensitive 
cd  up  Mr. 
again,  with 
erely,  as  I 

Must  I  for- 


give also?  and  can  I  continue  to  keep  him  at  the  head  of  this 
important  mission?" 

«  Yes,  my  lord.  Please  forgive  and  forget  the  errors  of  that 
dear  brother,  he  has  already  done  so  much  good  to  my  country- 
men of  Bourbonnais.  I  pledge  myself  that  he  will  hereafter,  be 
one  of  your  best  priests" 

And  the  bishop  forgave  him,  after  some  very  appropriate 
and  paternal  advice,  admirably  mixed  with  mercy  and  firmness. 

It  was  then  about  three  o'clock,  in  the  afternoon.  We  sep- 
erated,  to  say  our  vespers  and  matins  (prayers  which  took  nearly 
an  hour.) 

I  had  just  finished  reciting  them  in  the  garden,  when  I  saw 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Courjeault  walking  from  the  church  towards  me, 
but  his  steps  were  uncertain  as  one  distracted,  or  half-drunk.  I 
was  puzzled  at  the  sight,  for  he  was  a  strong  teetotaler,  and  I 
knew  he  had  no  strong  drink  in  the  church.  He  advanced  three 
or  four  steps,  then  retreated.  At  last,  he  came  very  near,  but  his 
face  had  such  an  expression  of  terror  and  sadness,  that  he  was 
hardly  recognizable.  He  muttered  something  that  I  could  not 
understand. 

"  Please  repeat  your  sentence,"  I  said  to  him,  "  I  did  not 
understand  you." 

He,  then,  put  his  hands  on  his  face,  and  again  muttered  some- 
thing; his  voice  was  drowned  in  his  tears  and  sobs.  Supposing 
that  he  was  coming  to  ask  me,  again,  to  pardon  his  past  malice 
and  calumnies  against  me,  I  felt  an  unspeakable  compassion  for 
him. 

As  there  were  a  couple  of  seats  near  by,  I  said  to  him : 
'  "  My  dear  Mr.  Courjeault,  come  and  sit  here  with  me ;  and 
do  not  think  any  more  of  what  God  Almighty  has  blotted  out 
with  the  blood  of  His  Son.  I  will  never  think  any  more  of 
your  momentary  errors,  you  may  look  upon  me  as  your  most 
devoted  friend." 

"Dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,"  he  answered,  "  I  have  to  reveal  to  you 
another  dark  mystery  of  my  miserable  life.  Since  more  than  a 
year,  I  have  lived  with  the  beadle's  daughter  as  if  she  were  my 
wife! 


my 


m 


546 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


"  She  has  just  told  me,  that  she  is  to  become  a  mother  in  a 
few  days,  and  that  I  have  to  see  to  that,  and  give  her  $500.  She 
threatens  to  denounce  me  publicly  to  the  bishop  and  people,  if  I 
do  not  support  her  and  her  offspring.  Would  it  not  be  better 
for  me  to  flee  away,  this  night,  and  go  back  to  France  to  live  in 
my  own  family,  and  conceal  my  shame  ?  Sometimes,  I  am  even 
tempted  to  throw  myself  in  the  river,  to  put  an  end  to  my  miser- 
able and  dishonored  existence.  Do  you  think  that  the  bishop 
would  forgive  this  new  crime,  if  I  threw  myself  at  hia  feet  and 
asked  pardon  ?  Would  he  give  me  some  other  place  in  his  vast 
diocese,  where  my  misfortunes  and  my  sins  are  not  known? 
Please  tell  me  what  to  do?" 

1  remained  absolutely  stupefied,  and  did  not  know  what  to 
answer.  Though  I  had  compassion  for  the  unfortunate  man,  I 
must  confess  that  this  new  development  of  his  hypocrisy  and 
rascality,  filled  me  with  an  unspeakable  horror  and  disgust.  He 
had,  till  then,  wrapped  himself  in  such  a  thick  mantle  of  decep- 
tion, that  many  of  his  people  looked  upon  him  as  an  angel  of 
purity.  His  infamies  were  so  well  concealed  under  an  exterior 
of  extreme  moral  rigidity,  that  several  of  his  parishioners  looked 
upon  him  as  a  saint,  whose  relies  couUI  perform  miracles.  Not 
long  before,  two  young  couples,  of  the  best  families  of  Bour- 
bonnais,  having  danced  in  a  rcspecfaJ*Jc  social  gathering,  had 
been  condemned  by  him,  and  compelled  to  ask  pardon,  publicly, 
in  the  church.  This  pharisaical  rigidity  caused  the  secret  vices 
of  that  priest  to  be  still  more  conspicuous  and  «icandalous.  I  felt 
that  the  scandal  which  would  follow  the  publication  of  tliis 
mystery  of  iniquity  would  be  awful;  that  it  v»>nild  even  cause 
many, forever,  to  lose  faith  in  our  church.  So  many  sad  thou<,fhts 
filled  my  mind,  that  I  was  confused  and  unable  to  give  him  any 
advice.     I  answered: 

«'  Your  misfortune  is  really  great.  If  the  bishop  were  not 
here,  I  might,  perhaps,  tell  you  my  mind  about  the  best  tiling  to 
do,  ;u st  now.  But  the  bishop  is  here;  he  is  the  only  man  to 
whtir.  you  have  to  go  to  know  how  to  come  out  of  the  bottom- 
less auj'ss  into  which  you  have  fallen.  He  is  your  proper  coun- 
sellor; go  and  te!     lim, frankly, everything,  and  follow  hisadvice." 


wfWT^mrfm^ 


my  .'"'.'ij.v'Mffl 


FRIGHTFUL    SCANDAL. 


547 


with  staggering  step,  and  in  such  deep  emotions  that  his  sobs 
and  cries  could  be  heard  for  quite  a  distance,  he  went  to  the 
bishop.     I  remained  alone,  half-petrified  at  what  I  had  heard. 

Half  an  hour  later,  the  bishop  came  to  me.  He  was  pale  and 
his  eyes  reddened  with  his  tears ;  he  said  to  me : 

"Mr.  Chiniquy,  what  an  awful  scandal!  What  a  new  dis- 
^•race  for  our  holy  church!  That  Mr.  Courjeault,  whom  I 
thought,  till  to-day,  to  be  one  of  my  best  priests,  is  an  incarnate 
devil;  what  shall  I  do  with  him?  Please  help  me  by  your 
advice;  tell  me  what  you  consider  the  best  way  of  preventing 
the  scandal,  and  protecting  the  faith  of  the  good  people  against 
the  destructive  storm  which  is  coming  upon  tliem." 

«  My  dear  Bishop,"  I  answered,  "  the  more  I  consider  these 
scandals  here,  the  less  I  see  how  we  can  save  the  church  from 
becoming  a  dreadful  wreck.  I  feel  too  much  the  responsibility  of 
my  advice  to  give  it.  Let  your  lordship,  guided  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  do  what  you  consider  the  best  for  the  honor  of  the  church 
and  the  salvation  of  so  many  souls,  which  are  in  danger  of  per- 
ishing when  this  scandal  becomes  known.  For  me,  the  only 
thing  I  can  do,  is  to  conceal  my  face  with  shame,  go  back  to  my 
young  colony,  to  pray,  and  weep  and  work." 

The  bishop  replied :  "  Here  is  what  I  intend  to  do;  Mr,  Cour- 
jeault tells  me  that  there  is  not  the  least  suspicion,  among  the 
people,  of  his  sin,  and  that  it  is  an  easy  thing  to  send  that  girl  to 
the  house,  provided  in  Canada  for  priests'  offenses,  without 
awakening  any  suspicion.  He  seems  so  penitent,  that  I  hope, 
hereafter,  we  have  nothing  to  fear  from  him.  He  will  now  live 
the  life  of  a  good  priest  here,  without  givirg  any  scandal,  But 
if  I  remove  him,  then,  there  will  be  some  suspicions  of  his  fall, 
and  the  awful  scandal  we  want  to  avoid  will  come.  Please  lend 
me  $ioo,  which  I  will  give  to  Mr.  Courjeault,  to  send  that  girl 
to  Canada  as  soon  as  possible ;  and  he  will  continue  here,  to  work 
with  wisdom,  after  this  terrible  trial.  What  do  vou  think  of 
that  plan?" 

"  If  your  lordship  is  sure  of  the  conversion  of  Mr.  Cour- 
jeault, and  that  there  is  no  danger  of  his  great  iniquity  being 
known  by  the  people,  evidently,  the  wisest  thing  you  can  do,  is 


548 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


to  send  that  girl  to  Canada,  and  keep  Mr.  Courjenult  here. 
Though  I  see  great  dangers  even  in  that  way  of  dealing  in  this 
sad  affair.  But,  unfortunately,  I  have  not  a  cent  in  hand  to-day, 
and  I  cannot  lend  you  the  $ioo  you  want." 

"  Then,"  said  the  bishop,  "  I  will  give  a  draft  on  a  bank  of 
Chicago,  but  you  must  endorse  it." 

«'  I  have  no  objection,  my  lord,  to  endorse  anv  draft  signed  by 
your  lordship,"  I  replied. 

Though  it  was  late  in  the  day,  and  tliat  I  had,  at  first,  pro- 
posed to  spend  the  night,  I  came  back  to  my  dear  colony  of  St. 
Anne.  Bourbonnais  appeared  to  me  like  a  burning  house,  in  the 
cellar  of  which  there  was  a  barrel  of  powder,  from  which  one 
could  not  keep  himself  too  far  away. 

Five  days  later,  four  of  the  principal  citizens  of  that  inter- 
esting, but  sorely  tried  place,  knocked  at  my  door.  They  were 
sent  as  a  deputation  from  the  whole  village,  to  ask  me  what  to 
do  about  their  curate,  Mr.  Courjeault.  They  told  me  that 
several  of  them  had,  long  since,  suspected  what  was  going  on 
between  that  priest  and  the  beadle's  daughter,  but  they  had  kept 
that  secret.  However,  yesterday,  they  said  the  eyes  of  the 
parish  -had  been  opened  to  the  awful  scandal. 

The  disgusting  demonstrations  and  attention  of  the  curate, 
when  the  victim  of  his  lust  took  the  diligence,  left  no  doubt  in 
the  minds  of  any  one,  that  she  is  to  have  a  child  in  Montreal. 

«  Now,  Mr.  Chiniquy,  we  are  sent  here  to  ask  your  advice. 
Please  tell  us  what  to  do?" 

"  My  dear  friends,"  I  answered,  "  it  is  not  from  me,  but  from 
our  common  bishop,  that  you  must  ask  what  is  to  be  done,  in 
such  deplorable  affairs." 

But  they  replied,  "  Would  you  not  be  kind  enough  to  come  to 
Bourbonnais  with  us,  and  go  to  our  unfortunate  priest  to  tell  him 
that  his  criminal  conduct  is  known  by  the  whole  people,  and 
that  we  cannot  decently  keep  him  a  day  longer  as  our  Christian 
teacher.  He  has  rendered  us  great  services,  in  the  past,  whicli 
we  will  never  forget.  We  do  not  want  to  abuse  or  i.isult  him, 
in  any  way.  Though  guilty,  he  is  still  a  priest.  The  only  favor 
we  ask  from  him  now,  is,  that  he  quits  the  place,  without  noise 


/ 


^lillpfffwp^w^p'p'ifliip 


FRIGHTFUL   SCANDAL. 


549 


and  scandal,  in  the  night,  to  avoid  any  disagreeable  demonstra- 
tions which  might  come  from  his  personal  enemies,  whom  his 
Pharisaical  rigidity  has  made  pretty  numerous  and  bitter." 

"  I  do  not  see  any  reason  to  refuse  you  that  favor,"  I  ans- 
wered. 

Three  hours  later,  in  the  presence  of  those  four  gentlemen, 
I  was  delivering  my  sad  message  to  the  unfortunate  curate.  He 
received  it  as  his  death  warrant.  But  he  was  humble  and  sub- 
mitted to  his  fate. 

After  spending  four  hours  with  us  in  settling  his  affairs,  he 
fell  on  his  knees,  with  torrents  of  tears,  he  asked  pardon  for  the 
scandal  he  had  given,  and  requested  us  to  ask  pardon  from  the 
whole  parish,  and  at  1 2  o'clock  at  night  he  left  for  Chicago. 
That  hour  was  a  sad  one,  indeed,  for  us  all.  But  my  God  had  a 
still  sadder  hour  in  store  for  me.  The  people  of  Bourbonnais 
had  requested  me  to  give  them  some  religious  evening  services 
the  next  week,  and  I  .was  just  at  the  end  of  one  of  them,  the  7th 
of  May,  when,  suddenly,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Courjeault  entered  the 
church,  walked  through  the  crowd,  saluting  this  one,  smiling  on 
that  one,  and  pressing  the  hands  of  many.  His  face  bore  the 
marks  of  impudence  and  debauchery. 

From  one  end  of  the  church  to  the  other,  a  whisper  of 
amazement  and  indignation  was  heard. 

"Mr  Courjeault!  Mr.  Courjeault!!  Great  God!  what  does 
this  mean?" 

I  observed  that  he  was  advancing  towards  me,  probably  with 
the  intention  of  shaking  hands,  before  the  people,  but  I  did  not 
give  him  time  to  do  it,  I  left  by  the  back  door,  and  went  to  the 
parsonage,  which  was  only  a  few  steps  distant.  He,  then,  went 
back  to  the  door  to  have  a  talk  with  the  people,  but  very  few 
gave  him  that  chance.  Though  he  affected  to  be  exceedingly 
gay,  jocose  and  talkative,  he  could  not  get  many  people  to  stop 
and  hear  him.  Every  one,  particularly  the  women,  were  filled 
with  disgust,  at  his  impudence.  Seeing  himself  nearly  deserted, 
at  the  church  door,  he  tuuned  his  steps  towards  the  parsonage, 
which  he  entered,  whistling.  When  he  beheld  me,  he  laughed 
and  said: 


.'"^A'jl''?* 


550 


FIFT^'  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


"  Oh  1  oh !  our  dear  little  Father  Chiniquy  here  ?  How  do 
you  do?" 

"  I  am  quite  unwell,"  I  answered,  "  since  I  see  that  you  are  so 
miserably  destroying  yourself." 

« I  do  not  want  to  destroy  myself,"  he  answered ;  "  but  it  is 
you  who  wants  to  turn  me  out  of  my  beautiful  Parish  of  Bour- 
bonnais,  to  take  my  place.  With  the  four  block-heads  who 
accompanied  you,  the  other  day,  you  have  frightened,  and  pur- 
suaded  me  that  my  misfortune  with  Mary  was  known  by  all  the 
people :  but  our  good  bishop  has  understood  that  this  was  a  trick 
of  yours,  and  that  it  was  one  of  your  lying  stories;  I  came  back 
to  take  possession  of  my  parish,  and  turn  you  out." 

"  If  the  bishop  has  sent  you  back  here  to  turn  me  out,  that  I 
may  go  back  to  my  dear  colony,  he  has  just  done  what  I  asked 
him  to  do;  for  he  knows,  better  than  any  man,  for  what  great 
purpose  I  came  to  this  country,  and  that  I  cannot  do  my  work, 
so  long  as  he  asks  me  to  take  care  of  Bourbonnais.  I  go,  at 
once,  and  leave  you  in  full  possession  of  your  parsonage.  But  I 
pity  you,  when  I  see  the  dark  cloud  which  is  on  your  horizon. 
Good-bye !" 

"  You  are  the  only  dark  cloud  on  my  horizon,"  he  answered. 
'♦  When  you  are  be  gone,  I  will  be  in  as  perfect  peace  as  I  was 
before  you  set  your  feet  in  Illinois.  Good-bye ;  and  please,  never 
come  back  here,  except  I  invite  you." 

I  left,  and  ordered  my  servant  man  to  drive  me  back  to  St. 
Anne.  But  when  crossing  the  village,  I  saw  that  there  was  a 
terrible  excitement  among  the  people.  Several  times,  they 
stopped  me,  and  requested  me  to  remain  in  their  midst  to  advise 
them  what  to  do. 

But  I  refused,  saying  to  them :  «  It  would  be  an  insult  on  my 
part  to  advise  you  anything,  in  a  matter  where  your  duty  as  men 
and  Catholics  is  so  clear.  Consult  the  respect  you  owe  to  your- 
selves, to  your  families,  and  to  your  church,  and  you  will  know 
what  to  do." 

It  took  me  all  night,  which  was  very  dark,  to  come  back  to 
St.  Anne,  where  I  arrived  at  dawn,  the  9th  of  May,  1852. 

The  next  Sabbath  day,  I  held  a  public  service  in  my  chapel, 


s^£ 


FRIGHTFUL    SCANDAL. 


551 


which  wa.«  "'•owded,  without  making  any  allusion  to  that  deplora- 
ble affair.  Jn  the  Monday  following,  four  citizens  of  Bourbon- 
npis  were  deputed  to  tell  me  what  they  had  done,  and  asked  me 
not  to  desert  them  in  ^hat  hour  of  trial,  but  to  remember  that  I 
was  their  countryman,  and  that  they  had  nobody  else  to  whom 
they  could  1  ok,  to  help  to  fulfill  their  religious  duties.  Here  is 
the  substance  of  their  message: 

"  As  soon  as  we  saw  that  you  had  left  our  village,  without 
telling  us  what  to  do,  we  called  a  public  meeting,  where  we 
passed  the  following  resolutions:" 

ist.    No  personal  insult  sliall  be  given  to  Mr.  Courjeault. 

2d.     We  cannot  consent  to  Iceep  him  a  single  hour  as  our  pastor. 

3d.  When,  next  Sabbath,  he  will  begin  his  sermon,  we  will  instantly 
leave  the  church,  and  go  to  the  door,  that  he  may  remain  absolutely  alone, 
and  understand  our  stern  determination  not  to  have  him  any  more  for  our 
spiritual  teacher. 

4th.  We  will  send  these  resolutions  to  the  bishop,  and  ask  him  to  allow 
Mr.  Chiniquy  to  divide  his  time  and  attention  between  his  new  colony  and 
us,  till  we  have  i.  pastor  able  to  instruct  and  edify  us. 

Strange  to  say,  poor  Mr.  Courjeault,  shut  up  in  his  parson- 
age, during  that  night,  knew  nothing  of  that  meeting.  He  had 
not  found  a  single  friend  to  warn  him  of  what  was  to  happen 
the  next  Sunday.  That  Sunday,  the  weather  was  magnificent; 
and  there  never  had  been  such  a  multitude  of  people  at  the 
church. 

The  miserable  priest,  thinking  by  that  unusual  crowd,  that 
everything  was  to  be  right  with  him,  that  day,  began  his 
mass  and  went  to  the  pulpit  to  deliver  his  sermon.  But  he  had 
hardly  pronounced  the  first  words,  when,  at  a  signal  given  by 
some  one,  the  whole  people,  without  a  single  exception,  ran 
out  of  the  church,  as  if  it  had  been  on  fire,  and  he  remained 
alone. 

Of  course,  this  fell  upon  him  as  a  thunderbolt,  and  he  came 
very  near  fainting.  However,  recovering  himself,  he  went  to 
the  door,  and  having  with  his  tears  and  sobs,  as  with  his  words, 
persuaded  the  people  to  listen  to  what  he  had  to  tell  them :  He 
said: 

"  I  see  that  the  hand  of  God  is  upon  me,  and  I  deserve  it.    I 


J&^^^ 


^TfTl^^PT' 


55a 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OP   ROME. 


have  sinned,  and  made  a  mistake  by  coming  back.  You  do  not 
want  me  any  more  to  be  your  pastor.  I  can  not  complain  of 
that ;  this  is  your  right,  you  will  be  satisfied.  I  will  leave  the  place 
forever,  to-night.  I  only  ask  you  to  forgive  my  past  errors  and 
pray  for  me." 

This  short  address  was  followed  by  the  most  deadly  silence; 
not  a  voice  was  heard  to  insult  him.  Many,  on  the  contrary, 
were  so  much  impressed  with  the  sad  solemnity  of  this  oc- 
currence that  they  could  not  refrain  their  tears.  The  whole 
people  went  back  to  their  homes  with  broken  hearts.  Mr. 
Courjeault  left  Bourbonnais  that  very  night,  never  to  return 
again.  But  the  awful  scandal  he  had  given  did  not  disappear 
with  him. 

Our  Great  and  Merciful  God,  who,  many  times,  has  made 
the  very  sins  and  errors  6i  his  people  to  work  for  good,  caused 
that  public  iniquity  of  the  priest,  to  remove  the  scales  from 
many  eyes  and  prepare  them  to  receive  the  light,  which  was 
already  dawning,  at  the  horizon.  A  voice  from  heaven,  was 
as  if  heard  by  many  of  us* 

"  Do  you  not  see  that  in  your  Church  of  Rome,  you  do  not 
follow  the  Word  of  God,  but  the  lying  traditions  of  men?  Is 
it  not  evident  that  your  priest's  celibacy  is  a  snare  and  an  insti- 
tution of  Satan?" 

Many  asked  me  to  show  them,  in  the  Gospel  where  Christ 
had  established  the  law  of  celibacy. 

"  I  will  do  better,"  I  added,  "  I  will  put  the  Gospel  in  your 
hands,  and  you  will  look  for  yourselves  in  that  holy  book, 
what  is  said  on  that  matter." 

The  very  same  day  I  ordered  a  merchant,  from  Montreal,  to 
send  me  a  large  box  filled  with  New  Testaments,  printed  by  the 
order  of  the  Archbishop  of  Quebec;  and  on  the  25th  as  many 
from  New  York.  Very  soon  it  was  known  by  every  one  of 
my  emigrants  that  not  only  had  Jesus  never  forbidden  His 
apostles  and  priests  to  marry,  but  he  had  left  them  free  to  have 
their  wives,  and  live  with  them,  according  to  the  very  testimony 
of  Paul.  "  Have  we  not  the  power  to  lead  about  with  us  a  wife 
and  sister,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  aposties  and  brethren  of  the 


mimmmmm 


m 


FRIGHTFUL    SCAND\L. 


553 


Lord,  and  Cephas,  (Cor.  ix:  55)  they  saw,  by  their  Gospel,  that 
the  doctrine  of  celibacy  of  the  priests  was  not  brought  from 
heaven  by  Christ,  but  had  been  forged  in  darkness,  to  add  to  the 
miseries  of  man*  They  read  and  read  over  again  these  words  of 
Christ: 

"  Tf  you  continue  in  my  word,  you  shall  be  my  disciples 
indeed. 

«<  You  shall  know  the  truth,  and  it  shall  make  you  free. 

**  If,  therefore,  the  son  shall  make  you  free,  you  shall  be  free 
indeed."  (John  viii:  31,  32,  36.) 

And  those  promises  of  liberty,  which  Christ  gave  to  those 
who  read  and  followed  His  Word,  made  their  hearts  leap  with 
joy.  They  fell  upon  their  minds  as  music  from  heaven.  They 
also,  soon  found,  by  themselves,  that  every  time  the  disciples 
of  Christ  had  asked  Him  who  would  be  the  first  ruler,  or  the 
Pope,  in  His  church,  he  had  always  solemnly  and  positively  said 
that,  in  His  church,  no  body  would  ever  become  the  first,  the 
ruler  or  the  Pope. 

And  they  began,  seriously,  to  suspect  that  the  great  powers 
of  the  Pope  and  his  bishops  were  nothing  but  a  sacrilegious 
usurpation.  I  was  not  long  without  seeing,  that  the  reading  of 
the  Holy  Scriptures  by  my  dear  countrymen,  was  changing  them 
into  other  men. 

Their  minds  were  evidently  enlarged  and  raised  to  higher 
spheres  of  thought.  They  were  begnining  to  suspect  that  the 
heavy  chains  which  were  wounding  their  shoulders  were  preven- 
ting them  from  making  progress  in  wealth,  intelligence  and 
liberty,  as  their  more  fortunate  fellow-men,  called  Protestants. 

This  was  not  yet  the  bright  light  of  the  day,  but  it  was  the 
blessed  dawn. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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0 


Chapter   LII. 

N  the  20th  of   May,  1852,  I  received  the  following  letter 
from  Bishop  Vandeveld. 


Rev.  Mr.  Chiniquy. 

My  Dear  Mr.  Chiniquy: — "The  Rev.  Mr.  Courjeault  is  just 
returned  from  Bourbonnais,  where  he  ought  never  to  have  gone  back; 
he  has  told  me  of  his  complete  failure,  and  ignominious  exit.  I  bitterly  re- 
gret having  allowed  him  to  go  there  again.  But  he  had  so  persuaded  me 
that  his  criminal  conduct  with  his  servant  girl  was  ignored  hy  the  people, 
that  I  had  yielded  to  his  request. 

"  I  feel  that  this  new  attempt,  on  his  part,  to  impose  himself  on  that  hon- 
est people,  has  added  to  the  enormity  of  his  first  scandal.  I  advise  him  now 
to  go  back  to  France,  where  he  can  more  easily  conceal  his  shame  than  in 
America.  But  one  of  the  darkest  features  of  that  disgusting  affair  is,  that 
I  am  obliged  to  pay  the  $500  which  the  giil  asked,  in  order  to  prevent  Mr. 
Courjeault  from  being  dragged  before  the  civil  tribunal,  and  sent  to  jail. 

"The  malice  of  that  priest  against  you  has  received  its  just  reward. 
But  my  fear  is  that  you  have  another  implacable  enemy  here  in  Mr.  Lebel, 
whose  power  to  do  evil  is  greater  than  Mr.  Courjeault's. 

"  Before  you  began  your  great  work  of  directing  the  flood  of  Roman 
Catholic  emigration  towards  this  country,  to  secure  it  to  our  holy  church, 
he  was  in  favor  of  that  glorious  scheme,  but  his  jealousy  against  you  has 
suddenly  changed  his  mind. 

"  He  has,  lately,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Canadian  press,  every  word  of 
which  is  an  unmitigated  falsehood.  Of  course,  the  Bishop  of  Montreal,  who 
is  more  than  ever  opposed  to  our  colonization  plan,  has  published  that  lying 
letter  in  hw  journal ;  more  than  that,  he  has  reproduced  the  testimony  of  a 
perjured  man,  who  swears  that  many  of  the  people  of  Illinois  are  bitten  and 
killed  by  the  rattlesnakes,  and  those  who  escape  are  taxed  six  cents  for 
each  pane  of  glass  of  their  windows. 

"  Will  you  be  discouraged  by  this  opposition  ?  I  hope  not.  This  oppo- 
sition Is  the  greatest  evidence  we  could  have  that  our  scheme  is  from  God, 
and  that  he  will  support  you.  I  am  tempted  to  interdict  Mr.  Lebel,  and 
send  him  back  to  Canada,  for  writing  things  which  he  so  well  knows  to  be 
false.  The  want  of  a  French-speaking  priest  for  your  countrymen  of  Chi- 
cago, is  the  only  thing  which  has  prevented  me  from  withdrawing  his  fac- 

SS4 


CORRESPONDENCE    WITH    THT.    BISHOP. 


555 


ultles.     But  I  have  warned  him,  that  if  he  writes  any  more  against  the 
truth,  I  will  punish  him  as  he  deserves. 

"  For  you,  my  dear  sir,  I  will  address  to  you  the  very  words  which  God 
Himself  addressed  to  his  servant  Joshua:  '  Be  strong,  and  of  good  courage; 
for  unto  this  people  shalt  thou  divide,  for  an  inheritance,  the  land  which  I 
swear  unto  their  fathers  to  give  them.'    (Joshua  i :  6.) 

"  I  agree  with  what  you  wrote  me  in  your  last  letter,  that  the  charge  I 
have  given  you  of  Bourbonnais,  protempore,  will  seriously  interfere  with 
your  other  numberless  duties  towards  your  dear  emigrants.  But  there  is  no 
help ;  the  only  thing  I  can  promise,  is  to  relieve  you  as  soon  as  possible.  I 
have  no  other  priest  to  whom  I  can  trust  the  interesting  mission  of  Bour- 
bonnais. For  Father  Huick  is  too  old  and  infirm  for  such  a  work;  it  is  evi- 
dently the  will  of  God  that  you  should  extend  your  labors  over  the  first 
liw'M  vou  had  fixed.  Be  faithful  to  the  end,  and  the  Lord  will  be  with  you, 
and  support  you  throughout  all  your  labors  and  tribulations." 

Truly  Yours, 

^  Oliv  Vandeveld, 

Bishop  of  Chicago. 

During  the  next  six  months,  more  than  500  families  from 
France,  Belgium  and  Canada,  came  and  gave  to  our  colony  a  life, 
power,  and  prosperity,  impossible  for  me  to  depict;  the  joy  I 
felt  at  this  unforeseen  success  was  much  diminished,  however,  by 
the  sudden  news  that  Mr.  Courjeault  had  come  back  from  France, 
where  he  spent  only  one  month. 

Not  daring  to  visit  Bourbonnais  again,  he  was  lurking  on  the 
frontiers  of  Indiana,  only  a  few  miles  distant,  evidently  with 
some  sinister  intention. 

Driven  to  a  state  of  madness  by  his  jealousy  and  hatred,  that 
unfortunate  man  addressed  to  me,  on  the  23d  of  January,  1853, 
the  most  abusive  letter  T  ever  receiveq,  and  ended  it  by  telling 
me  that  the  fine  (though  unfinished)  church  of  Bourbonnais, 
which  he  had  built,  was  to  be  burned,  and  thatmy  life  would  be 
in  danger  if  I  remained  at  the  head  of  that  mission. 

I  immediately  sent  that  letter  to  the  bishop,  asking  his  advice. 
In  his  answer,  he  told  me  that  he  thought  that  Mr.  Courjeault 
was  wicked  enough  to  fulfill  his  threats.  He  added :  "  though 
I  have  not  yet  clear  evidence  of  it,  it  is  my  fear  that  Mr.  Lebel 
is  united  with  Mr.  Courjeault,  in  the  diabolical  plot  of  burning 
your  church  of  Bourbonnais.     Several  people  have  reported  to 


556 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE  CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


me  that  he  says  that  your  presence  there,  will  be  the  ruin  of  that 
people,  and  the  destructiou  of  their  church.  Oh  I  to  what  ex- 
tremities bad  priests  can  go,  when,  once,  they  have  given  them- 
selves to  their  unbridled  passions!  The  first  thing  I  would  ad- 
vise you,  my  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  in  the  presence  of  such  a  terri- 
ble calamity,  is  to  insure  that  church  without  delay.  I  have  tried 
to  do  it  here,  but  they  have  refused,  under  the  pretext  that  it  is 
an  unfinished,  frame  building,  and  that  there  are  too  many  dangers 
of  fire  when  people  are  still  working  at  it. 

My  impression  is,  that  Mr.  Lebel  is  on  intimate  terms  with 
some  insurance  gentlemen,  and  has  frightened  them  by  speaking 
of  that  rumor  of  danger,  of  which  he  is  probably  the  father, 
with  that  miserable  Courjeault.  Perhaps  you  may  have  a  better 
chance,  by  addressing  yourself  to  some  insurance  company 
which  you  might  find  at  Joliet,  or  at  Springfield." 

After  vain  efforts  to  insure  the  church,  I  wrote  to  the  bishop. 
**  The  only  way  to  escape  the  inpending  danger,  is  to  finish  the 
church  at  once,  and  insure  it  after.  I  have  just  made  a  collection 
of  $400  among  the  people  of  Bourbonnais,  to  which  I  added 
$300  from  my  own  private  resources ;  and  will  go  to  work 
immediately  if  your  lordship  has  no  objections." 

Having  got  the  approbation  of  my  superior,  on  the  ist  of 
March,  I  began,  to  put  the  last  hand  to  that  building. 

We  worked  almost  day  and  night,  till  the  1st  of  May,  when 
it  was  all  finished.  I  dare  afiirm,  that  for  a  country  place,  that 
church  was  unsurpassed  in  beauty.  The  inside  frame-work  was 
all  made  of  the  splendid  black  oak  of  Bourbonnais,  polished  and 
varnished  by  most  skillful  men,  and  they  looked  like  a  mirror. 
Very  seldom  have  I  seen  anything  more  grand  and  beautiful  than 
the  altar,  made  also  of  that  precious  black  oak.  It  was  late  at 
night,  when,  with  my  fellow-laborers,  covered  with  dust  and 
sweat,  we  could  say  with  joy  the  solemn  words,  "It  is  finished!" 
afterwads  we  sung  the  Te  Deum. 

Had  1  had  any  opportunity,  at  that  late  hour,  it  was  my 

thought  and  desire  to  insure  it.     But  I  was  forced  to  postpone 

this  till  the  next  Monday. 

The  next  day,  (the   first   Sabbath  of  May    1853)   the  sun 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH    THE    BISHOP. 


557 


seemed  to  come  out  from  the  horizon  and  rise  above  our  heads 
with  more  than  usual  magnificence. 

The  air  was  calm  and  pure,  and  the  numberless  spring 
flowers  of  our  gardens  mingling  their  perfumes  with  the  fra- 
grant leaves  of  the  splendid  forest  at  the  front  of  the  village, 
the  balmy  atmosphere,  the  songs  of  the  birds,  seemed  to  tell 
us  that  this  Sabbath  day  was  to  be  the  most  happy  one  for  me 
and  my  dear  people  of  Bourbonnais.  The  church  had  never 
been  so  crowded.  The  hymns  we  sung  had  never  been  so 
•melodious,  and  the  words  of  gratitude  which  I  addressed  to  my 
God,  when  I  thanked  him  for  the  church  he  had  given  us,  in 
which  to  adore  and  bless  him,  had  never  been  so  sincere  and 
earnest:  never  had  our  tears  of  I'oy  flowed  so  prof usely  as  on  that 
splendid  and  never-to-be-forgotten  Sabbath. 

Alas!  who  would  suspect  that,  six  hours  later,  that  same 
people,  gathered  around  the  smoking  ruins  of  their  church, 
would  rend  the  air  with  their  cries  of  desolation!  Such,  however, 
was  the  case. 

While  taking  my  dinner,  after  the  public  service,  two  little 
boys,  who  had  remained  in  the  church  to  wait  for  the  hour  of 
the  Catechism,  ran  to  the  parsonage,  crying:  "Fire!  Fire! I 
Fire!!!" 

Bare-headed,  and  half-paralyzed  with  the  idea  that  my 
church  was  on  fire,  I  went  out  to  see  the  awful  reality.  A  girdle 
of  smoke  and  fire  was  already  issuing  from  almost  every  part, 
between  the  top  of  the  wooden  walls  and  the  roof. 

I  had  rushed  to  the  church  with  a  pail  of  water  in  my  hand. 
But  it  was  too  late  to  make  any  use  of  it;  the  flames  were 
already  running  and  leaping  with  a  fearful  rapidity  over  the 
fresh  varnish,  like  a  long  ti'ain  of  powder.  In  less  than  two 
houi"  all  was  finished  again. 

No  doubt  could  remain  in  our  minds.  This  was  the  work  of 
an  incendiary,  for  there  was  no  fire  in  the  church  after  the 
service.  Many  strangers  who  had  come  from  a  distance,  had 
gone  through  the  whole  nave  and  the  upper  galleries,  to  have  a 
better  sight  of  the  whole  building,  and  two  of  them  had  been 
seen  by  the  little  boys,  rema'mxnr^  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  alone; 


558 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


they  had  gone  back  to  some  of  the  houses  of  the  village  with- 
out being  remarked  by  anybody,  for  it  was  dinner  time,  and 
there  was  nobody  to  watch  them. 

Though  stunned  by  that  awful  calamity,  the  noble-hearted 
people  of  Bourbonnais  did  not  lose  their  minds.  Seeing  that  they 
were  all  gathered  around  the  smoking  ruins,  at  about  six  p.  m.  I 
addressed  to  them  a  few  words  to  support  their  courage.  I  told 
them  that  it  was  only  in  the  midst  of  great  trials  and  difBculties 
that  men  could  show  their  noblest  qualities,  and  their  true  man- 
hood ;  that  if  we  were  true  men,  instead  of  losing  our  time  in 
shedding  tears  and  rending  the  air  with  our  cries  of  desolation, 
we  would  immediately  put  our  hands  to  the  work,  and  begin 
the  very  next  day,  to  raise  up,  not  a  frame  building,  which 
the  flames  couH  turn  into  ashes  in  a  few  minutes,  and  which  the 
storm  could  blow  down  over  our  heads,  but  a  stone  church, 
which  would  stand  before  God  and  man  as  an  imperishable 
monument  of  their  faith,  indomitable  courage  and  liberality. 
We  immediately  started  a  subscription,  to  erect,  without  delay,  a 
stone  church.  In  less  than  one  hour,  $4,000  in  money,  and  more 
than  $5,000  in  time,  timber  and  stone  and  other  material,  were 
subscribed,  every  cent,  of  which  has  been  faithfully  given  for  the 
erection  of  that  fine  stone  church  of  Bourbonnais. 

The  next  Thursday,  Bishop  Vandeveld  came  from  Chicago 
to  confer  with  me  about  what  could  be  done  to  repair  that  terri- 
ble loss,  and  to  inquire  confidentially  of  me  as  to  the  author  of 
that  fire.  All  the  facts  we  gathered  pointed  to  the  same  direc- 
tion. It  was  evident  that  the  miserable  Courjeault,  with  Lebel, 
the  French  Canadian  priest  of  Chicago,  had  done  that  evil  work 
through  their  emissaries.  No  doubt  of  this  remained  in  my  mind 
when  I  learned  that  soon  after,  Mr.  Courjeauli.  had  thrown  him- 
self into  one  of  those  dark  dungeons  called  a  monastery  of  La 
Trappe,  which  Satan  has  built  on  earth  as  a  preparation  for  the 
dark  hereafter  of  the  wicked. 

The  unexpected  visit  of  my  bishop,  had,  at  first,  rejoiced  me, 
by  the  hope  that  he  would  bring  me  words  of  encouragement. 
But  what  was  my  disappointment,  when  he  said  to  me: 

«  My  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  I  must  reveal  to  you  a  thing  that  I 


CORRESPONDENCE    WITH    THE    BISHOP. 


559 


have  not  yet  made  known  to  anyone.  It  ie  jonfidential,  and  I 
request  you  not  to  say  a  word  before  it  is  accomplished.  I  can 
not  remain  any  longer  Bishop  of  Illinois!  No!  I  cannot  any 
longer  resume  the  responsibilities  of  such  a  high  position,  because 
it  is  bevond  my  power  to  fulfill  my  duties  and  do  what  the 
church  requires  of  me.  The  conduct  of  the  priests  of  this 
diocese  is  such,  that,  should  I  follow  the  regulations  of  the 
canon,  I  would  be  forced  to  interdict  all  my  priests  with  the 
exception  of  you  and  two  or  three  others. 

"  They  are  all  either  notorious  drunkards,  or  given  to  public 
or  secret  concubinage ;  several  of  them  have  children  by  theii* 
own  neices,  and  two  by  their  own  sisters.  I  do  not  think  that 
ten  of  them  believe  in  God.  Religion  is  nothing  to  them  but  a 
well  paying  comedy.  Where  can  I  find  a  remedy  to  such  a 
general  evil?  Can  I  punish  one  of  them  and  leave  the  others 
free  in  their  abominable  doings,  when  they  are  almost  all  equally 
guilty  ?  Would  not  the  general  interdiction  of  these  priests,  be 
the  death  blow  of  our  church  in  Illinois?  Besides,  how  can  I 
punish  them,  when  I  know  that  many  of  them  are  ready  to 
poison  me  the  very  moment  I  raise  a  finger  against  them.  I 
suppose  that  you  do  not  ignore  the  fact  that  my  poor  predecessor 
was  poisoned  by  one  of  those  priests  who  had  seduced  several 
nuns,  when  he  was  in  the  very  act  of  investigating  the  matter. 

« I  intend  to  go  to  Rome,  as  soon  as  I  receive  my  permit 
from  the  Pope,  to  renounce  at  his  feet,  the  Bishopric  of 
Chicago,  which  I  will  not  keep  on  any  consideration. 

♦'  If  the  Pope  does  not  give  me  another  diocese,  with  a  better 
set  of  priests,  I  prefer  to  spend  the  rest  of  my  lile  at  the  head 
of  a  small  congregation,  where  I  shall  not  have,  on  my 
shoulders,  the  awful  responsibility  which  is  killing  me  here. 
The  lasthorrible  deeds  of  Courjealt,  andLebel,of  which  you  are 
the  victim  to-day,  has  filled  the  bitter  cup  which  God  has  put  to  my 
lips  to  drink.  It  is  overflowing.  I  cannot  any  longer  endure 
it." 

When  speaking  so,  the  bishop's  face  was  bathed  with  tears. 
It  was  very  late;  too  late,  indeed,  to  make  the  remonstrances 
which  came  to  my  mind,  in  order  to  change  his  resolutions. 


JMpjJi'WiippppiipuilffK'llipn 


560 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


['■■  w 


m^ 


I  determined  to  wait  till  the  next  morning,  when  I  should 
have  plenty  of  time,  I  hoped,  to  expel  his  dark  thoughts, 
and  give  him  more  courage.  Besides,  I  was,  myself,  so 
discouraged  by  those  awful  disclosures,  that  I  was  in  need 
of  mental,  as  well  as  bodily  rest.  But,  alas!  the  next  day 
was  to  be  one  of  the  darkest  of  my  priestly  lifel 

When  the  hour  for  breakfast  came,  the  next  morning,  I 
went  to  awaken  the  bishop.  What  was  my  dismay,  when  I  found 
him  drunk? 

Before  going  to  bed,  he  had  secretly  asked  my  house- 
keeper to  give  him  the  bottle  of  wine  which  I  used  to  celebrate 
mass.  It  was  a  large  bottle,  containing  nearly  a  quart  of  wine, 
which  would  last  me,  at  least,  six  months.  The  whole  of  which 
he  had  drank  during  the  night! 

I  had  been  told,  that  .Bishop  (Vandeveld,  as  well  as  the 
greater  part  of  the  Bishops  of  the  United  States,)  was  a  drunkard ; 
but  I  had  never  believed  it.  He  always  drank  very  moderately, 
before  me,  any  time  I  sat  at  his  table,  or  he  at  mine.  It  appears 
that  it  was  at  night,  when  nobody  could  see  him,  that  he  gave 
himself  up  to  that  detestable  habit.  His  room  was  filled  with 
the  odor  of  what  he  had  vomited,  after  drinking  such  an  enor- 
mous quantity  of  wine.  He  left  the  room,  only  at  noon,  after 
the  fumes  of  the  wine  had  almost  entirely  disappeared,  and 
requested  the  hcusekeeper  to  cleanse  it  herself,  without  letting 
the  servants  know  anything  of  the  occurrence  of  the 
night. 

But  words  would  fail  to  express  my  consternation,  and  the 
discouragement  I  felt.  I  had  formed  such  a  good  and  exalted 
opinion  of  that  man!  I  had  found  in  him  such  noble  qualities! 
His  intelligence  was  so  bright,  his  learning  so  extensive,  his 
heart  so  large,  his  plans  so  grand,  his  piety  so  sincere,  his  charity 
so  worthy  of  a  Bishop  of  Christ! 

It  was  so  pleasant  for  me  to  know,  till  then,  that  I  was 
honored  with  the  full  confidence  of  a  bishop  who,  it  seemed  to 
me,  had  not  a  superior  in  our  church ! 

The  destruction  of  my  dear  church,  by  the  hands  of  incendi- 
aries, was  surely  a  great  calamity  for  me;  but  the  fall  of  my 


fe'^Siji:' 


CORRESPONDENCE    WITH    THE    BISHOP. 


561 


bishop,  from  the  high  position  he  had  in  my  heart  and  mind, 
was  still  greater. 

I  had  the  means,  in  hand,  to  rebuild  that  church ;  but  my 
confidence  in  my  bishop  was  irremediably,  and  forever  lost  I 
Never  had  a  son  loved  his  father  more  sincerely,  than  I  had 
loved  him ;  and  never  had  any  priest  felt  a  more  sincere  respect 
for  his  bishop,  than  I  for  him!  Oh!  what  a  terrible  wound  was 
made  in  my  heart  that  day!  what  tortures  I  felt! 

But  how  many  times,  since,  I  have  blessed  my  God  ior  these 
wounds!  Without  them,  I  should  never  have  known,  that 
instead  of  being  in  the  bosom  of  thu  Immaculate  Church  of 
Christ,  I  was  the  slave  of  that  great  Babylon,  which  poisons 
the  nations  with  the  wine  of  her  abominations. 

My  love  and  respect  for  Bishop  Vandeveld,  were  very 
strong  chains,  by  which  I  was  bound  to  the  feet  of  the  idols  of 
Rome.  I  will  eternally  bless  God  for  having  himself  broken 
these  chains,  on  that  day  of  supreme  desolation. 

The  remaining  part  of  the  day,  as  well  as  the  hour  of 
the  next  morning  which  the  bishop  spent  in  my  house, 
I  remained  almost  mute  in  his  presence.  He  was  not  less 
embarrassed  when  he  asked  me  my  views  about  his  project  of 
leaving  the  diocese.  I  answered  him,  in  a  few  words,  that  I 
could  not  disapprove  the  purpose;  for  I  would,  myself,  prefer  to 
live  in  a  dark  forest,  in  the  midst  of  wild  animals,  than  among 
drunken,  atheist  priests  and  bishops. 

Some  months  later,  I  learned,  without  regret,  that  the  Pope 
had  accepted  his  resignation  of  the  Bishopric  of  Chicago,  and 
appointed  him  Bishop  of  Natchez,  in  Louisiana.  His  successor 
to  the  Bishopric  of  Chicago,  was  Rev.  O'Ragan. 

One  of  the  very  first  things  which  this  new  bishop  did,  was 
to  bring  Bishop  Vandeveld  before  the  criminal  tribunals,  as  a 
thief,  accusing  him  of  having  stolen  $100,000  from  the  Bishopric 
of  Chicago,  .ind  carrying  them  away  with  him.  There  is  no 
need  to  say,  that  this  action  caused  a  terrible  scandal.  Not  only 
in  Illinois,  but  through  all  the  United  States,  both  priests  and  lay- 
men had  to  blush,  and  cast  down  their  eyes  before  the  world.  The 
two  bishops,   employing  the  best  lawyers  to  fight  each  other. 


PiU 


ippipl 


56a 


FIFTY    YBARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


came  very  near  proving  to  the  world  that  both  of  them  were 
equully  swindlers  and  thieves;  when  the  Pope  forced  them  both 
tu  stop  their  contestation,  and  bring  the  affair  before  his  tribunal, 
at  Rome.  There  it  was  decided  that  the  $100,000,  which  had 
really  been  taken  from  Chicago  to  the  Natchez  diocese,  should 
be  equally  divided  between  the  two  bishops. 

How  many  times  did  I  feel  my  soul  brought  to  the  dust,  in 
the  midst  of  those  horrible  scandals!  How  many  sleepless 
nights  have  I  spent,  when  a  voice,  which  I  could  not  silence, 
seemed  crying  to  me,  louder  than  thunder: 

"  What  are  you  doing  here,  extending  the  power  of  a 
church,  which  is  a  den  of  thieves,  drunkards,  and  impure  atheists? 
A  church,  governed  by  men  whom  you  know  to  be  godless, 
swindlers,  and  vile  comedians  ?  Do  you  not  see  that  you  do  not 
follow  the  Word  of  God,  but  the  lying  traditions  of  men,  when 
you  consent  to  bow  your  knees  before  such  men  ?  Is  it  not  blas- 
phemy to  call  such  men  the  ambassadors,  and  the  disciples  of  the 
humble,  pure,  holy,  peaceful,  and  divine  Jesus?  Come  out  of 
that  church!  Break  the  fetters,  by  which  you  are  bound,  as  a 
vile  slave,  to  the  feet  of  such  men !  Take  the  Gospel  for  thine 
only  guide,  and  Christ  for  thine  only  Ruler!" 

I  was  in  desolation,  at  finding  that  my  faith  in  my  church  was, 
in  spite  of  myself,  shaken  by  these  scandals.  With  burning  tears 
rolling  down  my  cheeks,  and  with  a  broken,  and  humiliated 
heart,  I  fell,  one  night,  on  my  knees,  and  asked  my  God  to  have 
mercy  upon  me,  by  strengthening  my  faith  and  preserving  it  from 
ruin.  But  it  seemed  that  neither  my  tears  nor  my  cries  were  of 
any  avail,  and  I  renr.ained  the  whole  night,  as  a  ship  struck  by  a 
hurricane,  drifting*  on  an  unknown  sea,  without  a  compass  ox  a 
rudder. 

I  was  not  aware  of  it  then,  but  I  learned  it  after,  that  the 
divine  and  sure  Pilot  was  directing  my  course  towards  the  port 
of  salvation! 

The  next  day,  I  had  a  happy  diversion,  in  the  arrival  of  fifty 
new  emigrants,  who  knocked  at  my  door,  asking  my  advice  about 
the  best  place  to  select  for  their  future  home. 

It  seemed  to  me,  though  pretty  long  after  that,  that  my  duty 


CORR£Sl'ONDKNC£    WITH    THE    BISHOP. 


563 


was  to  go  and  pay  my  respects  to  my  new  bishop,  and  open  to 
him  my  heart  as  to  my  best  friend,  and  the  guide  whom  God 
Himself  had  clioscn  to  heal  tho  wounds  of  my  soul,  by  pouring 
the  oil  and  wine  of  charity  into  them. 

I  will  never  forget  the  day  (the  nth  of  December,  1854) 
when  I  saw  Bishup  O'Ragan,  for  the  first  time,  nor  the  painful 
impressions  I  received  from  that  first  interview. 

lie  was  of  medium  stature,  with  a  repugnant  face,  and  his 
head  alwavs  in  mutiun:  all  its  motions  seemed  the  expression  of 
insolence,  contempt,  tyranny,  and  pride;  there  was  absolutely 
nothing  pleasant,  either  in  his  words,  or  in  his  manners.  I  fell 
on  my  knees  to  ask  his  benediction,  when  I  had  given  him  my 
name  and  kissed  his  hand,  which  seemed  as  cold  as  that  of  a 
corpse. 

"Ah  I  ah  I  you  are  Father  Chiniquy,"  he  said.  "  I  am  glad  to 
see  you,  though  you  have  deferred  your  visit  a  long  time ;  please 
sit  down,  I  want  some  explanation  from  you  about  a  certain  very 
strange  document,  which  I  have  just  read  to-day;"  and  he 
went,  at  the  double  quick,  to  his  room  to  get  the  document. 
There  were  two  Irish  priests  in  the  room,  who  came  a  few  min- 
utes before  me.  When  we  were  alone,  one  of  them  said :  "  We 
had  hoped  that  we  would  gain  by  changing  Bishop  Vandeveld, 
for  this  one.  But  my  fear  is  that  we  have  only  passed  from 
Charybdis  into  Scylla,"  and  they  laughed  outright.  But  I  could 
not  laugh.  I  was  more  inclined  to  weep.  After  less  than  ten 
minutes  of  absence,  the  bishop  returned,  holding  in  his  hand  a 
paper,  which  I  understood,  at  once,  to  be  the  deed  of  the  eleven 
acres  of  land,  which  I  had  bought,  and  on  which  I  had  built  my 
chapel  of  St.  Anne. 

««Do  you  know  this  paper?"  he  asked  me  in  an  angry  man- 
ner. 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  I  know  it,"  I  answered. 

«  But,  then,"  he  quickly  replied,  "  you  must  know  that  that 
title  is  a  nullity ;  a  fraud,  w  hich  you  ought  never  to  have  signed." 

"  Your  venerable  and  worthy  predecessor  has  accepted  it,"  I 
answered,  "and  what  might  have  been  incorrect  has  been. made 
valid,  I  hope,  by  his  acceptation." 


s^ 


FIFTY    YKAKS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


**  I  do  not  cnrc  a  straw  about  what  my  predecessor  has  done," 
he  abruptly  answered, '*  he  is  not  here  to  defend  himself ;  neither 
arewc  here  to  discuss  his  merits  or  demerits.  We  have  not  to  deal 
with  my  lord  Vandeveld,  but  with  a  document  which  is  a  nullity, 
a  deception,  which  must  be  thrown  into  the  fire;  you  must  give 
me  another  title  of  that  property !" 

And  saying  this,  he  flung  my  deed  on  the  floor.  I  calmly 
picked  it  up,  and  said: 

*•  I  exceedingly  regret,  my  lord,  that  my  first  interview  with 
your  lordship  should  be  the  occiision  of  such  an  unexpected  act. 
But  I  hope  that  this  will  not  destroy  the  paternal  sentiments 
which  God  must  have  put  into  the  heart  of  my  bishop,  for  the 
last  and  least  of  his  priests.  I  see  that  your  lordship  is  very 
busy;  I  do  not  want  to  trespass  on  your  valuable  time;  I  take 
this  rejected  document  with  me,  to  make  another  one,  which  I 
hope  will  be  more  agreable  to  your  views;"  and  I  then  took  my 
departure. 

I  leave  the  reader  to  imagine  the  sentiments  which  filled  my 
mind  when  coming  back  to  my  colony. 

I  did  not  dare  say  a  word  to  my  people  about  our  bishop. 
When  questioned  by  them,  I  gave  the  most  evasive  answers  I 
could.  But  I  felt  as  the  mariner  feels  when  he  hears  the  rumb- 
ling thunder  approaching.  Though  the  sea  is  calm  as  the  oil  of 
a  lamp,  he  knows  the  storm  is  coming,  he  trims  his  sails,  and 
prepares  for  the  impending  hurricane. 

It  seemed  that  my  most  pressing  duty,  after  my  first  inter- 
view, was  to  bring  my  heart  nearer  to  my  God  than  ever;  to  read 
and  study  my  Bible  with  more  attention,  and  to  get  my  people 
to  take  more  than  ever  the  Word  of  God  as  their  daily  bread. 
I  began,  also,  to  speak  more  openly  of  our  Christian  rights,  as 
well  as  of  our  duties,  as  these  are  set  forth  in  the  Gospel  of 
Christ. 

Some  time,  before  this,  feeling  more  than  ever  that  I  could 
not  do  justice  to  my  colony,  by  keeping  any  longer  the  charge 
of  Bourbonnais,  I  had  respectfully  sent  my  resignation  to  the 
bishop,  which  had  been  accepted.  A  priest  had  been  called  by 
him  to  take  my  place  there.     But  he  too  was,  ere  long,  guilty  of 


wmmmmm 


CORRESPONDKNCK    WITH    THE    BISHOP. 


565 


a  public  scandal  with  his  servant  girl.  The  principal  citizens  of 
Bourbonnais  protested  against  his  presence  in  their  midst,  and 
soon  forced  the  bishop  to  dismiss  him.  His  successor  was  the 
miserable  priest,  Lcbel,  who  hud  been  turned  out  of  Chicago  for 
a  criminal  offence  with  his  own  niece,  and  was  now  to  be  the 
curate  of  Bourbonnais.  But  his  drunkenness  and  other  public 
vices,  caused  him  to  be  interdicted,  and  expelled  from  tha 
place,  in  the  month  of  S-ptember,  1855.  About  the  same  time, 
a  priest,  who  had  beer  expelled  from  Belgium  for  a  great  scan- 
dal, was  sent  to  KanI  .akee,  as  the  curate  of  the  French  Canadians 
of  that  interesting  young  city.  After  his  expulsion  from  Bel- 
gium, he  had  come  to  Chicago,  where,  under  another  name,  he 
had  made  a  fortune,  and  for  five  or  six  years  kept  a  house  of 
prostitution.  Becoming  tired  of  that  occupat'on,  he  offered 
$5,000  to  the  bishop,  if  he  would  accept  him  as  one  of  his 
priests,  and  give  him  a  parish.  Bishop  O'R  agan  being  in  need 
of  money,  accepted  the  gift,  and  fulfilled  f '  .  condition  by  send- 
ing htm  as  missionary  to  Kankakee. 

A*>  i  oon  as  he  had  taken  possesion  of  that  inferisdng  mission, 
he  came  with  Mr.  Lcbel  to  pay  me  a  visit.  1  received  them  as 
politely  as  possible,  though  they  were  both  half  «.lrunk  when 
they  arrived.  After  dinner,  they  went  to  shoot  prairie  chickens, 
and  got  so  drunk  that  one  of  theni,  Mr.  Lcbel,  lost  his  boots  in 
a  slough,  and  came  back  to  my  house  barefooted,  without  noticing 
his  loss.  I  had  to  help  them  get  their  carriage,  and  the  next  day  I 
wrote  them,  forbidding  them  to  ever  set  a  foot  in  my  house 


■^1 


But  what  was  my  surprise  and  sadness,  not  long  before  these 
two  infamous  priests  were  ignominiously  turned  out  by  their 
people,  to  receive  a  letter  from  my  bishop,  which  ended  in  these 
words : 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  you  refuse  to  live  on  good  terms 
with  your  two  neighboring  brother  priests.  This  ought  not  to 
be,  and  I  hope  to  hear  soon,  that  you  have  reconciled  yourself 
with  them,  in  a  friendly  way,  as  you  ought  to  have  done  long 
ago." 

I  answered  him: 


566 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    KOMB. 


"  It  h--  my  interest,  as  well  as  my  duty,  to  obey  my  bishop. 
I  know  it.  But  as  long  as  my  bishop  gives  me  for  neighbors, 
priests,  one  of  whom  has  lived  publicly  with  his  own  niece,  as  his 
wife,  and  the  other  who  has  kept  a  house  of  prostitution  in  Chi- 
cago, I  respectfully  ask  my  bishop  to  be  excused  for  not  visiting 
them." 

The  bishop  felt  insulted  by  my  letter,  and  was  furious  against 
me  It  came  to  be  a  public  fact  that  he  had  said  before  many 
people :  "  I  would  give  anything  to  the  one  who  would  help  nie 
to  get  rid  of  that  unmanageable  Chiniquy." 

Among  those  who  heard  the  bishop,  was  a  land  speculator, 
a  real  land-shark,  against  whom  a  bill  for  perjury  had 
been  found  by  the  jury  of  Iroquois  county,  the  27th  of  April, 
1854.  That  man  was  very  angry  against  me  for  protecting  my 
poor  countrymen  against  his  too  sharp  speculations.  He  said  to 
the  bishop,  if  you  pay  the  expenses  of  the  suit,  I  pledge  myself 
to  have  Chiniquy  put  in  gaol."  The  bishop  had  publicly 
answered  him: 

"  No  sum  of  money  will  be  too  great  to  be  delivered  from  a 
priest,  who  alone  gives  me  more  trouble  than  the  rest  of  my 
clergy." 

To  comply  with  the  desires  of  the  bishop,  this  speculator 
dragged  me  before  the  criminal  court  of  Kankakee,  on  the  i6th 
day  of  May,  1855,  but  he  lost  his  action,  and  was  condemned  to 
pay  the  cost. 

It  was  my  impression  that  the  bishop,  hai'Ing  so  often 
expressed  in  public  his  bad  feelings  against  me,  would  not  visit 
my  colony.  But,  I  was  mistaken,  on  the  nth  of  June,  taking 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Lebel  and  Carthuval  for  bis  companions,  he  came 
to  St.  Anne  to  administer  the  sacrament  of  confirmation. 

As  the  infamous  conduct  of  those  two  priests  was  known  to 
every  one  of  my  people,  I  felt  a  supreme  disgust  at  their  arrival, 
and  came  very  near  forbidding  them  to  sit  at  my  table.  Having, 
however,  asked  the  bishop  to  give  me  half-an-hour  of  private 
mterview,  I  respectfully,  but  energetically  protested  against  the 
presence  of  these  two  degraded  men  in  my  house. 

He  coldly  answered  me: 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   THE   BISHOP. 


567 


"  Mr.  Chintquy,  you  forget  that  I  am  the  Bishop  of  Illinois, 
and  that  you  are  a  simple  priest,  whom  I  can  interdict  and  remove 
from  here  when  I  like.  I  do  not  come  here  to  receive  your 
lessons,  but  to  intimate  to  you  my  orders.  You  seem  to  forget 
that  charity  is  above  all  others  the  virtue  which  must  adorn  the 
soul  of  a  good  priest.  Your  great  zeal  is  nothing  before  God, 
and  it  is  less  than  nothing  before  me,  so  long  as  you  have  not 
charity.  It  is  my  business,  and  not  yours,  to  know  what  priests 
I  must  employ,  or  reject.  Your  business  is  to  respect  them,  and 
forget  their  past  errors,  the  very  day  I  see  fit  to  receive  them 
among  my  priests." 

»'  My  lord,"  I  answered,  "  allow  me  respectfully  to  tell  you, 
that  though  you  arc  a  bishop,  and  I  am  a  simple  priest,  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  which  we  have  to  preach,  tells  us  to  avoid  the 
company  of  publicly  vicious  and  profligate  men.  My  conscience 
tells  me  that  through  respect  for  myself,  and  my  people,  and 
through  respect  for  the  Gospel  I  preach,  I  must  avoid  the  com- 
pany of  men,  one  of  whom  has  lived  with  his  niece  as  his  wife, 
and  the  other  has,  till  very  lately,  been  guilty  of  keeping  a  house 
of  prostitution  in  Chicago.  Your  lordship  may  ignore  these 
things,  and,  in  consequence  of  that,  may  give  his  confidence  to 
these  men ;  but  nothing  is  more  apt  to  destroy  the  faith  of  our 
French  Canadian  people,  than  to  see  such  men  in  your  company 
when  you  come  to  administer  the  sacrament  of  confirmation. 
It  is  through  respect  for  your  lordship,  that  I  take  the  liberty  of 
speaking  thus." 

He  angrily  answered  me: 

«'  I  see,  now,  the  truthfulness  of  what  people  say  about  you. 
It  is  to  the  Gospel  you  constantly  appeal  on  everything.  The 
Gospel!  The  Gospel!  is  surely  a  holy  book;  but  remember 
that  it  is  the  church  which  must  guide  you.  Christ  has  said : 
'  Hear  my  church.'  I  am  here  the  interpreter,  ambassador — the 
representative  of  the  church — when  you  disobey  me,  it  is  the 
church  you  disobey.' " 

"Now,  my  lord,  that  I  have  fulfilled  what  I  consider  a  con- 
scientious duty,  I  promise,  that  through  respect  for  your  lord- 
ship, and  to  keep  myself  in  the  bonds  of  peace  with  my  bishop. 


Ilpiiip 


568 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


i'' 


I,  to-day,  will  degl  with  these  two  priests,  as  if  they  were  worthy 
of  the  honorable  position  you  give  them." 

"All  right!  all  right!"  replied  the  bishop.  "  But  it  must  be 
near  the  hour  for  dinner." 

"  Yes,  my  lord,  I  have  just  heard  the  bell  calling  us  to  the 
dining-room." 

After  the  blessing  of  the  table  by  the  bishop,  he  looked  at 
the  Rev.  Carthuval,  who  was  sitting  just  before  him,  and  said: 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  Mr.  Carthuval,  you  do  not 
look  well?" 

♦'  No,  my  lord,"  he  answered,  "  I  am  not  well,  I  want  to  go 
to  bed." 

He  was  correct,  he  was  not  well,  for  he  was  drunk. 

During  the  public  services,  he  had  left  the  chapel  to  come 
down  and  ask  for  a  bottle  of  the  wine  I  kept  to  celebrate  mass. 
The  housekeeper,  thinking  he  wanted  the  wine  in  the  chapel, 
handed  him  the  bottle,  which  he  drank  in  her  presence,  in  less 
than  five  minutes.  After  which  he  went  up  the  chapel  to  help 
the  bishop  in  administering  the  confirmation  to  the  150  people 
whom  I  had  prepared  for  the  reception  of  that  rite. 

As  soon  as  dinner  was  finished,  the  bishop  requested  me  to 
go  and  take  a  walk  with  him.  After  giving  me  some  compli- 
ments, on  the  beauty  of  the  site  I  had  chosen  for  my  first  village 
and  chapel,  he  saw  at  a  short  distance,  a  stone  building,  which 
was  raised  only  a  little  above  the  windows,  and  directing  his 
steps  towards  it,  he  stopped  only  20  or  30  feet  distant,  and  asked 
me: 

"  Whose  house  is  this?" 

« It  is  mine,  my  lord." 

"It  is  yours!"  he  replied,  "and  to  whom  does  that  fine 
garden  belong  ?" 

"  It  is  mine,  also,  my  lord." 

"Well!  Well!"  he  rejoined.  "Where  did  you  get  the 
money  to  purchase  that  fine  piece  of  land,  and  build  that  house?" 

"  I  got  the  money  where  every  honest  man  gets  what  he 
possesses,  in  my  hard  labor,  and  in  the  sweat  of  my  brow,"  I 
replied. 


CORRBSPONOENCB    WITH    THE    BISHOP. 


569 


«•  I  want  that  house  and  that  piece  of  land !"  rejoined  the 
bishop,  with  an  imperative  voice. 

"So do  I,"  I  replied. 

"  You  must  give  me  that  house,  with  the  land  on  which  it  is 
built,"  said  the  bishop. 

"  I  can  not  give  them  as  long  as  I  am  in  need  of  them,  my 
lord,"  I  replied. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  a  bad  priest,  as  I  have  often  been  told, 
since  you  disobey  your  bishop,"  he  rejoined  with  an  angry 
manner!  , 

I  replied :  "  I  do  not  see  why  I  am  a  bad  priest,  because  I 
keep  what  my  God  has  given  me." 

"Are  you  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  you  have  no  right  to 
possess  any  property  ?"  he  answered. 

"  Yes!  my  lord,  I  am  ignorant  of  any  law  in  our  holy  church 
that  deprives  me  of  any  such  rights.  If,  however,  your  lord- 
ship can  show  me  any  such  law,  I  will  give  you  the  title  of  that 
property  just  now." 

"  If  there  is  not  such  a  law,"  he  replied,  stamping  on  the 
ground  with  his  feet, "  I  will  get  one  passed." 

"  My  lord,"  I  replied,  "  You  are  a  great  bishop.  You  have 
great  power  in  the  church,  but  allow  me  to  tell  you  that  you 
are  not  great  enough  to  have  such  a  law  passed,  in  our  holy 
church!" 

"  You  are  an  insolent  priest,"  he  answered  with  an  accent  of 
terrible  anger,  "  and  I  will  make  you  repent  for  your  inso- 
lence." 

He  then  turned  his  face  towards  the  chapel,  without  waiting 
for  my  answer,  and  ordered  the  horses  put  in  the  carriage,  that 
he  might  leave  in  the  shortest  possible  time. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  he  had  left  St.  Anne,  where  he 


was  never  to  come  agam. 


The  visit  of  that  mitred  thief,  with  his  two  profligate  priests, 
though  very  short,  did  much  by  the  mercy  of  God,  to  prepare 
our  minds  to  understand  that  Rome  is  the  great  harlot  of  the 
Bible,  which  seduces  and  intoxicates  the  nations  with  the  wine 
of  her  prostitution. 


f5Pifi?!^Pf^'PPR!SP»P^^  *■ ' 


Chapter    LIII. 


THB  IKKAOTTIiATB  OONOBFTION  OF  THB  VIBOIN  MABT. 


THE  8th  December,  1854,  Pop^  P'"s  IX,  was  sitting  on  his 
throne ;  a  triple  crown  of  gold  and  diamonds  was  on  his 
head ;  silk  and  damask — red  and  white  vestments  on  his  should- 
ers; five  hundred  mitred  prelates  were  surrounding  him;  and 
more  than  fifty  thousand  people  were  at  his  feet,  in  the  incom- 
parable St.  Peter's  Church  of  Rome. 

After  a  few  minutes  of  most  solemn  silence,  a  Cardinal, 
dressed  with  his  pivrpled  robe,  left  his  seat,  and  gravely  walked 
towards  the  Pope,  kneeled  before  him,  and  humbly  prostrating 
himself,  at  his  feet  said: 

"Holy  Father:  tell  us  if  we  can  believe  and  teach  that  the 
Mother  of  God,  the  Holy  Virgin  Mary,  was  immaculate  in  her 
conception  ?" 

The  Supreme  Pontiff  answered :  "  I  do  not  know ;  let  us 
ask  the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  Cardinal  withdrew ;  the  Pope  and  the  numberless  mul- 
titude fell  on  their  knees;  and  the  harmonious  choir  sang  the 
"  Veni  Credtor  Spiritus." 

The  last  note  of  the  sacred  hymn  had  hardly  rolled  under  the 
vaults  of  the  Temple,  when  the  same  Cardinal  left  his  place,  and 
again  advanced  towards  the  throne  of  the  Pontiff,  prostrated 
himself  at  his  feet,  and  said : 

«« Holy  Father,  tell  us  if  the  Holy  Mother  of  God,  the 
blessed  Virgin  Mary,  was  immaculate  in  her  conception." 

The  Pope  again  aswered :  « I  do  not  know ;  let  us  ask  the 
light  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

And,  again,  the  "  Veni  Creator  Spiritus  "  was  sung. 

The  most  solemn  silence  had,  a  second  time,  succeeded  to  the 

wo 


IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION. 


57  » 


melodious  sacred  song,  when  again  the  eyes  of  the  multitude 
were  following  the  grave  steps  of  the  purple-robed  Cardinal, 
advancing,  for  the  third  time,  to  the  throne  of  the  successor  of 
St.  Peter,  to  ask  again : 

«»Holy  Father,  tell  us  if  we  can  believe  that  the  blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  the  Mother  of  God  was  immaculate?" 

The  Pope,  as  if  he  had  just  receiyed  a  direct  communication 
from  God,  answered  with  a  solemn  voice : 

"  Yes  I  we  must  believe  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  the 
Mother  of  God,  was  immaculate  in  her  conception.     *^  «     * 
There  is  no  salvation  to  those  who  do  not  believe  this  dogma!  '* 

And,  with  a  loud  voice,  the  Pope  intoned  the  Te  Deum ;  the 
bells  of  the  three  hundred  churches  of  Rome  rang ;  the  cannons 
of  the  citadel  were  fired.  The  last  act  of  the  most  ridiculous  and 
sacrilegious  comedy  the  world  had  ever  seen,  was  over;  the 
doors  of  heaven  were,  for  ever,  shut  against  those  who  would 
refuse  to  believe  the  anti-scriptural  doctrine  that  ihere  is  a 
daughter  of  Eve  who  has  not  inherited  the  sinful  nature  of 
Adam,  to  whom  the  Lord  said  in  his  justice : 

« Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalj  thou  return !"  and  of  the 
children  of  whom  the  God  of  Truth  has  said : 

"'There  is  none  righteous;  no,  not  one'  they  have  all 
sinned!'" 

We  look  in  vain  to  the  first  centuries  of  the  Church  to  find 
any  traces  of  that  human  aberration.  The  first  dark  clouds 
which  Satan  had  brought  to  mar  the  gospel  truth,  on  that  sub- 
ject, appeared  only  between  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries.  But, 
in  the  beginning,  that  error  made  very  slow  progress;  those  who 
propagated  it,  at  first,  were  a  few  ignorant  fanatics,  whose,  names 
are  lost  in  the  night  of  the  dark  ages.  > 

It  is  only  in  the  twelfth  century  that  it  began  to  be  openly 
preached  by  some  brainless  monks.  But,  then,  it  was  opposed 
by  the  most  learned  men  of  the  time.  We  have  a  very  re- 
markable letter  of  St.  Bernard  to  refute  some  monks  of  Lyons 
who  were  preaching   this  new  doctrine. 

A  little  later,  Peter  Lombard  adopted  the  views  of  the  monks 
of  Lyons,  and  wrote  a  book  to  support  that  opinion ;  but  he  was 


''i*'^n/^i!fmmim 


insmis^fii^fw^m^^ 


"wfi 


57* 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


m^: 


refuted  by  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  who  is  justly  considered,  by 
the  Church  of  Rome,  as  the  best  theologian  of  that  time. 

After  that,  the  celebrated  order  of  the  Franciscans  used  all 
their  influence  to  persuade  the  world  that  <'  Mary  was  immacu- 
late in  her  conception ;"  but  they  were  vigorously  opposed  and 
refuted  by  the  not  less  celebrated  order  of  the  Dominicans. 
These  two  learned  and  powerful  bodies,  during  more  than  a 
century,  attacked  each  other  without  mercy  on  that  subject,  and 
filled  the  world  with  the  noise  of  their  angry  disputes,  both  par- 
ties calling  their  adversaries  heretics.  They  succeeded  in  driving 
the  Roman  Catholics  of  Europe  into  two  camps  of  fierce 
enemies.  The «'  Immaculate  Conception"  became  the  subject  of 
burning  discussions,  not  only  between  the  learned  universities, 
between  the  bishops  and  the  priests  and  the  nuns  of  those  days ; 
but  it  divided  the  families  into  two  fiercely  contending  parties. 
It  was  discussed,  attacked  and  defended,  not  only  in  the  chairs  of 
universities,  and  the  pulpits  of  the  cathedrals,  but  also  in  the 
fields,  and  in  the  very  streets  of  the  cities.  And  when  the  two 
parties  had  exhausted  the  reasons  which  their  ingenuity,  their 
learning,  or  their  ignorant  fanaticism  could  suggef  to  prove  or 
deny  th«^  « Immaculate  Conception,"  they  often  had  recourse  to 
the  stick  and  to  the  sword  to  sustain  their  arguments. 

It  will  appear  almost  incredible  to-day,  but  it  is  a  fact,  the 
greatest  number  of  the  large  cities  of  Europe,  particularly  in 
Spain,  were  then  reddened  with  the  blood  of  the  supporters  and 
opponents  of  that  doctrine.  In  order  to  put  an  end  to  these  con- 
tests, which  were  troubling  the  peace  of  their  subjects,  the  Kings 
of  Europe  sent  deputation  after  deputation  to  the  Popes  to  know, 
from  their  infallible  authority,  what  to  believe  on  the  subject. 

Philip  III  and  Philip  IV  made  what  we  may  call  supreme 
efforts  to  force  the  Popes,  Paul  V,  Gregory  XV,  and  Alexander 
VII,  to  stop  the  shedding  of  blood,  and  disarm  the  combatants, 
by  raising  the  opinion  in  favor  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  to 
the  dignity  of  a  Catholic  dogma.  But  they  failed.  The  only 
answer  they  could  get  from  the  infallible  head  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  was,  that  "that  dogma  was  not  revealed  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  had  never  been  taught  by  the  Apostles,  nor  by  the 


lip.  J  lii.WlillipJIIjJIMJ 


IMMACULATE   CONCEPTION. 


573 


Fathers,  and  had  never  been  believed  or  preached  by  the  Church 
of  Rome  as  an  article  of   faith!" 

The  only  thing  the  Popes  could  do  to  please  the  supplicant 
kings  and  bishops,  and  nations  of  Europe  in  those  days,  was 
io  forbid  both  parties  to  call  the  other  heretics:  and  Xo  forbid 
to  say  that  it  was  an  article  of  faith  which  ought  to  be  believed 
to  be  saved. 

At  the  Council  of  Trent,  the  Franciscans,  and  all  the  parti- 
sans of  the  "  Immaculate  Conception,"  gathered  their  strength  to 
have  a  decree  in  favor  of  the  new  dogma ;  but  the  majority  of 
the  bishops  were  visibly  against  that  sacrilegious  innovation,  and 
they  failed. 

It  was  reserved  to  the  unfortunate  Pius  IX,  to  drag  the 
Church  of  Rome  to  that  last  limit  of  human  folly.  In  the  last 
century,  a  monk,  called  Father  Leonard,  had  a  dream,  in  which 
he  heard  the  Virgin  Mary  telling  him:  "That  there  would  be 
an  end  to  the  wars  in  the  world,  and  to  the  heresies  and  schisms 
in  the  church,  only  after  a  Pope  should  huv  e  obliged,  by  a  decree, 
all  the  faithful  to  believe  that  she  was  * itimaculate  in  her  con- 
ception.' 

That  dream,  under  the  name  of  a  "  celestial  vision,"  had 
been  extensively  circulated,  by  means  of  little  tracts.  Many 
believed  it  to  be  a  genuine  revelation  from  heaven ;  and,  unfor- 
tunately, the  good  natured,  but  weak-minded  Pius  IX.,  was  among 
the  number. 

When  he  was  an  exile  in  Gaeta,  he  had,  himself,  a  dream, 
which  he  took  for  a  vision,  on  the  same  subject.  He  saw  the 
Virgin,  who  told  him  that  he  should  come  back  to  Rome, 
and  get  an  eternal  peace  for  the  church,  only  after  he  should 
have  promised  to  declare  that  the  "  Immaculate  Conception " 
was  a  dogma,  which  every  one  had  to  believe  to  be  saved.  He 
awoke  from  his  dream  much  impressed  by  it;  and  the  first  thing 
he  did  when  up,  was  to  make  a  vow  to  promulgate  the  new  dog- 
ma as  soon  as  he  should  be  back  to  Rome,  and  the  world  has 
seen  how  he  has  fulfilled  that  vow. 

But,  by  the  promulgation  of  this  new  dogma,  Pius  IX.,  far 
from  securing  an  eternal  peace  to  his  church,  far  from  destroying 


574 


FIFTY    YEAllS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


what  he  is  pleased  to  call  the  heresies  which  are  attacking  Rome 
on  every  side,  has  done  more  to  shake  the  faith  of  the  Roman 
Catholics  than  all  their  enemies. 

By  trying  to  force  this  new  article  of  faith  on  the  consciences 
of  his  people,  in  a  time  that  so  many  can  judge  for  themselves, 
and  read  the  records  of  past  generations,  he  has  pulled  down  the 
strongest  column  which  was  supporting  the  whole  fabric  of  his 
church;  he  forever  destroyed  the  best  arguments  which  the 
priests  had  to  offer  to  the  ignorant,  deluded  multitudes  which 
they  keep  so  abjectly  tied  to  their  feet. 

No  words  can  sufficiently  express  the  dignified  and  supreme 
contempt  with  which,  before  that  epoch,  the  priests  of  Rome 
were  speaking  of  the  "  new  articles  of  faith,  the  novelties  of 
the  arch-heretics,  Luther,  Calvin,  Knox,  &c.,  &c!"  How  elo- 
quent were  the  priests  of  Rome,  before  the  8th  of  December, 
1854,  when  saying  to  their  poor  ignorant  dupes:  "In  our  holy 
Church  of  Rome  there  is  no  change,  no  innovations,  no  novel- 
ties, no  new  dogmas.  We  believe  to-day  just  what  our  fathers 
believed,  and  what  they  have  taught  us;  we  belong  to  the  apos- 
tolical church,  which  means  we  believe  only  what  Apostles  have 
believed  and  preached."  And  the  ignorant  multitudes  were  say- 
ing: "Amen!" 

But,  alas,  for  the  poor  priests  of  Rome  to-day ;  those  digni- 
fied nonsenses,  those  precious  and  dear  illusions,  are  impossible! 
They  have  to  confess  that  those  high-sounding  denunciations 
against  what  they  call  the  new  doctrines  of  the  heretics,  were 
nothing  but  big  guns  loaded  to  the  mouth  to  destroy  the  Protest- 
ants, which  are  discharging  their  deadly  missiles  against  the 
crumbling  walls  of  their  Church  of  Rome.  They  have  to 
confess  that  their  pretensions  to  an  unchangeable  creed  is  all 
mere  humbug,  shameful  lies;  they  have  to  confess  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  is  forging  new  dogmas,  new  articles  of 
FAITH ;  they  do  not  any  longer  dare  to  say  to  the  disciples  of  the 
Gospel :  "  Where  was  your  religion  before  the  days  of  Luther 
and  Calvin?"  for  the  secret  voice  of  their  conscience  says  to-day 
to  the  Roman  Catholics :  "  Where  was  your  religion  before  the 
8th  of  December,  1854?"  and  they  cannot  answer. 


IB. 


IMMACULATE   CONCEPTION. 


575 


icking  Rome 
;  the  Roman 

le  consciences 
»r  themselves, 
lied  down  the 
!  fabric  of  his 
ts  which  the 
Ititudes  which 

I  and  supreme 
iests  of  Rome 
e  novelties  of 
;!"     How  elo- 
of  December, 
« In  our  holy 
ions,  no  novel- 
lat  our  fathers 
ig  to  the  apos- 
:  Apostles  have 
:udes  were  say- 

y ;  those  digni- 
ire  impossible! 
denunciations 
heretics,  were 
oy  the  Protest- 
es  against  the 
They  have  to 
)le  creed  is  all 
»nfess  that  the 

V  ARTICLES  OF 

disciples  of  the 
lays  of  I.uther 

[nee  says  to-day 
•ion  before  the 


There  is  an  inexorable  and  irresistible  logic  in  the  minds  even 
of  the  most  unlearned  men,  which  defies,  to-day,  all  the  soph- 
isms of  the  priests  of  Rome,  if  they,  dare  to  speak  again  on  their 
pet  subjects:  "  the  novelties  and  new  dogmas  of  the  Protetants." 
There  is  a  silent,  but  crushing  voice,  going,  to-day,  from  the 
crowds  to  the  priest,  telling  him :  "  Now,  be  quiet  and  silent  on 
what  you  are  used  to  call  the  novelties  and  new  doctrines  of  the 
Protestants!  for,  are  you  not  preaching  to  us  an  awful  novelty? 
Are  you  not  damning  us  to-day  for  disbelieving  a  thing  which 
the  church,  during  eighteen  hundred  years  has,  a  hunc^red  times, 
solemnly  declared,  by  the  mouth  of  the  Popes,  had  never  been 
revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  had  never  been  taught  by  the 
Fathers,  had  never  been  heard  of  by  the  church  herself?" 

I  will  never  forget  the  sadness  which  overcame  me  when  I 
received  the  order  from  Bishop  O'Ragan  to  proclaim  that  new 
dogma  to  my  people,  (then  all  Roman  Catholics.)  It  was  as  if 
an  earthquake  had  shaken  and  destroyed  the  ground  on  which 
my  feet  were  resting.  My  most  cherished  illusions  about  the  im- 
mutability and  the  infallibility  of  my  church  were  crumbling 
down,  in  my  intelligence,  in  spite  of  my  efforts  to  keep  them  up. 
I  have  seen  old  priests,  to  whom  I  opened  my  mind  on  that 
subject,  shed  tears  of  sorrow  on  the  injury  this  new  dogma 
would  do  to  their  church. 

The  Archbishop  of  Paris,  at  the  head  of  the  most  learned 
members  of  the  clergy  of  France,  had  sent  his  protest  to  the 
Pope  against  this  dogma  before  it  was  decreed ;  and  he  had  elo- 
quently foretold  the  deplorable  consequences  which  would  follow 
that  innovation;  but  their  warning  voice  failed  to  make  any 
impression  on  the  mind  of  the  infatuated  Pope. 

And,  we  children  of  God,  must  we  not  acknowledge  the 
hand  of  the  Lord,  in  that  blindness  of  "  the  man  of  sin !' 

The  days  are  not  far  away  that  a  cry  of  joy  will  be  heard 
from  one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other:  "  Fear  God,  and  give 
glory  to  Him !  Babylon  is  fallen !  Bab3'lon  is  fallen !  because  she 
made  all  nations  drink  of  the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  her  forni- 
cations." 

For,  when  we  see  that  «'  wicked  one,  who  exalteth  himself 


iL-. 


wmm 


iPiippiiiiiP^Pili^^ 


576 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


aoove  all  that  is  called  God,*'  destroying  himself  by  the  excess 
of  his  own  folly  and  impurities,  we  must  bless  the  Lord. 

The  proclamation  of  this  new  dogma  is  one  of  those  great 
Mioral  iniquities  which  carry  their  punishment  and  their  remedy 
in  their  own  hands. 

When  the  Pope,  in  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  December, 
1854,  answered  twice:  "I  do  not  know;"  to  the  question  put  to 
him  :  "  Is  the  Virgin  Mary  Immaculate  in  her  Conception  ?"  and 
then,  a  minute  after,  to  the  same  question,  he  answered:  "Yes! 
I  know  it:  the  Holy  Virgin  Mary  was  Immaculate  in  her  Con- 
ception;" he  proved  to  his  most  credulous  dupes  that  he  was 
nothing  but  a  sacrilegious  comedian.  How  would  a  jury  of 
honest  men  deal  with  a  witness  who,  being  interrogated  about 
what  he  knows  of  a  certain  fact,  would  answer:  ♦*  I  know  noth- 
ing  about  it ;"  and  a  moment  after  would  acknowledge  that  "  he 
knows  everything  about  it  ?"  Would  not  such  a  witness  be  justly 
punished  as  a  perjurer? 

Such  is  the  sad  and  unenviable  position  which  the  Pope 
made  to  himself  and  to  his  church,  on  the  8tii  of  December, 
1854.  Interrogated  by  the  nations  of  Europe  about  what  was 
to  be  believed  on  the  "  Conception  of  the  Virgin  Mary,"  the 
Church  of  Rome,  during  ten  centuries,  had  answered:  «I  do 
not  know."  And  let  every  one  remember  that  she  wants  to  be 
believed  infallible  when  she  says  she  "  knows  nothing  about 
the  Immaculate  Conception." 

But,  to-day,  that  same  church  assures  us,  through  the  infallible 
decree  of  Pius  IX.,  that  she  knows,  and  that  she  has  always 
known  and  believed  the  Virgin  Mary  was  Immaculate ! 

Has  the  world  ever  seen  such  a  want  of  self-respect,  such  an 
unblushing  impudence! 

What  verdict  will  the  Christian  world  give  against  that  great 
mother  of  lies?  What  punishment  will  the  God  of  truth 
administer  to  that  great  culprit  who  swears  "yes"  and  "no" 
an  the  same  question  ? 

It  is  a  fact,  that  by  the  promulgation  of  this  decree,  Pius  IX. 
has  forever  destroyed  his  prestige  in  the  minds  of  millions  of 
his  followers. 


IMMACULATE  CONCEPTION. 


577 


A  few  days  after  I  had  read  to  my  congregation  the  decree 
of  the  Pope  proclaiming  the  new  dogma,  and  damning  all  those 
who  would  not  believe  it,  one  of  my  most  intelligent  and 
respectable  farmers  came  to  visit  me,  and  put  to  me  the  follow- 
ing questions  on  the  new  articles  ox'  faith : 

"  Mr.  Chiniquy,  please  tell  me,  have  I  correctly  understood 
the  letter  from  the  Pope  you  read  tis  last  Sabbath  ?  Does  the 
Pope  tell  us  in  that  letter  that  we  can  find  this  new  dogma  of 
the  *  Immaculate  Conception '  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that  it  has 
been  taught  by  the  Fathers,  and  that  the  church  has  "constantly 
believed  it  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles  ?" 

I  answered:  "Yes,  my  friend,  the  Pope  tells  us  all  those 
things  in  his  letter  which  I  read  in  the  church  last  Sabbath." 

"  But,  sir,  will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  read  me  the  verses  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  which  are  in  favor  of  the  Immaculate  Concep-  . 
tion  of  the  Holy  Virgin  Mary  ?" 

"  My  dear  friend,"  I  answered,  "  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I 
have  never  found,  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  a  single  word  to  tell 
us  that  Mary  is  immaculate;  but  1  have  found  many  words,  and 
very  clear  words,  which  say  the  very  contrary  thing.  For  in- 
stance, the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  Epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Ro- 
mans, v.  1 8.  By  {:he  offence  of  one,  judgment  came  upon  all 
men  to  condemnation."  This  little,  but  inexhorable  "  all," 
includes  the  Virgin  Mary  in  the  condemnation  and  in  the  guilt. 
In  the  same  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  chapter  iii. :  22,  23,  the  Holy 
Ghost,  speaking  of  the  children  of  Adam — Israelites  and  Gen- 
tiles— says  there  is  no  difference,  they  have  all  sinned  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God  I  and  in  the  verse  10  of  the  same  chap- 
ter, the  Holy  Ghost,  speaking  of  the  Jews  and  Gentiles,  says: 
"There  is  none  righteous — no,  not  one!"  And  the  Lord  has 
never  repealed  in  any  part  that  I  know  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
this  awful  "  no — not  one  I" 

"Now,  please  tell  me  the  name  of  the  Holy  Fathers 
who  have  preached  that  we  must  believe  in  the  Immaculate 
Conception,  or  be  forever  damned,  if  we  do  not  believe  in 
it?"  V 

I  answered  to  my  parishioner:  "I  would  have  preferred,  my 


578 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OP    ROME. 


deur  friend,  that  you  should  have  never  come  to  put  to  me  these 
questions;  but  as  you  ask  me  the  truth,  I  must  tell  you  the  truth. 
I  have  studied  the  Fathers  with  a  pretty  good  attention,  but  I 
have  not  yet  found  a  single  one  of  them  who  was  of  that  opin- 
ion in  any  way." 

"  I  hope,"  added  the  good  farmer,  "  you  will  excuse  me,  if  I 
put  to  you  another  question  on  this  subject.  Perhaps  you  do  not 
know  it,  but  there  is  a  great  deal  of  feeling  and  talking  about 
this  new  article  of  faith  among  us  since  last  Sabbath;  I  want  to 
know  a  little  more  about  it.  The  Pope  says  in  his  letter  that  the 
Church  of  Rome  has  always  believed  and  taught  that  dogma  of 
Immaculate  Conception.     Is  that  correct?" 

"  Yes,  my  friend,  the  Pope  says  that  in  his  Encyclical ;  but 
these  lust  nine  hundred  years  more  than  one  hundred  Popes 
have  declared  that  the  church  had  never  believed  it.  Even  sev- 
eral Popes  have  forbidden  to  say  '  that  the  Immaculate  Concep- 
tion was  an  article  of  faith' — and  they  solemnly  permitted  to 
believe  and  say  what  we  please  on  that  matter." 

"  If  it  be  so  with  this  new  dogma,  how  can  we  know  it  is  not 
so  with  the  other  dogmas  of  our  church,  as  the  confession,  the 
purgatory,  &c.  ?"  added  the  farmer. 

"  My  dear  friend,  do  not  allow  the  devil  to  shake  your  faith. 
We  are  living  in  bad  days  indeed.  Let  us  pray  God  to  enlighten 
us  and  save  us.  I  would  have  given  much  had  you  never  put  to 
me  these  questions!" 

My  honest  parishioner  had  left  me;  but  his  awful  questions, 
(they  were  really  awful,  as  they  are  still  awful  for  a  priest  of 
Rome),  and  the  answers  I  had  been  forced  to  give,  were  sound- 
ing in  my  soul  as  thunder-claps.  There  was  in  my  poor  tremb- 
ling heart,  as  the  awful  noise  of  an  irresistible  storm,  which  was 
to  destroy  all  that  I  had  so  dearly  cherished  and  respected  in  my 
then  so  dear  and  venerated  Church  of  Rome.  My  head  was 
aching.  I  fell  on  my  knees;  but  foi  a  time  I  could  not  utter  a 
word  of  prayer;  big  tears  were  rolling  on  my  burning  checks; 
new  light  was  coming  before  the  eyes  of  my  soul ;  but  I  took  it 
for  the  deceitful  temptation  of  Satan ;  a  voice  was  speaking  to 
me;  it  was  the  voice  of  my  God,  telling  me,  "Come  out  from 


IMMACULATE    CONCEPTION. 


579 


Babylon  I"  But  I  took  that  voice  for  the  voice  of  Sntan ;  I  was 
trying  to  silence  it.  The  Lord  was  tlien  drawing  me  away  from 
my  perishing  ways;  but  I  did  not  know  Him  then;  I  was 
struggling  against  Him  to  remain  in  the  dark  dungeons  of* 
error.  But  God  was  to  be  the  stronger.  In  His  infinite 
mercy  He  was  to  overpower  His  unfaithful  servant.  He  was 
to  conquer  me,  and  with  me  many  others. 


fp^plppl^fliplp^fpp 


Chapter    LIV. 

THB    ABOMINATIONS    OF   ATHtlCXnUUEt   OONVEBSION. 

THERE  are  two  women  who  ought  to  be  constant  objects  of 
the  compassion  of  the  disciples  of  Christ,  and  for  whom 
daily  prayers  ought  to  be  offered  at  the  mercy-seat — the  Brahmin 
woman,  who,  deceived  by  her  priests,  burns  herself  on  the  corpse 
of  her  husband  to  appease  the  wrath  of  her  wooden  gods;  and 
the  Roman  Catholic  woman,  who,  not  less  deceived  by  her 
priests,  suffers  a  torture  far  more  cruel  and  ignominious  in  the 
confessional-box,  to  appease  the  wrath  of  her  wafer-god. 

For  I  do  not  exaggerate  when  I  say,  that  for  many  noble- 
hearted,  well-educated,  high-minded  women,  to  be  forced  to  un- 
veil their  hearts  before  the  eyes  of  a  man,  to  open  to  him  all  the 
most  secret  recesses  of  their  souls,  all  the  most  sacred  mysteries 
of  their  single  or  married  life,  to  allow  him  to  put  to  them  ques- 
tions which  the  most  depraved  woman  would  never  consent  to 
hear  from  her  vilest  seducer,  is  often  more  horrible  and  intolera- 
ble than  to  be  tied  on  bifrning  coals. 

More  than  once  I  have  seen  women  fainting  in  the  confes- 
sional-box, who  told  me  afterwards,  that  the  necessity  of  speak- 
ing to  an  unmarried  man  on  certain  things,  on  which  the  most 
common  laws  of  decency  ought  to  have  forever  sealed  their  lips, 
had  almost  killed  them !  Not  hundreds,  but  thousands  of  times,  I 
have  heard  from  the  lips  of  dying  girls,  as  well  as  married  wo- 
men, the  awful  words :  "  I  am  forever  lostl  All  my  past  confes- 
sions and  communions  have  been  so  many  sacrileges  1  I  have 
never  dared  to  answer  correctly  the  questions  of  my  confessors! 
Shame  has  sealed  my  lips  and  damned  my  soul  1 " 

How  many  times  I  remained  as  one  petrified,  by  the  side  of 
a  corpse,  when  these  last  words  having  hardly  escaped  the  lips  of 

S8o 


H>PpiSII"Pi!'fWPW!'W'!ll^||^ 


AURICULAR    CONFESSION. 


581 


one  of  my  female  penitents,  who  had  been  snatched  out  of  my 
reach  by  the  merciless  hand  of  death,  before  I  could  give  her 
pardon  through  the  deceitful  sacramental  absolution?  I  then 
believed,  as  the  dead  sinner  herself  had  believed,  that  she  should 
not  be  forgiven  except  by  that  absolution. 

For  there  are  not  only  thousands,  but  millions  of  Roman 
Catholic  girls  and  women,  whose  keen  sense  of  modest  and  wo- 
manly dignity,  are  above  all  the  sophisms  and  diabolical  machi- 
nations of  their  priests.  They  never  can  be  persuaded  to  answer 
« Yes  "  to  certain  questions  of  their  confessors.  They  would 
prefer  to  be  thrown  into  the  flames,  and  burnt  to  ashes  with  the 
Brahmin  widows,  rather  than  allow  the  eyes  of  a  man  to  pry 
into  the  sacred  sanctuary  of  their  souls.  Though  sometimes 
guilty  before  God,  and  under  the  impression  that  their  sins  will 
never  be  forgiven  if  not  confessed,  the  laws  of  decency  are 
stronger  in  their  hearts  than  the  laws  of  their  perfidious  church. 
No  consideration,  not  even  the  fear  of  eternal  damnation,  can 
persuade  them  to  declare  to  a  sinful  man,  sins  which  God  alone 
has  the  right  to  know,  for  He  alone  can  blot  them  out  with  the 
blood  of  His  Son,  shed  on  the  cross. 

But  what  a  wretched  life  must  that  be  of  those  exceptional 
noble  souls,  which  Rome  keeps  in  the  dark  dungeons  of  her 
superstition?  They  read  in  all  their  books,  and  hear  from  all 
their  pulpits,  that  if  they  conceal  a  single  sin  from  their  confess- 
ors, they  are  forever  lost!  But,  being  absolutely  unable  to  tram- 
ple under  their  feet  the  laws  of  self-respect  and  decency,  which 
God  Himself  has  impressed  in  their  souls,  they  live  in  constant 
dread  of  eternal  damnation.  No  human  words  can  tell  their 
desolation  and  distress,  when  at  the  feet  of  their  confessors,  they 
find  themselves  under  the  horrible  necessity  of  speaking  of 
things,  on  which  they  would  prefer  to  suffer  the  most  cruel  death 
rather  than  to  open  their  lips,  or  to  be  forever  damned  if  they  do 
not  degrade  themselves  forever  in  their  own  eyes,  by  speaking  on 
matters  which  a  respectable  woman  will  never  reveal  to  her  own 
mother,  much  less  to  a  man ! 

I  have  known  only  too  many  of  these  noble-hearted  women, 
who,  when  alone  with  God,  in  a  real  agony  of  desolation  and 


582 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


with  burning  tears,  had  asked  Him  to  grant  them  what  they 
considered  the  greatest  favor,  which  was,  to  lose  so  much  of  their 
self-respect  as  to  be  enabled  to  speak  of  those  unmentionable 
things,  just  as  their  confessors  wanted  them  to  speak ;  and,  hoping 
that  their  petition  had  been  granted,  they  went  again  to  the  con- 
fessional-box, determined  to  unveil  their  shame  before  the  eyes 
of  that  inexorable  man.  But  when  the  moment  had  come  for 
the  self-immolation,  their  courage  failed,  their  knees  trembled, 
their  lips  became  pale  as  death,  cold  sweat  poured  from  all  their 
pores!  The  voice  of  modesty  and  womanly  self-respect  was 
speaking  louder  than  the  voice  of  their  false  religion.  They 
had  to  go  out  of  the  confessional-box  unpardoned — nay,  with 
the  burden  of  a  new  sacrilege  on  their  conscience. 

Oh!  how  heavy  is  the  yoke  of  Rome — how  bitter  is  human 
life — how  cheerless  is  the  mystery  of  the  cross  to  those  deluded 
and  perishing  souls!  How  gladly  they  would  rush  into  the 
blazing  piles  with  the  Brahmin  women,  if  they  could*  ho^e  to 
see  the  end  of  their  unspeakable  miseries  through  the  mom-  ry 
tortures  which  would  open  to  them  a  better  life! 

I  do  here  publicly  challenge  the  whole  Roman  Catholic 
priesthood  to  deny  that  the  greater  part  of  their  female  peni- 
tents remain  a  certain  period  of  time — some  longer,  some 
shorter — under  that  most  distressing  state  of  mind. 

Yes,  by  far  the  greater  majority  of  women,  at  first,  find  it 
impossible  to  pull  down  the  sacred  barriers  of  self-respect,  which 
God  Himself  has  built  around  their  hearts,  intelligences,  and 
souls,  as  the  best  safeguard  against  the  snares  of  this  polluted 
world.  Those  laws  of  self-respect,  by  which  they  cannot  con- 
sent to  speak  an  impure  word  into  the  ears  of  a  man,  and  which 
shut  all  the  avenues  of  the  heart  against  his  unchaste  questions, 
even  when  speaking  in  the  name  of  God — those  laws  of  self- 
respect  are  so  clearly  written  in  their  conscience,  and  they  are  so 
well  understood  by  them,  to  be  a  most  Divine  gift,  that,  as  I 
have  already  said,  many  prefer  to  run  the  risk  of  being  forever 
lost  by  remaining  silent. 

It  takes  many  years  of  the  most  ingenious  (I  do  not  hesitate 
to  call  it  diabolical)  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  priests  to  persuade 


Wf¥^'T> 


'l»^S«!5l!^W^«j|^*^f.5f^'^BHf-" 


■i\'.{mwmjfr^j^^, 


AURICULAR   CONFESSION. 


5S3 


what  they 
jch  of  their 
nentionable 
and,  hoping 
,  to  the  con- 
are  the  eyes 
d  come  for 
;s  trembled, 
om  all  their 
respect  was 
rion.  They 
— nay,  with 

:er  is  human 
lose  deluded 
ish  into  the 
uld'  ho"e  to 
;  mom'        vy 

lan  Catholic 
female  peni- 
onger,   some 

t  first,  find  it 
aspect,  which 
ligences,  and 

this  polluted 
Y  cannot  con- 
in,  and  which 
ste  questions, 

laws  of  sclf- 
id  they  arc  so 
;ift,  that,  as  I 
being  forever 

lo  not  hesitate 
ts  to  persuade 


the  majority  of  their  female  penitents  to  speak  on  questions, 
which  even  pagan  savages  would  blush  to  mention  among  thenj- 
selves.  Some  persist  in  remaining  silent  on  those  matters  during 
the  greater  part  of  their  lives,  and  many  of  them  prefer  to  throw 
themselves  into  the  hands  of  their  merciful  God,  and  die  without 
submitting  to  the  defiling  ordeal,  even  after  they  have  felt  the 
poisonous  stings  of  the  enemy,  rather  than  receive  their  pardon 
from  a  man,  who,  as  they  feel,  would  surely  have  been  scandal- 
ized by  the  recital  of  their  human  frailties.  All  the  25riests  of 
Rome  are  aware  of  this  natural  disposition  of  their  female  pen- 
itents. There  is  not  a  single  one — no,  not  a  single  onf  of  their 
moral  theologians,  who  docs  not  warn  the  confessors  against  that 
stern  and  general  determination  of  the  girls  and  married  women 
never  to  speak  in  the  confessional  on  matters  which  may,  more 
or  less,  deal  with  sins  against  the  seventh  commandment.  Dens, 
Liguori,  Debreyene,  Bailly,  &c., — in  a  word,  all  the  theologians 
of  Rome — own  that  this  is  one  of  the  greatest  difficulties  which 
the  confessors  have  to  contend  with  in  the  confessional-box. 

Not  a  single  Roman  Catholic  priest  will  dare  to  deny  what  I 
say  on  this  matter ;  for  they  know  that  it  would  be  easy  for  me 
to  overwhelm  them  with  such  a  crowd  of  testimonials  that  their 
grand  imposture  would  forever  be  unmasked. 

I  intend,  at  some  future  day,  if  God  spares  me  and  gives  me 
time  for  it,  to  make  known  some  of  the  innumerable  things 
which  the  Roman  Catholic  theologians  and  moralists  have 
written  on  this  question.  It  will  form  one  of  the  most  curious 
books  ever  written;  and  it  will  give  unanswerable  evidence  of 
the  fact  that,  instinctively,  without  consulting  each  other,  and 
with  an  unanimity  which  is  almost  marvellous,  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic women,  guided  by  the  honest  instincts  which  God  has  given 
them,  shrink  from  the  snares  put  before  them  in  the  confessional- 
box;  and  that  everywhere  the>'  struggle  to  nerve  themselves  with 
a  superhuman  courage,  against  the  torturer  who  is  sent  by  the 
Pope,  to  finish  their  ruin,  and  to  make  shipwrecks  of  their  souls. 
Everywhere  woman  feels  that  there  are  things  which  ought 
never  to'be  told,  as  there  are  things  which  ought  never  to  be 
done,  in  the  presence  of  the  God  of  holiness.     She  understands 


miMiiM 


■aMMMgMIHkta 


584 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


that,  to  recite  the  history  of  certain  sins,  even  of  thought,  is  not 
less  shameful  and  criminal  than  to  do  them ;  she  hears  the  voice 
of  God  whispering  into  her  ears,  "  Is  it  not  enough  that  thou 
hast  been  guilty  once,  when  alone  in  My  presence,  without  add- 
ing to  thine  iniquity  by  allowing  that  man  to  know  what  should 
never  have  been  revealed  to  him  ?  Do  you  not  feel  that  you 
make  that  man  your  accomplice,  the  very  moment  that  you 
throw  into  his  heart  and  soul  the  mire  of  your  iniquities?  He  is 
as  weak  as  you  are ;  he  is  not  less  a  sinner  than  yourself ;  what 
has  tempted  you  will  tempt  him ;  what  has  made  you  weak  will 
make  him  weak ;  what  has  polluted  you  will  pollute  him ;  what 
has  thrown  you  down  into  the  dust  will  throw  him  into  the  dust. 
Is  it  not  enough  that  My  eyes  had  to  look  upon  your  iniquities? 
must  My  ears,  to-day,  listen  to  your  impure  conversation  with 
that  man  ?  Were  that  man  as  holy  a!>  My  prophet  David,  may 
he  not  fall  before  the  unchaste  veiling  of  the  new  Bathsheba? 
Were  he  as  strong  as  Samson,  may  he  Mot  find  in  you  his  tempt- 
ing Delilah  ?  Were  he  as  generous  as  Peter,  may  he  not  become 
a  traitor  at  the  maid-servant's  voice  ? " 

Perhaps  the  world  has  never  seen  a  more  terrible,  desperate, 
solemn  struggle  than  the  one  which  is  going  on  in  the  soul  of  a 
poor  trembling  yoimg  woman,  who,  at  the  feet  of  that  man,  has 
to  decide  whether  or  not  she  will  open  her  lips  on  those  things 
which  the  infallible  voice  of  God,  united  to  the  no  less  infallible 
voice  of  her  womanly  honor  and  self-respect,  tell  her  never  to 
reveal  to  any  man! 

The  history  of  that  secret,  fierce,  desperate  struggle  has 
never  yet,  so  far  as  I  know,  been  fully  given.  It  would  draw 
the  tears  of  admiration  and  compassion  of  the  whole  world,  if  it 
could  be  written  with  its  simple,  sublime,  and  terrible  realities. 

How  many  times  have  I  wept  as  a  child  when  some  noble- 
hearted  and  intelligent  young  girl,  or  some  respectable  married 
woman,  yielding  to  the  sophisms  with  which  I,  or  some  other 
confessor,  had  persuaded  them  to  give  up  their  self-respect,  and 
their  womanly  dignity,  to  speak  with  me  on  matters  on  which 
a  decent  woman  should  never  say  a  word  with  a  man.  They 
have  told  me  of  their  invincible  repugnance,  their  horror  of  such 


',  ■>■  '^""7*- J™  ir ^■■' -ifri 


AURICULAR   CONFESSION. 


585 


questions  and  answers,  and  they  have  asked  me  to  have  pity  on 
them.  Yes!  I  have  often  wept  bitterly  on  my  degradation, 
when  a  priest  of  Rome  !  I  have  realized  all  the  strength,  the 
grandeur,  and  the  holiness  of  their  motives  for  being  silent  on 
these  defiling  matters,  and  I  could  not  but  admire  them.  It 
seemed  at  times  that  they  were  speaking  the  language  of  angels 
of  light;  that  I  ought  to  fall  at  their  feet,  and  ask  their  pardon 
for  having  spoken  to  them  of*  questions,  on  which  a  man  of 
honor  ought  never  to  converse  with  a  woman  whom  he  respects. 

But  alas!  I  had  soon  to  reproach  myself,  and  regret  those 
short  instances  of  my  wavering  faith  in  the  infallible  >;oice  of 
my  Church;  I  had  soon  to  silence  the  voice  of  my  conscience, 
which  was  telling  me,  "  Is  it  not  a  shame  that  you,  an  unmarried 
man,  dare  to  speak  on  these  matters  with  a  woman  ?  Do  you 
not  blush  to  put  such  questions  to  a  young  girl  ?  Where  is  your 
self-respect?  where  is  your  fear  of  God?  Do  you  not  promote 
the  ruin  of  that  girl  by  forcing  her  to  speak  on  these  matters  ? " 

How  many  times  my  God  has  spoken  to  me  as  He  speaks  to 
all  the  priests  of  Rome,  and  said  with  a  thundering  voice  : 
«  What  would  that  young  man  do,  could  he  hear  the  questions 
you  put  to  his  wife?  Would  he  not  blow  out  your  brains? 
And  that  Father,  would  he  not  pass  his  dagger  through  your 
breast,  if  he  could  know  what  you  ask  from  his  poor  trembling 
daughter?  Would  not  the  brother  of  that  young  girl  put  an 
end  to  your  miserable  life  if  he  could  hear  the  unmentionable 
subjects  on  which  you  speak  with  her  in  the  confessional  ?  " 

I  was  compelled,  by  air  the  Popes,  the  moral  theologians, 
and  the  Councils,  of  Rome,  to  belicvf"  that  this  warning  voice  of 
my  merciful  God  was  the  voice  of  Satan;  I  had  to  believe  in 
spite  of  my  own  conscience  and  intelligence,  that  it  was  good, 
nay,  necessary,  to  put  those  polluting,  damning  questions.  My 
infallible  Church  was  mercilessly  forcing  me  to  oblige  those 
poor,  trembling,  weeping,  desolate  girls  and  women,  to  swim 
with  me  and  all  her  priests  in  those  waters  of  Sodom  and  Gom- 
orrah, under  the  pretext  that  their  self-will  would  be  broken 
down,  their  fear  of  sin  and  humility  increased,  and  that  they 
would  be  purified  by  our  absolutions. 


586 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


With  what  supreme  distress,  disgust,  and  surprise,  we  see, 
to-day,  a  great  part  of  the  noble  Episcopal  Church  of  England 
struck  by  a  plague  which  seems  incurable,  under  the  name  of 
Puseyism,  or  Ritualism,  bringing  again — more  or  less  openly — 
in  many  places  the  diabolical  and  filtliy  auricular  confession 
among  the  Protestants  of  England,  Australia  and  America. 
The  Episcopal  Church  is  doomed  to  perish  in  that  dark  and 
stinking  pool  of  Popery — auricular  confession,  if  she  does  not 
find  a  prompt  remedy  to  stop  the  plague  brought  by  the  dis- 
guised Jesuits,  who  arc  at  work  everywhere,  to  poison  and 
enslave  her  too  unsuspecting  daughters  and  sons. 

In  the  beginning  of  my  priesthood,  when  I  was  in  Quebec, 
I  was  not  a  little  surprised  and  embarrassed  to  see  a  very  accom- 
plished and  beautiful  young  lady,  whom  I  used  to  meet  almost 
every  week  at  her  father's  house,  entering  the  box  of  my  con- 
fessional. She  had  been  used  to  confess  to  another  young  priest 
of  my  acquaintance,  and  she  was  always  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  most  pious  girls  of  the  city.  Though  she  had  disguised  her- 
self as  much  as  possible,  in  order  that  I  might  not  know  her,  I 
felt  sure  that  I  was  not  mistaken — she  was  the  amiable  Mary  *  * 

Not  being  absolutely  certain  of  the  correctness  of  my  im- 
pressions, I  left  her  entirely  under  the  hope  that  she  was  a  per- 
fect stranger  to  me.  At  the  beginning  she  could  hardly  speak ; 
her  voice  was  suffocated  by  her  sobs ;  and  through  the  little  aper- 
tures of  the  thin  partition  between  her  and  me,  I  saw  two  streams 
of  big  tears  trickling  down  her  cheeks.  After  much  effort,  she 
said :  "  Dear  Father,  I  hope  you  do  not  know  me,  and  that  you 
will  never  try  to  know  me,  I  am  a  desperately  great  sinner.  Oh! 
I  fear  that  I  am  lost !  But  if  there  is  still  a  hope  for  me  to  be 
saved,  for  God's  sake,  do  not  rebuke  me!  Before  I  begin  my 
confession,  allow  me  to  ask  you  not  to  pollute  my  ears  by  ques- 
tions which  our  confessors  are  in  the  habit  of  putting  to  then- 
female  penitents;  I  have  already  been  destroyed  by  those  ques- 
tions. Before  I  was  seventeen  years  old,  God  knows  that  His 
angds  are  not  more  pure  than  I  was;  but  the  chaplain  of  the 
nunnery  where  my  parents  had  sent  me  for  my  education,  though 
approaching  old  age,  put  to  me,  in  the  confessional,  a  question 


l^p^i^llV'."  ■  '  '**■  ■  '■  ■  '^'■■miimpipfW^Tviifmmf.  w 


AURICUI-AR    CONFESSION. 


587 


which,  at  first,  I  did  not  understand,  but,  unfortunately,  he  had 
put  the  same  questions  to  one  of  my  young  class-mates,  who 
made  fun  of  them  in  my  presence,  and  explained  them  to  me ; 
for  she  understood  them  too  well.  This  first  unchaste  conversa- 
tion of  my  life  plunged  my  thoughts  into  a  sea  of  iniquity,  till 
then  absolutely  unknown  to  me;  temptations  of  the  most  humilia< 
ting  character  assailed  me  for  a  week,  day  and  night;  after 
which,  sins  which  I  would  blot  out  with  my  blood,  if  it  were 
possible,  overwhelmed  my  soul  as  with  a  deluge.  But  the  joys 
of  the  sinner  are  short.  Struck  with  terror  at  the  thought  of 
the  judgments  of  God,  after  a  few  weeks  of  the  most  deplorable 
life,  I  determined  to  give  Jup  my  sins  and  reconcile  myself  to 
God.  Covered  with  shame,  and  trembling  from  head  to  foot, 
I  went  to  confess  to  my  old  confessor,  whom  I  respected  as  a 
saint  and  cherished  as  a  father.  It  seems  to  me  that,  with  sin- 
cere tears  of  repentance,  T  confessed  to  him  the  greatest  part  of 
my  sins,  though  I  concealed  one  of  them,  through  shame  and 
respect  for  my  spiritual  guide.  But  I  did  not  conceal  from  him 
that  the  strange  questions  he  had  put  to  me  at  my  last  confession, 
were,  with  the  natural  corruption  of  my  heart,  the  principal 
cause  of  my  destrucfion. 

"  He  spoke  to  me  very  kindly,  encouraged  me  to  fight 
against  my  bad  inclinations,  and,  at  first  gave  me  very  kind  and 
good  advice.  But  when  I  thought  he  had  finished  speaking, 
and  as  I  was  preparing  to  leave  the  confessional-box,  he  put  to 
me  two  new  questions  of  such  a  polluting  character  that,  I  fear 
neither  the  blood  of  Christ,  nor  all  the  fires  of  hell  will  ever  be 
able  to  blot  them  out  from  my  memory.  Those  questions  have 
achieved  my  ruin  ;  they  have  stuck  to  my  mind  like  two  deadly 
arrows;  they  are  day  and  night  before  my  imagination;  they 
fill  my  very  arteries  and  veins  with  a  deadly  poison. 

"  It  is  true  that,  at  first,  they  filled  me  with  horror  and  dis- 
gust; but  alas!  I  soon  got  so  accustomed  to  them  that  they 
seemed  to  be  incorporated  with  me,  and  as  if  becoming  a  second 
nature.  Those  thoughts  have  become  a  new  source  of  innumer- 
able criminal  thoughts,  desires  and  actions. 

"  A  month  later,  we  were  obliged  by  the  rules  of  our  con- 


588 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


vent  to  go  and  confess;  but  by  this  time,  I  was  so  completely 
lost,  that  I  no  longer  blushed  at  the  idea  of  confessing  my  shame- 
ful sins  to  a  man ;  it  was  the  very  contrary.  I  had  a  real,  dia 
bolical  pleasure  in  the  thought  that  I  should  have  a  long  conver- 
sation with  my  confessor  on  those  matters,  and  that  he  would 
ask  me  more  of  his  strange  questions.  In  fact,  when  I  had  told 
him  everything  without  a  blush,  he  began  to  interrogate  me, 
and  God  knows  what  corrupting  things  fell  from  his  lips  into 
my  poor  criminal  heart  1  Every  one  of  his  questions  was  thrill- 
ing my  nerves  and  filling  me  with  the  most  shameful  sensations! 
After  an  hour  of  this  criminal7«/e-a-/e/e  with  my  old  confessor 
(for  it  was  nothing  else  but  a  criminal  tete-a-tete)^  I  perceived 
that  he  was  as  depraved  as  I  was  myself.  With  some  half- 
covered  words,  he  made  a  criminal  p.roposition,  which  I  accepted 
with  covered  words  also;  and  during  more  than  a  year,  we  have 
lived  together  on  the  most  sinful  intimacy.  Though  he  was 
much  older  than  I,  I  loved  him  in  the  most  foolish  way.  When 
the  course  of  my  convent  instruction  was  finished,  my  parents 
called  me  back  to  their  home.  I  was  really  glad  of  that  change 
of  residence,  for  I  was  beginning  to  be  tired  of  my  criminal  life. 
My  hope  was  that,  under  the  direction  of  a  better  confessor,  I 
should  reconcile  myself  to  God  and  begin  a  Christian  life. 

"  Unfortunately  for  me,  my  new  confessor,  who  was  very 
young,  began  also  his  interrogations.  He  soon  fell  in  love  with 
me,  and  I  loved  him  in  a  most  criminal  way.  I  have  done  with 
him  things  which  I  hope  you  will  never  request  me  to  reveal  to 
you,  for  they  are  too  monstrous  to  be  repeated,  even  in  the  con- 
fessional, by  a  woman  to  a  man. 

« I  do  not  say  these  things  to  take  away  the  responsibility  of 
my  iniquities  with  this  young  confessor,  from  my  shoulders,  for 
I  think  I  have  been  more  criminal  than  he  was.  It  is  my  firm 
conviction  that  he  was  a  good  and  holy  priest  before  he  knew 
me;  but  the  questions  he  put  to  me,  and  the  answers  I  had  to 
give  him,  melted  his  heart — I  know  it — ^just  as  boiling  lead 
would  melt  the  ice  on  which  it  flows. 

"  I  know  this  is  not  such  a  detailed  confession  as  our  holy 
Church  requires  me  to  make,  but  I  have  thought  it  necessary  for 


i^k^^ 


pp37»<FwW^!!!WfW7!V?PP'f^l?^^ 


•^wif^f^sm:*' 


■•« 


AURICULAR    CONFESSION. 


589 


me  to  give  you  this  short  history  of  the  life  of  the  greatest  and 
most  miserable  sinner  who  ever  asked  you  to  help  her  to  come 
out  from  the  tomb  of  her  iniquities.  This  is  the  way  I  have 
lived  these  last  few  years.  But  last  Sabbath,  God,  in  his  infinite 
mercy,  looked  down  upon.  me.  He  inspired  you  to  give  us  the 
Prodigal  Son  as  a  model  of  true  conversion,  and  as  the  most 
marvellous  proof  of  the  infinite  compassion  of  the  dear  Saviour 
for  the  sinner.  I  have  wept  day  and  night  since  that  happy  day, 
when  I  threw  myself  into  the  arms  of  my  loving,  merciful 
Father.  Even  now,  I  can  hardly  speak,  because  my  regret  for 
my  past  iniquities,  and  my  joy  that  I  am  allowed  to  bathe  the 
feet  of  the  Saviour  with  tears,  are  so  great  that  my  voice  is  as 
choked. 

"  You  understand  that  I  have  forever  given  up  my  last  con- 
fessor. 1  come  to  ask  you  to  do  me  the  favor  to  receive  me 
among  your  penitents.  Oh  I  do  not  reject  nor  rebuke  me,  for 
the  dear  Saviour's  sake!  Be  not  afraid  to  have  at  your  side 
such  a  monster  of  iniquity!  But  before  going  further,  I  have 
two  favors  to  ask  from  you.  The  first  is,  that  you  will  never 
do  anything  to  ascertain  my  name ;  the  second  is,  that  you  will 
never  put  to  me  any  of  those  questions  by  which  so  many  penitents 
are  lost  and  so  many  priests  forever  destroyed.  Twice  I  have 
been  lost  by  those  questions.  We  come  to  our  confessors  that 
they  may  throw  upon  our  guilty  souls  the  pure  waters  which 
flow  from  heaven  to  purify  us ;  but  instead  of  that,  with  their 
unmentionable  questions  they  pour  oil  on  the  burning  fires 
which  are  already  raging  in  our  poor  sinful  hearts.  Oh !  dear 
father,  let  me  become  your  penitent,  that  you  may  help  me  to 
go  and  weep  with  Magdalene  at  the  Saviour's  feet!  Do  respect 
me,  as  He  respected  that  true  model  of  all  the  sinful,  but  repent- 
ing women !  Did  our  Saviour  put  to  her  any  question  ?  did  He 
extort  from  her  the  history  of  things  which  a  sinful  woman  can- 
not say  without  forgetting  the  respect  she  owes  to  herself  and 
to  God!  No!  you  told  us  not  long  ago,  that  the  only  thing  our 
Saviour  did,  was  to  look  at  her  tears  and  her  love.  Well,  please 
do  that,  and  you  will  save  me ! " 

I  was  then  a  very  young  priest,  and  never  had  any  words  so 


.1 


590 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHUUCII    Ol'     HOME. 


sublime  come  to  my  ears  in  the  confessional-box.  Her  tears  and 
her  sobs,  mingled  with  the  frank  declaration  of  the  most  humil- 
iating actions,  had  made  such  a  profound  impression  upon  me 
that  I  was,  for  some  time,  unable  to  speak.  It  had  ct)me  to  my 
mind  also  that  I  might  be  mistaken  about  her  identity,  and  that 
perhaps  she  was  not  the  young  lady  that  I  had  imagined.  I 
could,  then,  easily  grant  her  first  request,  which  was  to  do  nothing 
by  which  I  could  know  her.  The  second  part  of  her  prayer 
was  more  embarrassing;  for  the  theologians  are  very  positive  in 
ordering  the  confessors  to  question  their  penitents,  particularly 
those  of  the  female  sex,  in  many  circumstances. 

I  encouraged  her  in  the  best  way  I  could,  to  persevere  in  her 
good  resolutions,  by  invoking  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  St. 
Philomene,  who  was,  then,  Saihte  a  la  mode^  just  as  Marie 
Alacoque  is  to-day,  among  the  blind  slaves  of  Rome.  I  told  her 
that  I  would  pray  and  think  over  the  subject  of  her  second  request; 
and  I  asked  her  to  come  back  in  a  week  for  my  answer. 

The  very  same  day,  I  went  to  my  own  confessor,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Baillargeon,  then  curate  of  Quebec,  and  afterwards  Arch- 
bishop of  Canada.  I  told  him  the  singular  and  unusual  request 
she  had  made,  that  I  should  never  put  to  her  any  of  those  ques- 
tions suggested  by  the  theologians,  lo  insure  the  integrity  of  the 
confession.  I  did  not  conceal  from  him  that  I  was  much  inclined 
to  grant  her  that  favor;  for  I  repeated  what  I  have  already 
several  times  told  him,  that  I  was  supremely  disgusted  with  the 
infamous  and  polluting  questions  which  the  theologians  forced 
us  to  put  to  our  female  penitents.  I  told  him  frankly  that  several 
old  and  young  priests  had  already  come  to  confess  to  me;  and 
that,  with  the  exception  of  two,  they  had  told  me  that  they 
could  not  put  those  questions  and  hear  the  answers  they  elicited 
without  falling  into  the  most  damnable  sins. 

My  confessor  seemed  to  be  much  perplexed  about  what  lie 
should  answer.  He  asked  me  to  come  the  next  day,  that  he 
might  review  some  theological  books,  in  the  interval.  The  next 
day,  I  took  down  in  writing  his  answer,  which  I  find  in  my  old 
manuscripts,  and  I  give  it  here  in  all  its  sad  crudity : — 

"  Such  cases  of  the  destruction  of  female  virtue  by  the  ques- 


'^srf^W^wf  ■ 


■'w^«35f1^'f»(W,'"»'T™pi"'""»i|«I»*iW>»i.',  jl'ti?**»,**TOIf' 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION 


59  > 


tjons  of  the  confessors  is  an  unavoidable  evil.  It  cannot  be 
helped;  for  such  questions  are  absolutely  necessary  in  the  greater 
part  of  the  cases  with  which  we  have  to  deal.  Men  generally 
confess  their  sins  with  so  much  sincerity  that  there  is  seldom  any 
need  for  questioning  them,  except  when  they  are  very  ignorant. 
But  St.  Liguori,  as  well  as  our  personal  observation,  tells  us  that 
the  greatest  part  of  girls  and  women,  through  a  false  and  crimi- 
nal shame,  very  seldom  confess  the  sins  they  commit  against 
purity.  It  requires  the  utmost  charity  in  the  confessors  to  pre- 
vent those  unfortunate  slaves  of  their  secret  passions  from 
making  sacrilegious  confessions  and  communions.  With  the 
greatest  prudence  and  zeal  he  must  question  them  on*  those 
matters,  beginning  with  the  smallest  sins,  and  going,  little  by 
little,  as  much  as  possible  by  imperceptible  degrees,  to  the  most 
criminal  actions.  As  it  seems  evident  that  the  penitent  referred 
to  in  your  questions  of  yesterday,  is  unwilling  to  make  a  full  and 
detailed  confession  of  all  her  iniquities,  you  cannot  promise  to 
absolve  her  without  assuring  yourself  by  wise  and  prudent  ques- 
tions, that  she  has  confessed  everything. 

"  You  must  not  be  discouraged  when,  through  the  confess- 
ional or  any  other  way,  you  learn  the  fall  of  priests  into  the 
common  frailties  of  human  nature  with  their  penitents.  Our 
Saviour  knew  very  well  that  the  occasions  ami  the  temptations 
we  have  to  encounter,  ir.  the  confessions  of  girls  and  women, 
are  so  numerous,  and  some  times  so  irresistible,  that  many  would 
fall.  But  He  has  given  them  the  Holy  Virgin  Mary,  who  constant- 
ly asks  and  obtains  their  pardon ;  He  has  given  them  the  sacrament 
of  penance,  where  they  can  receive  their  pardon  as  often  as  they 
ask  for  it.  The  vow  of  perfect  chastity  is  a  great  honor  and 
privilege;  but  we  cannot  conceal  from  ourselves  that  it  puts  on 
our  shoidders  a  burden  which  many  cannot  carry  forever.  St. 
Ligouri  says  that  we  must  not  rebuke  the  penitent  priest  who 
falls  only  once  a  month; and  some  other  trustworthy  theologians 
are  still  more  charitable." 

This  answer  was  far  from  satisfying  me.  It  seemed  to  me 
composed  of  soft  soap  principles.  I  went  back  with  a  heavy 
heart  and  an  anxious  mind ;  and  God  knows  that  I  made  many 


592 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


fervent  prayers  that  this  girl  should  never  come  again  to  give 
me  her  sad  history.  I  was  then  hardly  twenty-six  years  old,  full 
of  youth  and  life.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  stings  of  a  thousand 
wasps  to  my  ears  could  not  do  me  so  much  harm  as  the  words  of 
that  dear,  beautiful,  accomplished,  but  lost  girl. 

I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  revelations  which  she  made, 
had,  in  any  way,  diminished  my  esteem  and  my  respect  for  her 
It  was  just  the  contrary.  Her  tears  and  her  sobs,  at  my  feet ;  her 
agonizing  expressions  of  shame  and  regret;  her  noble  words  of 
protest  against  the  disgusting  and  polluting  interrogations  of  the 
confessors,  had  raised  her  very  high  in  my  mind.  My  sincere 
hope  was  that  she  would  have  a  place  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
with  the  Samaritan  women,  Mary  Magdalene,  and  all  the  sinners 
who  have  washed  their  robes  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  ' 

At  the  appointed  day,  I  was  in  my  confessional,  listening  to 
the  confession  of  a  young  man,  when  I  saw  Miss  Mary  enter- 
ing the  vestry,  and  coming  directly  to  my  confessional-box. 
where  she  knelt  by  me.  Though  she  had,  still  more  than  at  the 
first  tiVne,  disguised  herself  behind  a  long,  thick,  black  veil,  I 
could  not  be  mistaken ;  she  was  the  very  same  amiable  young 
lady  in  whose  father's  house  I  used  to  pass  such  pleasant  and 
happy  hours.  I  had  often  listened,  with  breathless  attention,  to 
her  melodious  voice,  when  she  was  giving  us,  accompanied  by 
her  piano,  some  of  our  beautiful  church  hymns.  Who  could  then 
see  and  hear  her  without  almost  worshipping  her?  The  dignity 
of  her  steps,  and  her  whole  mien,  when  she  advanced  towards 
my  confessional,  entirely  betrayed  her  and  destroyed  her  incog- 
nito. 

Oh!  I  would  have  given  every  drop  of  my  blood  m  that 
solemn  hour,  that  I  might  have  been  free  to  deal  with  her  just 
as  she  had  so  eloquently  requested  me  to  do — to  let  her  weep  and 
cry  at  the  feet  of  Je^.us  to  h  :r  heart's  content;  Oh  I  if  I  had  been 
free  to  take  her  by  the  hard,  and  silently  show  her  the  dying 
Saviour,  that  she  might  have  bathed  His  feet  with  her  tears,  and 
spread  the  oil  of  her  love  on  His  head,  without  my  saying  any- 
thing else  but "  Go  in  peace:  thy  sins  are  forgiven." 

But,  there,  in  that  confessional-box,  I  was  not  the  servant  ol 


nm 


mmmmm 


mp 


AURICULAR    CONFESSION. 


593 


un  to  give 
lars  old,  full 
:  a  thousand 
he  words  of 

1  she  made, 
pect  for  her 
my  feet;  her 
ble  words  of 
rations  of  the 

My  sincere 
om  of  Christ 
all  the  sinners 
^amb. 

1,  listening  to 
s  Mary  enter- 
nfessional-box. 
ore  than  at  the 
,  black  veil,  I 
amiable  young 
h  pleasant  and 
ss  attention,  to 
iccompanied  by 
Who  could  then 
?     The  dignity 
vanced  towards 

»yed  her  incog- 


bn. 


»tthe  servant  oi 


Christ,  to  follow  His  Divine,  saving  words,  and  obey  the  dictates 
of  my  honest  conscience.  I  was  the  slave  of  the  Pope !  I  had 
to  stifle  the  cry  of  my  conscience,  to  ignore  the  inspirations  of 
my  God!  There,  my  conscience,  had  no  right  to  speak;  my 
intelligence  was  a  dead  thing!  The  theologians  of  the  Pope, 
alone,  had  a  right  to  be  heard  and  obeyed !  I  was  not  there  to 
save,  but  to  destro}' ;  for,  under  the  pretext  of  purifying,  the  real 
mission  of  the  confessor,  often,  if  not  always,  in  spite  of  him- 
self, is  to  scandalize  and  damn  the  souls. 

« 

As  soon  as  the  young  man  who  was  making  his  confession 
at  my  left  hand,  had  finished,  I,  without  noise,  turned  myself 
towards  her,  and  said,  through  the  little  aperture,  "Are  you 
ready  to  begin  your  confession  ? " 

But  she  did  not  answer  me.  All  that  I  could  hear  was :  "  Oh, 
my  Jesus,  have  mercy  upon  me!  I  come  to  wash  my  soul  in  Thy 
blood ;  wilt  thou  rebuke  me?  " 

During  several  minutes  she  raised  her  hands .  and  eyes  to 
heaven,  and  wept  and  prayed.  It  was  evident  that  she  had  not 
the  least  idea  that  I  was  observing  her;  she  thought  the  door  of 
the  little  partition  between  her  and  me  was  shut.  But  my  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  her;  my  tears  were  flowing  with  her  tears,  and 
my  ardent  prayers  were  going  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  with  her 
prayers.  I  would  not  have  interrupted  her  for  any  consideration, 
in  this,  her  sublime  communion  with  her  merciful  Saviour. 

But  after  a  pretty  long  time,  I  made  a  little  noise  with  my 
hand,  and  putting  my  lips  near  the  opening  of  the  partition 
which  was  between  us,  I  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  Dear  sister,  are 
you  ready  to  begin  your  confession  ?  " 

She  turned  her  face  a  little  towards  me,  and  said  with  trem- 
bling voice,  "Yes,  dear  father,  I  am  ready." 

But  she  then  stopped  again  to  weep  and  pray,  though  I 
could  not  hear  what  she  said. 

After  some  time  in  silent  prayer,  I  said,  "  My  dear  sister,  if 
you  are  ready,  please  begin  your  confession."  She  then  said, 
"  My  dear  father,  do  you  remember  the  prayers  which  I  made  to 
you,  the  other  day  ?  Can  you  allow  me  to  confess  my  sins  with- 
out forcing  me  to  forget  the  respect  that  I  owe  to   myself,  to 


594 


FIFTY    YBARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


you,  and  to  God,  who  hears  us?  And  can  you  promise  that  you 
will  not  put  to  me  any  of  those  question  which  have  already 
done  me  such  irreparable  injury  ?  T  frankly  declare  to  you  that 
there  are  sins  in  me  that  I  cannot  reveal  to  anyone,  except  to 
Christ,  because  He  is  my  God,  and  that  he  already  knows  them 
all.  Let  me  weep  and  cry  at  His  feet :  can  you  not  f ors^ive  me 
without  adding  to  my  iniquities  by  forcing  me  to  say  things  that 
the  tongue  of  a  Christian  woman  cannot  reveal  to  a  man  ?  " 

"  My  dear  sister,"  I  answered,  "  were  I  free  to  follow  the 
voice  of  my  own  feelings  I  would  be  only,  too  happy  to  grant 
your  request;  but  I  am  here  only  as  the  minister  of  our  holy 
church,  and  bound  to  obey  the  laws.  Through  her  most  holy 
Popes  and  theologians  she  tells  me  that  I  cannot  forgive  your 
sins,  if  you  do  not  confess  them  all,  just  as  you  have  committed 
them.  The  church  tells  me  also  that  you  must  give  the  details, 
which  may  add  to  the  malice  or  change  the  nature  of  your  sins. 
I  am  sorry  to  tell  you  that  our  most  holy  theologians  makes  it  a 
duty  of  our  confessor  to  question  the  penitent  on  the  sins  which 
he  has  good  reason  to  suspect  have  been  voluntarily  omitted." 

With  a  piercing  cry  she  exclaimed,  "  Then,  O  my  God,  1  am 
lost — forever  lost  1" 

This  cry  fell  upon  me  like  a  thunderbolt;  but  I  was  still  more 
terror-stricken  when,  looking  through  the  aperture,  I  saw  she 
was  fainting;  I  heard  the  noise  of  her  body  fa'''ing  upon  the 
floor,  and  of  her  head  striking  against  the  sides  of  the  confess- 
ional box. 

Quick  as  lightning  I  ran  to  help  her,  took  her  in  my  arms, 
and  called  a  couple  of  men  who  were  at  a  little  distance,  to  assist 
me  in  laying  her  on  a  bench.  I  washed  her  face  with  some. cold 
water  and  vinegar.  She  was  as  pale  as  death,  but  her  lips  were 
moving,  and  she  was  saying  something  which  nobody  but  I 
could  understand — 

"  I  am  lost — lost  forever  1 " 

We  took  her  home  to  her  disconsolate  family,  where,  during 
a  month,  she  lingered  between  life  and  death.  Her  two  first 
confessors  come  to  visit  her ;  but  having  asked  every  one  to  go 
out  of  the  room,  she  politely,  but  absolutely,  requested  them  to 


-w . 


mm 


PWP!Wi^'^T5" 


WlhP!K'WJ'fa*fRTJ?iJlW«; 


"!»K^T^6P;t:~ 


AURICULAR   CONFESSION. 


595 


56  that  you 
ve   already 
to  you  that 
,  except  to 
;nows  them 

forgive  me 

things  that 
man?" 
,  follow  the 
ppy  to  grant 

of  our  holy 
;r  most  holy 
forgive  yoiir 
v^e  committed 
/e  the  details, 

of  your  sins. 
,ns  makes  it  a 
he  sins  which 
y  omitted." 

my  God,  1  am 


go  away,  and  never  come  again.  She  asked  me  to  visit  her 
every  day,  "  for,"  she  said,  «  I  have  only  a  few  more  days  to 
live.  Help  me  to  prepare  myself  for  the  solemn  hour  which 
will  open  to  me  the  gates  of  eternity !  " 

Every  day  I  visited  her,  and  I  prayed  and  I  wept  with  her. 

Many  times,  when  alone,  with  tears  I  requested  her  to  finish 
her  confession ;  but,  with  a  firmness  which,  then,  seemed  to  be 
mysterious  and  inexplicable,  she  politely  rebuked  me. 

One  day,  when  alone  with  her,  I  was  kneeling  by  the  side  of 
her  bed  to  pray,  I  was  unable  to  articulate  a  single  wo^d,  because 
of  the  inexpressible  anguish  of  my  soul  on  her  account,  she 
asked  me,  "  Dear  father,  why  do  you  weep?" 

I  answered,  "  How  can  you  put  such  a  question  to  your 
murderer!     I  weep  because  I  have  killed  you,  dear  friend." 

This  answer  seemed  to  trouble  her  exceedingly.  She  was 
very  weak  that  day.  After  she  had  wept  and  prayed  in  silence, 
she  said,  "  do  not  weep  for  me,  but  weep  for  so  many  priests  who 
destroy  their  penitents  in  the  confessional.  I  believe  in  the 
holiness  of  the  sacrament  of  penance,  since  our  holy  church  has 
established  it.  But  there  is,  somewhere,  something  exceedingly 
wrong  in  the  confessional.  Twice  I  have  been  destroyed,  and  I 
know  many  girls  who  have  also  been  destroyed  by  the  confess- 
ional. This  is  a  secret,  but  will  that  secret  be  kept  forever?  I 
pity  the  poor  priests  the  day  that  our  fathers  will  know  what 
becomes  of  the  purity  of  their  daughters  in  the  hands  of  their 
confessors.  Father  would  surely  kill  my  two  last  confessors,  if 
he  could  only  know  they  have  destroyed  his  poor  child." 

I  could  not  answer  except  by  weeping. 

We  remained  silent  for  a  long  time ;  then  she  said,  "  It  is  true 
that  I  was  not  prepared  for  the  rebuke  you  have  given  me,  the 
other  day,  in  the  confessional ;  but  you  acted  conscientiously  as  a 
good  and  honest  priest.  I  know  you  must  be  bound  by  certain 
laws." 

She  then  pressed  my  hand  with  her  cold  hand  and  said, 
«  Weep  not,  dear  father,  because  that  sudden  storm  has  wrecked 
my  too  fragile  bark.  This  storm  was  to  take  me  out  from  the 
bottomless  sea  of  my  iniquities  to  the  shore  where  Jesus  was 


.ifA'^-'ii 


596 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


waiting  to  receive  and  pardon  me.  The  night  after  you  brought 
me,  half  dead,  here,  to  father's  house,  I  had  a  dream.  Oh,. no!  it 
was  not  a  dream,  it  was  a  reality.  My  Jesus  came  to  me,  He 
was  bleeding ;  His  crown  of  thorns  was  on  His  head,  the  heavy 
cross  was  bruising  His  shoulders.  He  said  to  me,  with  a  voice  so 
sweet  that  no  human  tongue  can  imitate  it,  '  I  have  seen  thy 
tears,  I  have  heard  thy  cries,  and  I  know  thy  love  for  Me:  thy  sins 
are  forgiven ;  take  courage ;  in  a  few  days  thou  shalt  be  with  Me !' " 

She  had  hardly  finished  her  last  word  when  she  fainted,  and 
I  feared  less  she  should  die  just  then,  when  I  was  alone  with  her. 

I  called  the  family,  who  rushed  into  the  room.  The  doctor  was 
sent  for.  He  found  her  so  weak  that  he  thought  proper  to 
allow  only  one  or  two  persons  to  remain  in  the  room  with  me. 
He  requested  us  not  to  speak  at  all :  "  For,"  said  he,  "  the  least 
emotion  may  kill  her  instantly ;  her  disease  is,  in  all  probability, 
an  aneurism  of  the  aorta,  the  big  veins  which  brings  the  blood  to 
the  heart:  when  it  breaks,  she  will  go  as  quick  as  lightning." 

It  was  nearly  ten  at  night  when  I  left  the  house,  to  go  and 
take  pome  rest.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  I  passed  a 
sleepless  night.  My  dear  Mary  was  there,  pale,  dying  from  the 
deadly  blow  which  I  had  given  her  in  the  confessional.  She 
was  there,  on  her  bead  of  death,  her  heart  pierced  with  the 
dagger  which  my  church  had  put  into  my  hands!  and  instead  of 
rebuking,  and  cursing  me  for  my  savage,  merciless  fanaticism, 
she  was  blessing  me!  She  was  dying  from  a  broken  heart!  and 
I  was  not  allowed  by  my  church  to  give  her  a  single  word  of 
consol  ition  and  hope,  for  she  had  not  made  her  confession  ?  I 
had  mercilessly  bruised  that  tender  plant,  and  there  was  nothing 
in  my  hands  to  heal  the  wounds  I  had  made! 

It  was  very  probable  tiiat  she  would  die  the  next  day,  and  I 
was  forbidden  to  show  her  the  crown  of  glory  which  Jesus  has 
prepared  in  Hit.  kingdom  for  the  repenting  sinner! 

My  desolation  was  really  unspeakable,  and  I  think  I  would 
have  been  suffocated  and  have  died  that  night,  if  the  stream  of 
tears  which  constantly  flowed  from  my  eyes  had  not  been 
balm  to  my  distressed  heart. 

How  dark  and  long  the  hours  of  that  night  seemed  to  me! 


as  a 


wmmmm^ 


AURICULAR   CONFESSION. 


597 


Before  the  dawn  of  day,  I  arose  to  read  my  theologians 
again,  and  see  if  I  couid  not  find  some  one  who  would  allow  me 
to  forgive  the  sins  of  that  dear  child,  without  forcing  her  to  tell 
me  anything  she  had  done.  But  they  seemed  to  me,  more  than 
ever,  unanimously  inexorable,  and  I  put  them  back  on  the  shelves 
of  my  library  with  a  broken  heart. 

At  nine  A.  M.  the  next  day,  I  was  by  the  bed  of  our  dear 
sick  Mary.  I  cannot  sufficiently  tell  the  joy  I  felt,  when 
the  doctor  and  whole  family  said  to  me,  "  She  is  much  better; 
the  rest  of  last  night  has  wrought  a  marvellous  change,  indeed." 

With  a  really  angejic  smile  she  extended  her  hand  towards 
me,  that  I  might  press  it  in  mine,  and  she  said,  «  I  thought,  last 
evening,  that  the  dear  Saviour  would  take  me  to  Him,  but  He 
wants  me,  dear  father,  to  give  you  a  little  more  trouble;  however, 
be  patient,  it  cannot  be  long  before  the  solemn  hour  of  the 
appeal  will  ring.  Will  you  please  read  me  the  history  of  the 
suffering  and  death  of  the  beloved  Saviour,  which  you  read  me 
the  other  day?  It  does  me  so  much  good  to  see  how  He  has 
loved  me,  such  a  miserable  sinner." 

There  was  a  calm  and  solemnity  in  her  words  which  struck 
me  singularly,  as  well  as  all  those  who  were  there. 

After  I  had  finished  reading,  she  exclaimed,  "  He  has  loved 
me  so  much  that  He  died  for  my  sins ! "  And  she  shut  her  eyes 
as  if  to  meditate  in  silence,  but  there  was  a  stream  of  big  tears 
rolling  down  her  cheeks. 

I  knelt  down  by  her.  bed,  with  her  family,  to  pray;  but  I 
could  not  utter  a  single  word.  The  idea  that  this  dear  child  was 
there,  dying  from  the  cruel  fanaticism  of  my  theologians  and 
my  own  cowardice  in  obeying  them,  was  as  a  mill-stone  to  my 
neck.     It  was  killing  me. 

Oh!  if  by  dying  a  thousand  times,  I  could  have  added  a 
single  day  to  her  life,  with  what  pleasure  I  would  have  accepted 
those  thousand  deaths! 

After  we  had  silently  prayed  and  wept  by  her  bedside,  she 
requested  her  mother  to  leave  her  alone  with  me. 

When  I  saw  myself  alone,  under  the  irresistible  impression 
that  this  was  her  last  day,  I  fell  on  my  knees  again,  and  with 


w^ff^mmmiiimsimm^^^ 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH  OF   ROME. 


tears  of  the  most  sincere  compassion  for  her  soul,  I  requested 
her  to  shake  off  her  shame  and  to  ibey  our  holy  church,  which 
requires  every  one  to  confess  their  sins  if  they  want  to  be  for- 
given. 

She  calmly,  but  with  an  air  of  dignity  which  no  human 
words  can  express,  said,  "  Is  it  true  that,  after  the  sins  of  Adam 
and  Eve,  God  Himself  made  coats  and  skins,  and  clothed  them, 
that  they  might  not  see  each  other's  nakedness?  " 

« Yes,"   I  said,    "  this  is  what   the    Holy    Scriptures    tell 


«  Well,  then,  how  is  it  possible  that  our  confessors  dare  to 
take  away  from  us  that  holy,  divine  coat  of  modesty  and  self- 
respect?  Has  not  Almighty  God  Himself  made,  with  his  own 
hands,  that  coat  of  womanly  modesty  and  self-respect,  that  we 
might  not  be  to  you  and  to  ourselves,  a  cause  of  shame  and 
sin?" 

I  was  really  stunned  by  the  beauty,  simplicity,,  and  sublimity 
of  that  comparison.  I  remained  absolutely  mute  and  confound- 
ed. Though  it  was  demolishing  all  the  traditions  and  doctrines 
of  my  church,  and  pulverizing  all  my  holy  doctors  and  theolo- 
gians, that  noble  answer  found  such  an  echo  in  my  soul,  that  it 
seemed  to  me  a  sacrilege  to  try  to  touch  it  with  my  finger. 

After  a  short  time  of  silence,  she  continued,  "  Twice  I  have 
been  destroyed  by  priests  in  the  confessional.  They  took  away 
from  me  that  divine  coat  of  modesty  and  self-respect  which  God 
gives  to  every  human  being  who  comes  into  this  world,  and 
twice,  I  have  become  for  those  very  priests  a  deep  pit  of  perdi- 
tion, into  which  they  have  fallen,  and  where,  I  fear,  they  are 
forever  lost!  My  merciful  heavenly  Father  has  given  me  back 
that  coat  of  skins,  that  nuptial  robe  of  modesty,  self-respect,  and 
holiness,  which  had  been  taken  away  fvom  me.  He  cannot 
allow  you  or  any  other  man,  to  tear  again  and  spoil  that  vest- 
ment which  is  the  work  of  His  hands." 

These  words  had  exhausted  her ;  it  was  evident  to  me  that 
she  wanted  some  rest.  I  left  her  alone,  but  I  was  absolutely  be- 
side myself.  Filled  with  admiration  for  the  sublime  lessons 
which  I  had  received  from  the  lips  of  that  regenerated  daughter 


I'li*;,^^'^; 


-aw 


ii 


Wi 


AURICULAR   CONFESSION. 


599 


of  Eve,  who,  it  was  evident,  was  soon  to  fly  away  from  us,  I 
felt  a  supreme  disgust  for  myself,  my  theologian., — shall  I  say 
it?  yes,  I  felt  in  that  solemn  hour  a  supreme  disgust  for  my 
church,  which  was  cruelly  defiling  me,  and  all  her  priests,  in  the 
confessional-box.  I  felt,  in  that  hour,  a  supreme  horror  for  that 
auricular  confession,  which  is  so  often  a  pit  of  perdition  and 
supreme  misery  for  the  confessor  and  penitent.  I  went  out  and 
walked  two  hours  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham,  to  breathe  the 
pure  and  refreshing  air  of  the  mountains.  There,  alonj,  I  sat 
on  a  stone,  on  the  very  spot  where  Wolf  and  Montcalm  fought 
and  died;  and  I  wept  to  my  heart's  content,  on  rtiy  i reparable 
degradation,  and  the  degradation  of  so  many  priests  through  the 
confessional. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  went  back  again  to  the  house 
of  my  dear  dying  Mary.  The  mother  took  me  apart,  and  very 
politely  said,  "  My  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  do  you  not  think  it  is 
time  that  our  dear  child  should  receive  the  last  sacraments?  She 
seemed  to  be  much  better  this  morning,  and  we  were  full  of 
hope:  but  she  is  now  rapidly  sinking.  Please  lose  no  time  in 
giving  her  the  holy  viaticum  and  the  extreme  unction." 

I  said,  "  Yes,  madam :  let  me  pass  a  few  minutes  alone  with 
our  dear  child,  that  I  may  prepare  her  for  the  last  sacraments." 

When  alone  with  her,  I  again  fell  un  my  knees,  and,  amidst 
torrents  of  tears,  I  said,  "  Dear  sister,  i^  is  my  desire  to  give  you 
the  holy  viaticum  and  the  extreme  unction :  but  tell  me,  how  can 
I  dare  to  do  a  thing  so  solemn  against  all  the  prohibitions  of 
our  holy  church?  How  can  I  give  you  the  holy  communion 
without  first  giving  you  absolution  ?  and  how  can  I  give  you 
absolution  when  you  earnestly  persist  in  telling  me  that  you 
have  so  many  sins  which  you  will  never  declare  to  me  or  any 
other  confesssor? 

"  You  know  that  I  cherish  and  respect  you  as  if  you  were  an 
angel  sent  to  me  from  heaven.  You  told  me,  the  other  day,  that 
you  blessed  the  day  that  you  first  saw  and  knew  me.  I  say 
the  same  thing.  I  bless  the  day  that  I  have  known  you;  I 
bless  every  hour  that  I  have  spent  by  your  bed  of  suffering; 
I  bless  every  tear  which  I  have  shed  with  you  on  your  sins  and 


iiPiiiiiiiiililiPiiiiMV 


600 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


on  my  own;  I  bless  every  hour  we  have  passed  together  in  look- 
ing to  the  wounds  of  our  beloved,  dying  Saviour;  I  bless  you 
for  having  forgiven  me  your  death !  for  I  know  it,  and  I  confess 
it  in  the  presence  of  God,  I  have  killed  you,  dear  sister.  But 
now  t  prefer  a  thousand  times  to  die  than  to  say  to  you  a  word 
which  would  pain  you  in  any  way,  or  trouble  the  peace  of  your 
soul.  Please,  my  dear  sister,  tell  me  what  I  can  and  must  do  for 
you  in  this  solemn  hour." 

Calmly,  and  with  a  smile  of  joy  such  as  I  had  never  seen 
before,  nor  seen  since,  she  said,  "  I  thank  and  bless  you,  dear 
father,  for  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  on  which  you 
preached  a  month  ago.  You  have  brought  me  to  the  feet  of  the 
dear  Saviour;  there  I  have  found  a  peace  and  a  joy  surpassing 
anything  that  human  heart  can  feel ;  I  have  thrown  myself  into 
the  arms  of  my  Heavenly  Father,  and  I  know  He  has  mer- 
ciful', "ccepted  and  forgiven  His  poor  prodigal  child!  Oh,  I  see 
the  angels  with  their  golden  harps  around  the  throne  of  the 
Lamb!  Do  you  not  hear  the  celestial  harmony  of  their  songs? 
I  gt  -I  g  )  join  them  in  my  Father's  house.  I  SHALL  NOT 
BE  LOST!" 

While  she  was  thus  speaking  to  me,  my  eyes  were  really 
turned  into  two  fountains  of  tears ;  I  was  unable,  as  well  as  un- 
willing, to  see  anything,  so  entirely  overcome  was  I  by  the  sub- 
lime words  which  were  flowing  from  the  dying  lips  of  that  dear 
child,  who  was  no  more  a  sinner,  but  a  real  angel  of  Heaven  to 
me.  I  was  listening  to  her  words;  there  was  a  celestial  music  in 
every  one  of  them.  But  she  had  raised  her  voice  in  such  a 
strange  way,  when  she  had  begun  to  say,  "  I  go  to  my  Father's 
house,"  and  she  had  made  such  a  cry  of  joy  when  she  had  to  let 
the  last  words,  "  not  be  lost,"  escape  her  lips,  that  I  raised  my 
head  and  opened  my  eyes  to  look  at  her.  I  suspected  that  some- 
thing strange  had  occurred. 

I  got  upon  my  feet,  passed  my  handkerchief  over  my  face 
to  wipe  away  the  tears  which  were  preventing  me  from  seeing 
with  accuracy,  and  looked  at  her. 

Her  hands  were  crossed  on  her  breast,  and  there  was  on  her 
face  the  expression  of  a  really  superliuman   joy ;   her  beautiful 


ppppppip 


mim 


mmm 


mm 


mm 


mmmmmmmmm 


AURICULAR    CONFESSION. 


6oi 


eyes  were  fixed  as  if  they  were  looking  on  some  grand  and 
sublime  spectacle ;  it  seemed  to  me,  at  first,  that  she  was  pray- 
ing- 

In  that  very  instant  the  mother  rushed  into  the  room,  cry- 
ing, "  My  God  I  my  God !  what  does  that  cry  '  iosi '  mean  ?  " — 
For  her  last  words,  "  not  to  be  lost,"  particularly  the  last  one,  had 
been  pronounced  with  such  a  powerful  voice,  that  they  had  been 
heard  almost  everywhere  in  the  house. 

I  made  a  sign  with  my  hand  to  prevent  the  distressed  mother 
from  making  any  noise  and  troubling  her  dying  child  in  her 
prayer,  for  I  really  thought  that  she  had  stopped  speaking,  as  she 
used  so  often  to  do,  when  alone  with  me,  in  order  to  pray.  But 
I  was  mistaken.  The  redeemed  soul  had  gone,  on  the  goldep 
wings  of  love,  to  join  the  multitude  of  those  who  have  washed 
their  robes  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  to  sing  the  eternal 
Alleluia. 

The  revelation  of  the  unmentionable  corruptions  directly  and 
unavoidably  engendered  by  auricular  confession,  had  come  to  me 
from  the  lips  of  that  young  lady,  as  the  first  rays  of  the  sun 
which  were  to  hurl  back  the  dark  clouds  of  night  by  which 
Rome  had  wrapped  my  intelligence  on  that  subject. 

So  miserable  by  her  fall  and  her  sins,  but  so  admirable  by  her 
conversion,  that  young  lady  was  standing  before  me,  for  the  rest 
of  my  priestly  life,  as  the  bright  beacon  raised  on  the  solitary 
rock  stands  before  the  sailor  whose  ship  is  drifting  through  the 
shoals,  in  a  dark  and  stormy  night  . 

She  was  brought  there,  by  the  merciful  hand  of  God,  to 
right  my  course. 

Lost  and  degraded  by  auricular  confession,  only  after  having 
given  it  up,  that  precious  soul  was  to  find  peace  and  life,  when 
washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  as  the  only  hope  and  refuge 
of  sinners. 

Her  words,  filled  with  a  superhuman  wisdom,  and  her  burn- 
ing tears,  came  to  me,  by  the  marvellous  Providence  of  God,  as 
the  first  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  to  teach  me  that 
auricular  confession  was  a  Satanic  invention. 

Had  this  young  person  been  the  only  one  to  tell  me  that,  I  might 


602 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


still  have  held  some  doubt  about  the  diabolical  origin  of  that  in- 
stitution. But  thousands  and  thousands,  before  and  after  her, 
have  been  sent  by  my  merciful  God  to  tell  me  the  same  tale,  till 
after  25  years  of  experience  it  became  a  certitude  to  me  that  that 
modern  invention  of  Rome  must,  sooner  or  later,  with  very  few 
exceptions,  drag  both  the  confessor  and  his  female  penitents  into 
a  common  and  irreparable  ruin.  * 


*  Those  who  would  like  to  know  all  about  the  abominations  of  auricular  confession 
should  have  my  volume  "  The  Priest,  The  Woman  and  The  Confessional,"  It  is  probably 
the  only  book  ever  written  on  that  subject  which  completely  unveils  ths  mask  of  Rome,  by 
tellinff  the  whole  truth. 


Chapter    LV. 


ZKB  BOOLBSZASTZOAIiBBTBBAT-OONDTTOT  OF  THB  PBIBSTB- 
THB  BISHOP  FOBBIDS  KB  TO  DISTBIBUTB  THB  BIBZ<B. 


ON  the  first  of  Aug.,  1855,  I  received  the  following  fetter: 
The  College — Chicago,  July  24tk,  t8s5- 
Rkv.  Mr.  Chiniquy. 

You  will  have  the  goodness  to  attend  a  spiritual  retreat  to  be  given 
next  month  at  the  college,  in  Chicago,  for  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  of 
Chicago  and  Quincy. 

The  spiritual  exercises,  which  will  be  conducted  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  the 
Bishop  of  Louisville,  are  to  commence  on  Tuesday,  the  28th  of  Aug.,  and 
will  terminate  on  the  following  Sunday.  Ihis  arrangement  will  necessitate 
yourabsence  from  your  church  on  Sunday,  the  14th,  after  Pentecost,  which 
you  will  make  known  to  your  congregation.  No  clergyman  is  allowed  to  be 
absent  from  this  retreat  without  the  previous  written  consent  of  the  bishop 
of  the  diocese,  which  consent  will  not  be  give  n  except  in  cases  which  he  will 
judge  to  be  of  urgent  necessity. 

By  order  of  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop, 

Matthew  Dillon, 

Pro.  Secretary. 

Wishing  to  study  the  personnel  of  that  Irish  clergy  of  which 
Bishop  Vandevelde  had  told  such  frightful  things,  I  went  to  St. 
Mary's  University,  two  hours  ahead  of  time. 

Never  did  I  see  such  a  band  of  jolly  fellows.  Their  dissipa- 
tion and  laughter,  their  exchange  of  witty,  and  too  often,  unbe- 
coming expressions,  the  tremendous  noise  they  made  in  address- 
ing each  other,  at  a  distance:  Their  "  Hallo,  Patrick!  "  "  hallo, 
Murphy!"  "hallo,  O'Brien!  how  do  you  do?  How  is  Bridget? 
Is  Marguerite  still  with  you?"  The  answers:  "Yes!  yes!  She 
will  not  leave  me;  "or  «  no!  no!  the  crazy  girl  is  gone,"  were  in- 
variably followed  by  outbursts  of  laughter. 

Though  nine-tenths  of  them  were  evidently  under  the  influ- 

603 


THE    ECCLESIASTICAL    UETHEAT. 


ence  of  intoxicating  drinks,  not  one  could  be  said  to  be  drunk. 
But  the  strong  odor  of  alcohol,  mixed  with  the  smoke  of  cigars, 
soon  poisoned  the  air  and  made  it  suffocating. 

I  had  withdrawn  in  a  corner,  alone,  in  order  to  observe  every, 
thing. 

What  stranger,  in  entering  that  large  hall,  would  have  sus- 
pected that  those  men  were  about  to  begin  one  of  the  most  sol- 
emn and  sacred  actions  of  a  priest  of  Jesus  Christ!  With  the 
exception  of  five  or  six,  they  looked  more  like  a  band  of  carous- 
ing raftsmen,  than  priests. 

About  an  hour  before  the  opening  of  the  exercises,  I  saw 
one  of  the  priests  with  hat  in  hand,  accompanied  by  two  of 
the  fattest  and  most  florid  of  the  band,  going  to  every  one,  col- 
lecting  money  and  with  the  utmost  hilarity  and  pleasure,  each 
one  threw  his  bank  bills  into  the  hat.  I  supposed  that  this  col- 
lection was  intended  to  pay  for  our  board,  during  the  retreat, 
and  I  prepared  the  $15  I  wanted  to  give.  When  they  came  near 
me — the  big  hat  was  literally  filled  with  five  and  ten  dollar  bills. 
Before  handing  my  money  to  them,  I  asked :  "  What  is  the  ob- 
ject of  that  collection  ?  " 

"  Ah !  ah ! "  they  answered  with  a  hearty  laugh,  "  Dear 
Father  Chiniquy,  is  it  possible  that  you  do  not  know  it  yet! 
Don't  you  know  that,  when  we  are  so  crowded  as  we  will  be 
here,  this  week,  the  rooms  are  apt  to  become  too  warm,  and  we 
get  thirsty?  Then  a  little  drop  to  cool  the  throat  and  quench  the 
thirst,  is  needed  ?  "  and  the  collectors  laughed  outright. 

I  answered  politely,  but  seriously :  "  Gentlemen,  I  came  here 
to  meditate  and  pray ;  and  when  I  am  thirsty,  the  fresh  and  pure 
water  of  Lake  Michigan  will  quench  ray  thirst.  I  have  given 
up,  long  ago,  the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks.  Please  excuse  me, 
I  am  a  teetotaler." 

"  So  we  are  1"  they  answered,  with  a  laugh ;  '•  We  have  all 
taken  the  pledge  from  Father  Mathew ;  but  this  does  not  pre- 
vent us  from  taking  a  little  drop  to  quench  our  thirst  and  keep 
up  our  health.      Father   Mathew  is  not   so   merciless   as  you 


are. 


« I    know    Father    Mathew    well,"    I   answered,  "  I   have 


'T^i'^fTi 


THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   RETREAT. 


605 


observe  every. 


lease  excuse  me, 


wered,  «I  have 


written  to  him  and  seen  him  many  times.  Allow  me  to  tell  you 
that  we  are  of  the  same  mind  about  the  use  of  intoxicating 
drink." 

"Is  it  possible!  you  know  Father  Mathewl  and  you  are  ex- 
changing letters  with  him !  What  a  holy  man  he  is,  and  what 
good  he  has  done  in  Ireland,  and  everywhere!"  they  answered. 

"  But  the  good  he  has  done  will  not  last  long,"  I  said,  "  if 
all  his  disciples  keep  their  pledges  as  you  do." 

As  we  were  talking,  a  good  number  of  priests  came  around 
us  to  hear  what  was  said;  for  it  was  evident  to  all,  that  the  bark 
of  their  collectors,  not  only  had  come  to  shallow  waters,  but 
had  struck  on  a  rock. 

One  of  the  priests  said :  "  I  thought  we  were  to  be  preached 
by  Bishop  Spaulding;  I  had  no  idea  that  it  was  Father  Chin- 
iquy  who  had  that  charge." 

'•  Gentlemen,"  I  answered, "  I  have  as  much  right  to  preach 
to  you  in  favor  of  temperance  as  you  have  to  preach  to  me  in 
favor  of  intemperance.  You  may  do  as  you  please  about  the 
use  of  strong  drink,  during  the  retreat;  but  I  hope  I  also  may 
have  the  right  to  think  and  do  as  I  please,  in  that  matter." 

"  Of  course,"  they  all  answered,  "  But  you  are  the  only  one 
who  will  not  give  us  a  cent  to  get  a  little  drop." 

«  So  much  the  worse  for  you  all,  gentlemen,  if  I  am  the  only 
one.  But  please  excuse  me,  I  cannot  give  you  a  cent  for  that 
object." 

They  then  left  me,  saying  something  which  I  could  not  un- 
derstand, but  they  were  evidently  disgusted,  with  what  they  con- 
sidered my  stubbornness  and  want  of  good  manners. 

I  must,  however,  say  here,  that  two  of  them,  Mr.  Dunn, 
pastor  of  one  of  the  best  congregations  of  Chicago,  and  the  other 
unknown  to  me,  came  to  congratulate  me  on  the  stern  rebuke  I 
had  given  the  collectors. 

"  I  regret,"  said  Mr.  Dunn,  "the  five  dollai-s  I  have  thrown 
into  the  hat.  If  I  had  spoken  to  you  before,  and  had  known 
that  you  would  be  brave  enough  to  rebuke  them,  I  would  Va-  e 
stood  by  you,  and  kept  my  money  for  better  use.  It  is  reail)  a 
shame   that  we   should   be  preparing  ourselves  for  a  retreat  by 


PPIiMiPlip 


i^iiipPiiPiPPiliPPiP 


606 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


wasting  $500  for  such  a  shameful  object.  They  have  just  told 
me  that  they  have  raised  that  sum  for  the  champagne,  brandy, 
whisky  and  beer  they  will  drink,  this  week.  Ah!  what  dis- 
grace! What  a  cry  of  indignation  would  be  raised  against  us,  if 
such  n  shameful  thing  should  be  known!  I  am  sorry  about  the 
unkind  words  those  priests  have  spoken  to  you;  but  you  must 
excuse  them,  they  are  already  full  of  bad  whisky. 

«'  Do  not   think,  however,  that   you  are  friendless,  here,  in 
our  midst.     You  have  more  friends  than  you  think   amon) 
Irish   priests;   and  I   am  one  of  them,  though  you  do  not  Know 
me.     Bishop  Vandevelde  has  often  spoken  to  me  of  your  grand 
colonization    work,  among  the  French." 

Mr.  Dunn,  then,  pressed  my  hand  in  his,  and  taking  me  a 
short  distance  from  the  others,  said : 

"  Consider  me,  hereafter,  as  your  friend:  you  have  won  my 
confidence  by  the  fearless  way  in  which  you  have  just  spoken, 
and  the  common  sense  of  your  arguments. 

"  You  have  lost  a  true  friend  in  Bishop  Vandevelde.  I  fear 
that  our  present  bishop  will  not  do'  you  justice.  Lebel  and 
Carthy vel  have  prejudiced  him  against  you.  But  I  will  stand 
by  you,  if  you  are  ever  unjustly  dealt  with,  as  I  fear  you  will, 
by  the  present  administration  of  the  diocese.  I  fear  we  ar  •^ 
the  eve  of  great  evils.  The  scandalous  suit  which  I 
O'Regan  has  brought  against  his  predecessor  is  a  disgrace.  ±i 
he  has  gained  $50,000  by  it,  he  has  forever  lost  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  all  his  priests  and  diocesans.  ■ 

"  After  the  mild  and  paternal  ruling  of  Bishop  Vandevelde, 
neither  the  priests,  nor  the  people  of  Illinois  will  long  bear  the 
iron  chains  which  the  present  bishop  has  in  store  for  us  all." 

I  thanked  Mr.  Dunn  for  his  kind  words,  and  told  him  that  I 
had  already  tasted  the  paternal  love  of  my  bishop  by  being 
twice  dragged  by  Spink  before  the  criminal  courts  for  having 
refused  to  live  on  good  terms  with  the  two  most  demoralized 
priests  I  have  ever  known. 

He,  then,  speaking  with  a  more  subdued  voice,  said: 
« I   must  tell  you,  confidentially,   that  one   of  those   priests, 
Lebel,  will  be  turned  out  ignominiously  from  the  diocese,  during 


1^;? 


Wiimn 


W 


mmmmm 


THE    ECCLESIASTICAL    RETREAT. 


607 


and  taking  me  a 


the  retreat.  Last  week,  a  new  fact,  which  6ur,">a88e8  all  his 
other  abominations,  has  been  rev^nled  and  proved  to  the  bishop, 
for  which  he  will  be  interdicted." 

At  that  moment,  the  bell  called  us  to  the  chapel  to  hear  the 
regulations  of  the  bishop  in  reference  to  the  retreat,  after  which 
we  sang  the  matins. 

At  8  P.  M.,  we  had  our  first  sermon  by  Bishop  Spaulding, 
from  Kentucky.  He  was  a  fine- looking  man,  a  giant  in  stature, 
and  0  good  speaker.  But  the  way  in  which  he  treated  his  sub- 
ject,  though  very  clever,  left,  in  my  mind,  the  impression  that  he 
did  not  believe  a  word  of  what  he  said.  At  certain  times, 
there  was  much  fire  in  his  elocution,  but  it  was  a  fire  of  straw. 
He  delivered  two  sermons,  each  day ;  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Vanhu- 
Icst,  a  Jesuit,  gave  us  two  meditations,  each  of  them  lasting  from 
forty  to  fifty  minutes.  The  rest  of  the  time  was  spent  in  read- 
ing aloud  the  life  of  a  saint,  reciting  the  breviarum,  examination 
of  conscience  and  going  to  confession. 

We  had  half  an  hour  for  meals,  followed  by  one  hour  of  re- 
creation. Thus  were  the  days  spent.  But  the  nights!  the 
nights !  what  shall  I  say  of  them !  What  pen  can  describe  the 
orgies  I  witnessed  during  those  dark  nights!  and  who  can 
believe  what  I  shall  have  to  say  about  them !  though  1  will  not 
and  cannot  say  the  half  of  what  I  have  seen  and  heard ! 

I  got  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dunn,  then  one  of  the  bishop's 
counselors,  and  soon  after,  Vicar  General,  the  statement  that  the 
sum  of  $500  was  expended  in  intoxicating  drinks  during  the  six 
days  of  the  retreat.  I  ought  to  say  during  the  five  nights.  My 
pen  refuses  to  write  what  my  eyes  saw  and  my  ears  heard  dur- 
ing the  long  hours  of  those  nights,  which  I  cannot  forget  though 
I  should  live  a  thousand  years. 

The  drinking  used  to  begin  about  9  o'clock,  as  soon  as  the 
lights  were  put  out.  Some  were  handing  the  bottles  from  bed 
to  bed,  while  others  were  carrying  them  to  those  at  a  distance, 
at  fiisL  with  the  least  noise  possible;  but  half  an  hour  had  not 
elapsed  before  the  alcohol  was  beginning  to  unloose  the  tongues, 
and  upset  the  biain.  Then  the  60ns  mots,  the  witty  stories, 
at  first,  were  soon  followed  by  the  most  indecent  and  shameful 


Tf.H 


CANADA. 


/if"^ 


608 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


recitals.  Then  the  songs,  followed  by  the  barking  of  dogs,  the 
croaking  of  frogs,  the  howling  of  wolves.  In  a  word,  the  cries 
of  all  kinds  of  beasts,  often  mixed  with  the  most  lascivious 
songs,  the  most  infamous  anecdotes  flying  from  bed  to  bed,  from 
room  to  room,  till  one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

One  night,  three  priests  were  taken  with  delirium  tremens, 
almost  at  the  same  time.  One  cried  out  that  he  had  a  dozen 
rattle-snakes  at  his  shirt;  the  second  was  fighting  against  thous- 
ands of  bats  which  were  trying  to  tear  his  eyes  from  their 
sockets :  and  the  third,  with  a  stick,  was  repulsing  millions  of 
spiders  which,  he  said,  were  as  big  as  wild  turkeys,  all  at  work 
to  devour  him.  The  cries  and  lamentations  of  those  three  priests 
were  really  pitiful!  To  those  cries,  add  the  lamentations  of 
some  dozens  of  them  whose  overloaded  stomachs  were  ejecting 
in  the  beds  and  all  around,  the  enormous  quantity  of  drink  they 
had  swallowed! 

The  third  day,  I  was  so  disgusted  and  indignant,  that  I  deter- 
mined to  leave,  without  noise,  under  the  pretext  that  I  was  sick. 
It  was  not  a  false  pretext ;  for  I  was  really  sick.  There  was  no 
possibility  of  sleeping  before  two  or  three  o'clock.  Besides,  the 
stench  in  the  dormitories  was  horrible. 

There  was,  however,  another  thing  which  was  still  more 
overwhelming  me.  It  was  the  tenible  moral  struggle  in  my 
soul  from  morning  till  night,  and  from  night  till  morning, 
when  the  voice  of  my  conscience,  which  I  had  to  take  for  the 
voice  of  Satan,  was  crying  in  my  ears :  "  Do  you  not  clearly  see 
that  your  church  is  the  devil's  church — that  those  priests,  instead 
of  being  the  Lamb's  priests,  are  the  successors  of  the  old 
Bacchus'  priests  ?  Read  your  Bible  a  little  more  attentively,  and 
see  if  this  is  not  the  reign  of  the  great  harlot,  which  is  defiling 
the  world  with  her  abominations?  How  can  you  remain  in 
such  a  church!  how  long  will  you  remain  in  this  sea  of  Sodom? 
come  out!  come  out  of  Babylon,  if  you  do  not  want  to  perish  with 
her!  Can  the  tree  which  bears  such  fruits,  be  the  tree  of  life? 
Can  the  priests  who  surround  you,  be  the  priests,  the  ambassa- 
dors of  the  Saviour  of  the  world  ?  Can  the  Son  of  God,  come 
down  every  morning  in  body,  in  soul,  and  divinity  into  the  hands 


[E. 

of  dogs,  the 
ord,  the  cries 
ost  lascivious 
1  to  bed,  from 

g- 

ium  tremens, 

had  a  dozen 

against  thous- 

es  from   their 

ig  millions  of 

i,  all  at  work 

56  three  priests 

imentations  of 

were  ejecting 

of  drink  they 

it,  that  I  deter. 

that  I  was  sick. 

There  was  no 

Besides,  the 

was  still  more 

struggle  in  my 
till   morning, 

;o  take  for  the 
not  clearly  see 
priests,  instead 

(ors   of  the  old 

attentively,  and 

hich  is  defiling 

you   remain  in 

sea  of  Sodom? 

nt  to  perish  with 
tree  of  life? 
,,  the  ambassa- 
n  of  God,  come 
:y  into  the  hands 


THE    ECCLESIASTICAL    RETREAT. 


609 


and  stomach  of  such-  men?  Can  the  nations  be  led  into  the 
ways  of  God  by  them?  are  you  not  guilty  of  an  unpardonable 
crime  when  you  are  planting,  with  your  own  hands,  over  this 
magnificent  country,  a  tree  bearing  such  fruits?  How  dare  you 
meet  your  God,  after  you  have  so  deceived  yourself  and  the  peo- 
ple as  to  believe  and  say  that  these  are  the  representatives,  the 
leaders,  the  priests  of  the  church  out  of  which  there  is  no  salva- 


tion 


»'» 


Oh!  w:hat  an  awful  thing  it  is  to  resist  the  voice  of  God!  To 
take  him  for  the  evil  one,  when,  by  his  warnings,  he  seeks  to 
save  your  soul !  Although  the  horrible  scandal  I  had  seen  dis- 
tressed me  more  than  human  words  can  tell,  those  mental  conflicts 
were  still  more  distressing.  Fearing  lest  I  should  entirely  lose 
my  faith  in  my  religion,  and  become  an  absolute  infidel,  by  re- 
maining any  longer  in  the  midst  of  such  profligacy,  I  determined 
to  leave;  but  before  doing  so,  I  wanted  to  consult  the  new 
friend  whom  the  Providence  of  God  had  given  me  in  Mr. 
Dunn.  It  seemed  the  unbearable  burden  which  was  on  my 
shoulders  would  become  lighter,  by  sharing  it  with  such  a  sym- 
pathetic brother  priest. 

I  went  to  him,  after  dinner,  and  taking  him  a}}art,  I  told  him 
all  about  the  orgies  of  last  night,  and  asked  his  advice  on  my 
determination  not  to  continue  that  retreat,  which  was  evi- 
dently nothing  else  than  a  blind,  and  a  sacrilegious  comedy,  to 
deceive  the  world. 

He  answered :  ♦'  You  teach  me  nothing,  for  I  spent  last  night 
in  the  same  dormitory  where  you  were.  One  of  the  priests  told 
me  all  about  those  orgito,  yesterday ;  I  could  hardly  believe  what 
he  said,  and  I  determined  to  see  and  hear  for  myself  what  was 
going  on.  You  do  not  exaggerate,  you  do  not  even  mention  half 
of  the  horrors  of  last.night.  It  baffles  any  description.  It  is  sim- 
ply incredible  for  any  one  who  has  not  himself  witnessed  them. 
However,  I  do  not  advise  you  to  leave.  It  would  forever  ruin 
you  in  the  mind  of  the  bishop,  who  is  not  already  too  well  dis- 
posed in  your  favor.  The  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  go  and 
say  everything  to  Bishop  Spaulding.  I  have  done  it  this  morn- 
ing; but  I  felt  that  he  did  not  believe  the  half  of  what  I  told 


6io 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


him.  When  the  same  testimony  comes  from  you,  then  he  will 
believe  it,  and  will  probably  take  some  measures,  with  our  own 
bishop,  to  put  an  end  to  those  horrors.  I  have  something  to  tell 
you,  confidentially,  which  surpasses,  in  a  measure,  anything  you 
know  of  the  abominations  of  these  last  three  nights. 

"  A  respectable  policeman,  who  belongs  to  my  congregation, 
came  to  me  this  morning,  to  tell  me  that  the  first  night,  six  pros- 
titutes, dressed  as  gentlemen ;  and  last  night,  twelve  came  to  the 
University,  after  dark,  entered  the  dormitory,  and  went,  directed 
by  signals,  to  those  who  had  invited  them,  each  being  provided 
with  the  necessary  key.  I  have  just  reporter'  the  thing  to  Bishop 
O'Regan ;  but  instead  of  paying  any  atteii  a  to  what  I  said, 
he  became  furious  against  me,  and  nearly  turned  me  out  of  his 
room,  saying:  'Do  you  think  that  I  am  going  to  come  down 
from  my  dignity  of  bishop  to  hear  the  reports  of  degraded 
policemen  or  of  vile  spies!  Shall  I  become  the  spies  of  my 
priests?  If  they  want  to  damn  themselves,  there  is  no  help,  let 
them  go  to  hell!  I  am  not  more  obliged  or  able  than  God  him- 
self to  stop  them !  Does  God  stop  them  ?  Does  He  punish 
them?  No!  Well!  you  cannot  expect  from  me,  more  zeal  and 
power  than  in  our  common  God ! " 

"  With  these  fine  words  ringing  in  my  ears,"  said  good  Mr. 
Dunn,  "  I  had  to  leave  his  room  at  the  double  quick.  It  is  of 
no  use  for  us  to  speak  to  Bishop  O'Regan,  on  that  matter.  It 
will  do  no  good.  He  wants  to  get  a  large  subscription  from 
those  priests,  at  the  end  of  the  retreat,  and  he  is  rather  inclined 
to  pet  than  punish  them,  till  he  obtains  the  $100,000  he  wants 
to  build  his  white  marble  palace  on  the  lake  shore." 

I  replied :  "  Though  you  add  to  my  desolation,  instead  of 
diminishing  it,  by  what  yQu  say  of  the  strange  principles,  of  our 
bishop,  I  will  speak  to  my  lord  Spaulding  as  you  advise  me." 

Without  a  moment's  delay,  I  went  to  his  room.  He  received 
me  very  kindly,  and  did  not  at  all  seem  surprised  at  what  I  said. 


It  was   as  if  he  had  been  accustomed  to  see  the  same. 


or 


still 


worse  abominations.  However,  when  I  told  him  the  enormous 
quantity  of  liquor  drank,  and  that  the  retreat  would  be  only  a 
ridiculous  comedy,  if  no  attempt  at  reform  was  tried,  he  agreed 


nn. 


THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   RETREAT. 


6ll 


then  he  will 
with  our  own 
lething  to  tell 
anything  you 

ts. 
congregation, 

light,  six  pros- 
e  came  to  the 
went,  directed 
eing    pi'ovided 
:hing  to  Bishop 
3  what  I  said, 
me  out   of  his 
to  come  down 
ts   of  degraded 
lie  spies  of  my 
eisno  help,  let 
B  than  God  him- 
)oes  He  punish 
^  more  zeal  and 

"  said  good   Mr. 

[quick.     It  is  of 

that  matter.    It 

ibscription  from 

rather   inclined 

>,ooo  he  wants 

.re." 

lation,  instead  of 
principles,  of  our 
1)U  advise  me." 
lorn.  He  received 
;d  at  what  I  said. 
^le  same,  or  still 
m  the   enormous 
.  would  be  only  a 
IS  tried,  he  agreed 


with  me ;  "  but  it  would  be  advisable  to  try  it,"  he  said.  "  Though 
this  is  not  in  our  programme,  we  might  give  one  or  two  sermons, 
on  the  necessity  of  priests  giving  an  example  of  temperance  to 
their  people.  Will  you  please  come  with  me  to  the  room  of 
my  lord  O'Regan,  that  we  may  confer  on  the  matter,  after  vou 
have  told  him  what  is  going  on  ? " 

Although  the  Bishop  of  Chicago  seemed  puzzled  at  seeing 
me  entering  his  room  with  my  lord  Spaulding,  he  was  as  polite 
as  possible.  He  listened  with  more  attention  than  I  expected  to 
the  narrative  1  gave  of  what  was  going  on  among  the  priests. 
After  telling  him  my  sad  story,  Bishop  Spaulding  said:  "My 
lord  of  Chicago :  These  facts  are  very  grave,  and  there  cannot 
be  any  doubt  about  the  truth  of  what  we  have  just  heard.  Two 
other  gentlemen  gave  me  the  sa'.'^e  testimony  this  morning." 

"  Yes  I"  said  Bishop  O'Regan,  "  it  is  very  sad  to  see  that  our 
priests  have  so  little  self-respect,  even  during  such  solemn  days 
as  those  of  a  public  retreat.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Dunn  has  just  told 
me  the  same  sad  story  as  father  Chiniquy.  But  what  remedy 
can  we  find  for  such  a  state  of  things?  Perhaps  it  might  do 
well  to  give  them  a  good  sermon  on  temperance.  Mr.  Chiniquy, 
I  am  told  that  you  are  called  '  the  temperance  apostle  of  Can- 
ada,' and  that  you  are  a  powerful  speaker  on  that  subject; 
would  you  not  like  to  give  them  one  or  two  addresses  on  the 
injury  they  are  doing  to  themselves  and  to  our  holy  church,  by 
their  drunkenness  ?" 

"  If  those  priests  could  understand  me  in  French,"  I  replied, 
"  I  would  accept  the  honor  you  offer  me,  with  pleasure;  but  to 
be  understood  by  them,  I  would  have  to  speak  in  English;  and 
I  am  not  sufficiently  free  in  that  language  to  attempt  it.  My 
broken  English  would  only  bring  ridicule  upon  the  holy  cause  of 
temperance. 

"  But  my  lord  Spaulding  has  already  preached  on  that  sub 
ject  in  Kentucky,  and  an  address  from  his  lordship  would  be 
listened  to  with  more  attention  and  benefit  from  him  than   from 
me." 

It  was,  then,  agreed,  that  he  should  change  his  programme, 
and  give  two  addresses  on  temperance,  which  he  did.       But 


n.'^'r.  .  1».a.     £.tr 


^l"*.  jA  -.'.  ^T  ^.( 


pjiij'^-  -ijivi  ■''■iiiiipiy*ipiiJiJ^J'ii.- 


6ia 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


though  these  addresses  were  really  eloquent,  they  were  pearls 
thrown  before  swine. 

The  drunken  priests  slept,  as  usual;  and  even  snored,  almost 
through  the  whole  length  of  the  delivery.  It  is  true  that  we 
could  notice  a  little  improvement,  and  less  noise  the  following 
nights ;  the  change,  however,  was  very  little. 

The  fourth  day  of  the  retreat,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lebel  came  to 
me,  with  his  bag  in  hand.     He  looked  furious.     He  said : 

"  Now,  you  must  be  satisfied,  I  am  interdicted  and  turned 
out  ignominiously  from  this  diocese.  It  is  your  workl  But 
mind  what  I  tell  you ;  you  will,  also,  soon,  b6  turned  out  from 
your  colony  by  the  mitred  tyrant  who  has  just  struck  me  down. 
He  told  me,  several  times,  that  he  would,  at  any  cost,  break  your 
plans  of  French  colonization,  by  sending  you  to  the  south-west 
of  Illinois,  along  the  Mississippi,  to  an  old  French  settlement, 
opposite  St.  Louis. 

" He  is  enraged  against  you, for  your  refusing  to  give  him 
your  fine  property  at  St.  Anne." 

I  answered  him :  "  You  are  mistaken  when  you  think  that  I 
am  the  author  of  your  misfortunes.  You  have  disgraced  your- 
self, by  your  own  acts.  God  has  given  you  talents  and  quali- 
ties which,  if  cultivated,  would  have  exalted  you  in  the  church, 
but  you  have  preferred  to  destroy  those  great  gifts,  in  order  to 
follow  the  evil  inclinations  of  your  poor  degraded  human  nature; 
you  reap  to-day  what  you  have  sown.  Nobody  is  more  sorry 
than  I  am,  for  your  misfortune,  and  my  most  sincere  wish  is 
that  the  past  may  be  a  lesson  to  guide  your  Heps  in  the  future. 
The  desire  of  the  bishop  to  turij  me  out  of  my  colony  does  not 
trouble  me.  If  it  is  the  will  of  God  to  keep  me  at  the  head  of 
that  great  work,  the  Bishop  of  Chicago  will  go  down  from  his 
episcopal  throne  before  I  go  down  the  beautiful  hill  of  St. 
Anne.  Adieu  1" 

He  soon  disappeared.  But  how  the  fall  of  this  priest,  whom 
I  had  so  sincerely  loved,  saddened  me! 

The  next  Sabbath  was  the  last  day  of  the  retreat.  All  the 
priests  went  in  procession  to  the  cathedral,  to  receive  the  holy 
communion,  and  every  one  of  them  ate,  what  we  had  to  believe 


,^^  ---^-"-'^ 


iiHHiHIli 


wnm 


PiPPiliiiPPiWPBipiPf 


THE    ECCLESIASTICAL    RETREAT. 


613 


this  priest,  whom 


the  true  body,  soul  and  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  This,  however, 
did  not  prevent  thirteen  of  them  from  spending  the  greater  part 
of  the  next  night  in  calabooses,  to  which  they  had  been  taken  by 
the  police,  from  houses  of  ill  fame,  where  they  were  rioting  and 
fighting.  The  next  morning  they  were  discharged  from  the 
hands  of  the  police  by  paying  pretty  round  sums  of  money  for 
the  trouble  of  the  night ! 

The  next  day,  I  went  to  Mr.  Dunn's  parsonage  to  ask  him  if 
he  could  give  me  any  explanation  of  the  rumor  which  was 
afloat,  and  to  which  Mr.  Lebel  had  made  allusion,  that  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  bishop  to  remove  me  from  my  colony  to 
some  distant  part  of  his  diocese. 

"  It  is  unfortunately  too  true,"  said  he.  « Bishop  O'Regan 
thinks  that  he  has  a  mission  from  heaven  to  undo  all  his  prede- 
cessor has  done,  and  as  one  of  the  best  and  grandest  schemes  of 
Bishop  Vandevelde  was  to  secure  the  possession  of  this  magnifi- 
cent State  of  Illinois  to  our  church,  by  inducing  all  the  Roman 
Catholic  emigrants  from  France,  Belgium  and  Canada,  to  settle 
here,  our  present  bishop  does  not  conceal  that  he  will  oppose  that 
plan  by  removing  you  to  such  a  distance,  that  your  colonization 
plans  will  be  at  ah  end.  He  says  that  the  French  are,  as  a 
general  thing,  rebels  and  disobedient  to  their  bishops.  He  prefers 
seeing  the  Irish  coming,  on  account  of  their  proverbial  docility 
to  their  ecclesiastical  superiors. 

"  I  have,  in  vain,  tried  to  change  his  mind.  I  told  you,  before, 
that  he  often  asks  my  opinion  on  what  I  think  the  best  thing  to 
be  done  for  the  good  of  the  diocese.  But  do  not  think  that  he 
intends  to  follow  my  advice ;  it  is  just  the  contrary.  My  im- 
pression now  is,  that  he  wants  to  know  our  views,  only  for  the 
pleasure  of  acting  diametrically  in  opposition  to  what  we  advise." 

1  must  not  omit  to  say,  that  we  had  been  requested  to  spend 
the  forenoon  of  Monday  in  the  University,  for  an  important 
affair  which  the  bishop  had  to  propose  to  his  clergy.  We  werp 
all  there,  in  the  great  hall,  at  the  appointed  hour.  Even  the  thir- 
teen priests  who  had  spent  the  best  part  of  the  night  at  the 
police  station,  heard  the  voice  of  their  bishop,  and  they  were 
there,  as  docile  lambs. 


6i4 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


We  knew  beforehand,  the  proposition  which  was  to  be  put 
before  us.  It  was  to  build  a  palace  for  our  bishop,  worthy  of  the 
great  Illinois  State,  the  cost  of  which  would  be  about  $100,000. 

Though  every  one  of  us  felt  that  this  was  most  extravagant 
in  such  a  young  and  poor  diocese,  nobody  dared  to  raise  his 
voice  against  that  act  of  pride  and  supreme  folly.  Every  one 
promised  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  raise  that  sum,  and  to  show  our 
good-will,  we  raised  among  ourselves,  at  once,  $7,000,  which 
we  gave  in  cash  or  in  promissory  notes. 

After  this  act  of  liberality,  we  were  blessed  and  dismissed 
by  our  bishop. 

I  was  but  a  few  steps  from  the  University,  when  an  Irish 
priest,  unknown  to  me,  ran  after  me  to  say :  "  My  lord  O'Regan 
wants  to  see  you  immediately."  And,  five  minutes  later,  I  was 
alone  with  my  bishop,  who,  without  any  preface,  told  me : 

"  Mr.  Chiniquy,  I  hear  very  strange  and  damaging  things 
about  you,  from  every  quarter.  But  the  worst  of  all  is,  tliat 
you  are  a  secret  Protestant  emissary;  that,  instead  of  preach- 
ing the  true  doctrines  of  our  holy  church,  about  the  immacu- 
late conception,  purgatory,  the  respect  and  obedience  due  to 
their  superiors  by  the  people,  auricular  confession,  &c.,  &c.,  you 
spend  a  part  of  your  time  in  distributing  Bibles  and  New 
Testaments  among  your  emigrants ;  I  want  to  know  from  your 
own  lips,  if  this  be  true  or  not." 

I  answered :  "  A  part  of  what  the  people  told  you  about  the 
matter  is  not  true ;  the  other  is  true.  .  It  is  not  true  that  I  neglect 
the  preaching  of  the  doctrines  of  our  holy  church,  about  purga- 
tory, immaculate  conception  of  Mary,  auricular  confession,  or 
the  respect  due  to  our  superiors.  But  it  is  true  that  I  do  distri- 
bute the  Holy  Bible  and  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  among  my  peo- 
ple." 

"  And  instead  of  blushing  at  such  unpriestly  conduct,  you 
seem  to  be  proud  of  it,"  angrily  replied  the  bishop. 

"  I  do  not  understand,  my  lord,  why  a  priest  of  Christ  could 
blush  for  distributing  the  Word  of  God  among  his  people ;  as  I 
am  bound  to  preach  that  Holy  Word,  it  is  not  only  my  right, 
but  my  duty  to  give  it  to  them.     I  am    fully  persuaded   that 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  RETREAT. 


615 


conduct,  you 


there  is  no  preaching  so  efficacious  and  powerful  as  the  preach- 
ing of  our  God  Himself,  when  speaking  to  us  in  His  Holy  Book." 

« This  is  sheer  Protestantism,  Mr.  Chiniquy,  this  is  sheer 
Protestantism,"     he  answered  me  angrily. 

»*  My  dear  bishop,"  I  answered  calmly,  "  If  to  give  the 
Bible  to  the  people  and  invite  them  to  read  and  meditate  on  it, 
is  Protestantism,  our  holy  Pope  Pius  VI.  was  a  good  Protestant, 
for  in  his  letter  to  Martini,  which  is  probably  in  the  first  pages 
of  the  beautiful  Bible  I  see  on  your  lordship's  table,  he  not  only 
blesses  him  for  having  translated  that  Holy  Book  into  Italian, 
but  invites  the  people  to  read  it." 

The  bishop,  assuming  an  air  of  supreme  contempt,  replied : 

"  Your  answer  shows  your  complete  ignorance  on  the  sub- 
ject on  which  you  speak  so  boldly.  If  you  were  a  little  better 
informed  on  that  grave  subject,  you  would  know  that  the  trans- 
lation by  Martini,  which  the  Pope  advised  the  Italian  people  to 
read,  formed  a  work  of  twenty-three  big  volumes  in  folio, 
which,  of  course,  nobody,  except  very  rich  and  idle  people  could 
read.  Not  one  in  ten  thousand  Italians  have  the  means  of  pur- 
chasing such  a  voluminous  work;  and  not  one  in  twenty  thous- 
and have  the  time  or  the  will  to  peruse  such  a  mass  of  endless 
commentaries.  The  Pope  would  never  have  given  such  an  ad- 
vice to  read  a  Bible,  as  the  one  you  distribute  so  imprudently." 

«  Then,  my  lord,  do  you  positively  tell  me  that  the  Pope 
gave  permission  to  read  Martini's  translation,  because  he  knew 
that  the  people  could  never  get  it  on  account  of  its  enormous 
size  and  price,  and  do  you  assure  me  that  he  would  never  have 
given  such  an  advice,  had  the  same  people  been  able  to  purchase 
and  read  that  holy  work." 

"Yes,  sir!  It  is  what  I  mean,"  answered  the  bishop,  with 
an  air  of  triumph,  "for  I  know,  positively,  that  this  is  the  fact." 

I  replied,  calmly:  "  I  hope  your  lordship  is  unwillingly  mis- 
taken; for  if  you  were  correct,  the  stern  and  unflinching  princi- 
ples of  logic  would  force  me  to  think  and  say  thatthat  Pope,  and 
all  his  followers,  were  deceivers,  and  that  encyclical,  a  public 
fraud  in  his  own  hands;  for  we.  Catholic  priests,  make  use  of  it, 
all  over  the  world,  and  reprint  it  at  the  head  of  our  own  Bibles, 


6i6 


FIFTY   YEARS    IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


to  make  the  people,  both  Protestants  and  Catholics,  believe  that 
vre  approve  of  their  reading  our  own  versions  of  that  Holy 
Book." 

Had  I  thrown  a  spark  of  fire  in  a  keg  of  powder,  the  explo- 
sion would  not  have  been  more  prompt  and  terrible  than  the  rage 
of  that  prelate.     Pointing  his  finger  to  my  face,  he  said : 

"  Now,  I  see  the  truth  of  what  I  have  been  told,  that  you  are 
a  disguised  Protestant,  since  the  very  day  you  were  ordained  a 
priest. 

"The  Bible!  The  Bible!  is  your  motto!  For  you,  the  Bible 
is  everything,  and  the  holy  church,  with  her  Popes  and  bishops 
nothing!  what,  an  insolent,  I  dare  say,  what  a  blasphemous 
word,  I  have  just  heard  from  you?  You  dare  call  an  encyclical 
letter  of  one  of  our  most  holy  Popes,  ajraudl " 

In  vain,  I  tried  to  explain ;  he  would  not  listen,  and  he  silenced 
me  by  saying : 

"  If  our  holy  church  has,  in  an  unfortunate  day,  appointed 
you  one  of  her  priests  in  my  diocese,  it  was  to  preach  the  doc- 
trines, and  not  to  distribute  the  Bible!  If  you  forget  that,  I  will 
make  you  remember  it !" 

And  with  that  threat  on  my  head,  as  a  Damocles'  sword,  I 
had  to  take  the  door  which  he  had  opened,  without  any  au  revoir. 
Thanks  be  to  God,  this  first  persecution  and  these  outrages  I  receiv- 
ed for  my  dear  Bible's  sake,  did  not  diminish  my  love,  my  respect 
for  God's  Holy  Word,  nor  my  confidence  in  it.  On  the  con- 
trary, on  reaching  home,  I  took  it,  fell  on  my  knees,  and  press- 
ing it  to  my  heart,  I  asked  my  heavenly  Father  to  grant  me  the 
favor  to  love  it  more>sincerely,  and  follow  its  divine  teachings 
with  more  fidelity,  till  the  end  of  my  life. 


^^g^^^^^^jA^^^^^^^gg^l^^g^^ 


Chapter  LVI. 


PT7BLI0  ACTS  OF  BXMONT-THBFTS  AKD  BBIGANDAOB  OF 
BISHOP  O'BEaAM-OBNSBAI.  OBT  OF  INBZONATION-I  DB- 
TEBMnns  TO  BBSZST  HIM  TO  HIS  FAOB-HB  BMPLOTS  KB. 
SFIKK  AOAnr  TO  BBND  MB  TO  OAOtj,  AND  HB  FAILS-DBAGS 
MB  AS  A  PBISONBB  TO  UBBANA  IN  THB  SFBING  OF  1866 
AND  FAILS  AOAIN-ABBAHAM  LINCOLN  DBFBNDS  MB-M7 
DBAB  BIBLB  BBCOMBS  MOBB  THAN  BVBB  MT  LIGHT  AND 
OOT7NSBLLOB. 


A  MONTH  had  scarcely  elapsed  since  the  ecclesiastical  retreat, 
when  all  the  cities  of  Illinois,  were  filled  by  the  most 
strange  and  humiliating  clamors  against  our  bishop.  From 
Chicago  to  Cairo,  it  would  have  beer  difficult  to  go  to  a  single 
town,  without  hearing,  from  the  most  respectable  people,  or 
reading  in  big  letters,  in  some  of  the  most  influential  papers,  that 
Bishop  O'Regan  was  a  thief  or  a  simoniac,  a  perjurer,  or  even 
something  worse.  The  bitterest  complaints  were  crossing  each 
other  over  the  breadth  and  length  of  Illinois,  from  almost  every 
congregation : 

"  He  has  stolen  the  beautiful  and  costly  vestments  we  bought 
for  our  church,"  cried  the  French  Canadians  of  Chicago.  "  He 
has  swindled  us  out  of  a  fine  lot  given  us  to  build  our  church, 
sold  it  for  $40,000,  and  pocketed  the  money,  for  his  own  private 
use,  without  giving  us  any  notice,"  said  the  Germans. 

"  His  thirst  for  money  is  so  great,"  said  the  whole  Catholic 
people  of  Illinois,  "  that  he  is  selling  even  the  bones  of  the 
dead  to  fill  his  treasures!" 

I  had  not  forgotten  the  bold  attempt  of  the  bishop  to  wrench 
my  little  property  from  my  hands,  at  his  first  visit  to  my  colony. 

The  highway  thief  who  puts  his  dagger  at  the  breast  of  the 
traveler,  threatening  to  take  away  his  life,  if  he  does  not  give 

rti7 


6i8 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


him  his  purse,  does  not  appear  more  infamous  to  his  victim  than 
that  bishop  appeared  to  me,  that  day.  But  my  hope,  then,  was, 
that  this  act  was  an  isolated  and  exceptional  case  in  the  life  of 
my  superior;  and  I  did  not  whisper  a  word  of  it  to  anybody.  I 
began  to  think  differently,  however,  when  I  saw  the  numerous 
articles  in  the  principal  papers  of  the  State,  signed  by  the  most 
respectable  names,  accusing  him  of  theft,  simony  and  lies.  My 
hope,  at  first,  was  that  ther^  ■  "^re  many  exaggerations  in  those 
reports.  But  as  they  came  thicker,  day  after  day,  I  thought  my 
duty  was  to  go  to  Chicago,  and  see  for  myself,  to  what  extent 
those  rumors  were  true.  I  went  directly  to  the  French  Cana- 
'dian  church ;  and  to  my  unspeakable  dismay,  I  found  that  it  was 
too  true  that  the  bishop  had  stolen  the  fine  church  vestments, 
which  my  countrymen  had  bought  for  their  own  priest,  for 
grand  festivals ;  and  he  had  transferred  them  to  the  cathedral  of 
St.  Mary  for  his  own  personal  use.  The  indignation  of  my  poor 
countrymen  knew  no  bounds.  It  was  really  deplorable  to  hear 
with  what  supreme  disgust,  and  want  of  respect,  they  were 
speaking  of  their  bishop.  Unfortunately,  the  Germans  and 
Irish  people  were  still  ahead  of  them  in  their  unguarded,  dis- 
respectful denunciations.  Several  spoke  oi  prosecuting  him 
before  the  civil  courts,  to  force  him  to  disgorge  what  he  had 
stolen ;  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  succeeded 
in  preventing  some  of  them  from  mobbing  and  insulting  him 
publicly  in  the  streets,  or  even  in  his  own  palace.  The  only 
way  I  could  find  to  appease  them  was  to  promise  them  that 
I  would  speak  to  his  lordship,  and  tell  him  that  it  was  the  desire 
of  my  countrymen  to  have  those  vestments  restored  to  them. 

The  second  things  I  did  was  to  go  to  the  cemetery,  and  see 
for  myself,  to  what  extent  it  was  true  or  not  that  our  bishop  was 
selling  the  very  bones  of  his  diocesans,  in  order  to  make 
money. 

On  my  way  to  the  Roman  Catholic  graveyard,  I  met  a  great 
many  cart-loads  of  sand,  which,  I  was  told  by  the  carters,  had  been 
taken  from  the  cemetery ;  but  I  did  not  like  to  stop  them  till  I 
was  at  the  very  door  of  the  consecrated  spot.  There,  I  found  three 
carters,  who  were  just  leaving  the  grounds.  I  asked  and  obtained 


PUBLIC    ACTS   OF    SIMONY. 


619 


from  them,  the  permission  to  search  the  sand  which  they  carried, 
to  see  if  there  were  not  some  bones.  I  could  not  find  any  in 
the  first  cart;  and  my  hope  was  that  it  would  be  the  same  in  the 
two  others.  But,  to  my  horror  and  shame,  I  found  the  inferior 
jaw  of  a  child,  in  the  second ;  and  part  of  the  bones  of  an  arm, 


and  almost  the  whole  foot  of  a  human  being,  in  the 


1 


cart! 


I  politely  requested  the  carters  to  show  me  the  very  place  where 
they  had  dug  that  sand,  and  they  complied  with  my  prayer.  To 
my  unspeakable  regret  and  shame,  I  found  that  the  bishop  had 
told  an  unmitigated  falsehood  when,  to  appease  the  public  indig- 
nation against  his  sacrilegious  trade,  he  had  published  that  he  was 
selling  only  the  sand  which  was  outside  of  the  fence,  on  the 
very  border  of  the  lake. 

It  is  true  that,  to  make  his  case  good,  he  had  ordered  the  old 
fence  to  be  taken  away,  in  order  to  make  a  new  one,  many  feet 
inside  the  old  one.  But  this  miserable  and  shameful  subter- 
fuge rendered  his  crime  still  greater  than  it  had  at  first  appeared. 
What  added  to  the  gravity  of  that  public  iniquity,  is  that  the 
Bishop  of  Chicago  had  received  that  piece  of  land  from  the 
city,  for  a  burial  ground,  only  after  they  had  taken  a  solemn  oath 
to  use  it  only  for  burying  the  dead.  Every  load  of  that  ground 
sold  then,  was  not  only  an  act  of  simony,  but  the  breaking  of  a 
solemn  oath!  No  words  can  express  the  shame  I  felt,  after  con- 
vincing myself  of  the  correctness  of  what  the  press  of  Chicago, 
and  of  the  whole  State,  of  Illinois  had  published  against  our 
bishop,  about  this  sacrilegious  traffic. 

Slowly  retracing  my  steps  to  the  city  from  the  cemetery,  I 
went  directly  to  the  bishop,  to  fulfil  the  promise  I  had  made  to 
the  French  Canadians,  to  try  to  obtain  the  restoration  of  their 
fine  vestments.  But  I  was  not  long  with  him  without  seeing 
that  I  would  gain  nothing  but  his  implacable  enmity  in  pleading 
the  cause  of  my  poor  countrymen.  However,  I  thought  that  my 
duty  was  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  open  the  eyes  of  my  bishop 
to  the  pit  he  was  digging  for  himself  and  for  us  all  Catholics, 
by  his  conduct. 

"  My  lord,"  I  said,  "  I  will  not  surprise  your  lordship, 
when  I  tell  you  that  all  the  true  Catholics  of  Illinois,  are  filled 


f?!?,! 


6ao 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


with  sorrow  by  the  articles  they  find,  every  day,  in  tlie  press, 
against  their  bishop." 

"  Yes  1  yes!"  he  abruptly  replied,  "the  good  Catholics  must 
be  sad  indeed  to  read  such  disgusting  diatribes  against  their 
superior;  and  I  presume  that  you  are  one  o£  those  that  are  sorry. 
But,  then,  why  do  you  not  prevent  your  insolent  and  infidel 
countrymen  from  writing  those  things !  I  see  that  a  great  part  of 
those  libels  are  signed  by  the  French  Canadians." 

I  answered, "  It  is  to  try,  as  much  as  it  is  in  my  power,  to 
put  an  end  to  those  scandals  that  I  am  in  Chicago,  to-day,  my 
lord." 

"  Very  well,  very  well,"  he  replied,  "  as  you  have  the  repu- 
tation of  having  a  great  influence  over  your  countrymen,  make 
use  of  it  to  stop  them  in  their  rebellious  conduct  against  me, 
and  I  will,  then,  believe  that  you  are  a  good  priest." 

I  answered :  "  I  hope  that  I  will  succeed  in  what  your  lord- 
ship wants  me  to  do.  But  there  are  two  things  to  be  done, 
in  order  to  secure  my  success." 

"  What  are  they  ?  "  quickly  asked  the  bishop. 

"  The^rsi  is,  that  your  lordship  give  back  the  fine  church 
vestments  which  you  have  taken  from  the  French  Canadian 
congregation  of  Chicago. 

"  The  second  is,  that  your  lordship  abstain,  absolutely,  from 
this  day,  to  sell  the  sand  of  the  burying  ground,  which  covers 
the  tombs  of  the  dead." 

Without  answering  a  word,  the  bishop  struck  his  fist  violently 
upon  the  table,  and  crossed  the  room  at  a  quick  step,  two 
or  three  times;  then  turning  towards  me,  and  pointing  his  fin- 
ger to  my  face,  he  exclaimed  in  an  indescribable  accent  of 
rage: 

"Now,  I  see  the  truth  of  what  Mr.  Spink  told  me!  you  are 
not  only  my  bitterest  enemy,  but  you  are  at  the  /lead  of  my 
enemies.  You  take  sides  with  them  against  me.  You  approve 
of  their  libellous  writings  against  me!  I  will  never  givi-  b  "K 
those  church  vestments.  They  are  mine,  as  the  Fren  n  Caiui 
dian  church  is  mine!     Do  you  not  know,  th  , round   on 

which  the  churches  are  built,  as  well  as  the  chv       .  ^  themselves) 


PUBLIC    ACTS   OF    SIMONY. 


621 


and  all  that  belotififs  to  the  church,  belongs  to  the  bishop?  Was 
it  not  a  burning  shame  to  use  those  fine  vestments  in  a  poo-  mis- 
erable church  of  Chicago,  when  the  bishop  of  that  important 
city  was  covered  with  rags!  It  tvas  in  the  interest  of  the  epis- 
copal dignity,  that  I  ordered  those  rich  and  splendid  vestments, 
which  were  mine  by  law,  to  be  transferred  from  that  small  and 
insignificant  congregation,  to  my  cathedral  of  St.  Mary,  and  if 
you  had  an  ounce  of  respect  for  your  bishop,  Mr.  Cbiniquy, 
you  would  immediately  go  to  your  countrymen  and  put  a  stop 
to  their  murmurs  and  slanders  against  me; by  simply  felling  them 
that  I  have  taken  what  was  mine  from  that  church,  which  is 
mine  also,  to  the  cathedral,  which  is  altogether  mine. 

"  Tell  your  countrymen  to  hold  their  tongues,  and  respect 
their  bishop,  vvhen  he  is  in  the  right,  as  I  am  to-day." 

I  had,  many  times,  considered  the  infamy  and  injustice  of  the 
law  which  the  bishops  have  had  passed  all  over  the  United 
States,  making  every  one  of  them  a  corporation,  with  the  right 
of  possessing  personally  all  the  church  properties  of  the  Roman 
Catholics.  But  I  had  never  understood  the  infamy  and  tyrannv 
of  that  law  so  clearly  as  in  that  hour. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  with  ink  and  paper  the  air  of 
pride  and  contempt  with  which  the  bishop  really  in  substance,  if 
not  in  words,  told  me: 

"  All  those  things  are  mine.  I  do  what  I  please  with  them, 
you  must  be  mute  and  silent  when  I  take  them  away  from  you. 
It  is  against  God  Himself  that  you  rebel  when  you  refuse  me 
the  right  of  dispossessing  you  of  all  those  properties  which  you 
have  purchased  with  your  own  money,  and  which  have  not  cost 
me  a  cent!" 

In  that  moment  I  felt  that  the  law  which  makes  every  bishop 
the  only  master  and  proprietor  of  all  the  religious  goods,  houses, 
churches,  lands  and  money  of  their  people  as  Catholics,  is  sim- 
ply diabolical :  and  that  the  church  which  sanctions  such  a  law, 
is  anti-christian.  Though  it  was,  at  the  risk  and  peril  of  every 
thing  dear  to  me,  that  I  should  openly  protest  against  that  unjust 
law,  there  was  no  help;  I  felt  constrained  to  do  so  with  all  the 
energy  I  possessed. 


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FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH  OF   ROMS. 


I  answered :  «  My  lord,  I  confess  that  this  is  the  law,  in  the 
United  States;  but  this  is  a  human  law,  directly  opposed  to  the 
Gospel.  I  do' not  find  a  single  word  ip  the  Gospel  which  gives 
this  power  to  the  bishop.  Such  a  power  is  an  pbusive,  not  a 
divine  power,  which  v.'ill  sooner  or  later  destroy  our  holy  church, 
in  the  United  States,  as  ii  has  already  mortally  wounded  her  in 
Great  Britain,  in  France  and  in  many  other  places.  When 
Christ  said,  in  the  Holy  Gospel,  that  He  had  not  enough  of 
ground  whereon  to  lay  His  head,  He  condemned,  in  advance,  the 
pretensions  of  the  bishops  who  lay  their  hands  on  our  church 
properties  as  their  own.  Such  a  claim  is  an  usurpation  and  not 
a.  right,  my  lord.  Our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  protested  against  that 
usurpation,  when  asked  by  a  young  man  to  meddle  in  his  tem- 
poral affairs  with  his  brothers;  He  answered  that  "He  had  not 
received  such  power."  The  Gospel  is  a  long  protest  against 
that  usurpation,  in  every  page,  it  tells  us  that  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ  is  not  of  this  world.  I  have  myself  given  $50  to  help  my 
countrymen  to  buy  those  church  vestments.  They  belong  to 
them,  and  not  to  you ! " 

My  words,  uttered  with  an  expression  of  firmness  which  the 
bishop  had  never  yet  seen  in  any  of  his  priests,  fell  upon  him,  at 
first,  as  a  thunderbolt.  They  so  puzzled  him,  that  he  looked  at 
me,  a  moment,  as  if  he  wanted  to  see  if  it  wei'e  a  dream  or  a 
reality,  that  one  of  his  priests  had  the  audacity  to  use  such  Ian- 
guage,  in  his  presence. 

But,  soon,  recovering  from  his  stupor,  he  interrupted  me  by 
striking  his  fist  again  on  the  table,  and  saying  in  anger: 

"You  are  half  a  Protestant!  Your  words  smell  Protestant- 
ism! The  Gospel!  the  Gospel!  1  that  is  your  great  tower  of 
•"tic'igth  agpinst  the  laws  and  regulations  of  our  holy  church! 
If  you  think,  Mr.  Chiniquy,  that  you  will  frighten  me  with  your 
big  words  of  the  Gospel,  you  will  soon  see  your  mistake,  at  your 
own  expense.  I  will  make  you  remember  that  it  is  Mc  Church 
you  must  obey,  and  it  is  through  your  bishop  that  the  church 
rules  you ! " 

"  My  lord,"  I  answered,  "  I  want  to  obey  the  church.    Yes! 


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PUBLIC    ACTS    OF    SlMOKY. 


(IE. 

e  law,  in  the 
pposed  to  the 
1  which  gives 
abusive,  not  a 
ir  holy  church, 
ounded  her  in 
daces.     When 
lot   enough  of 
in  advance,  the 
on  our  church 
rpation  and  not 
ited  against  that 
die  in  his  tem- 
t  "He  had  not 
protest  against 
he  Kingdom  of 
I  $50  to  help  my 
They  belong  to 

mness  which  the 
fell  upon  him,  ai 
:hat  he  looked  at 
[le  a  dream  or  a 
to  use  such  lan- 

|terrujpted  me  by 
anger : 
itnell  Protestant- 
great  tower  of 
,ur  holy  church! 
Iten  me  with  your 
|r  mistake,  at  your 
it  is  the  Church 
that  the  church 

Ihe  church.    Yes  I 


623 


but  it  is  a  church  founded  on  the  Gospel ;  a  church  that  respects 
and  follows  the  Gospel,  that  I  want  to  obey ! " 

These  words  threw  him  into  a  fit  of  rage,  and  he  answered: 
« I  am  too  busy  to  hear  your  impertinent  babblings  any  longer. 
Please  let  me  alone,  and  I'emember  that  you  will,  soon,  hear 
from  n-.o  again,  if  you  cannot  teach  your  people  to  respect  and 
obey  their  superiors ! " 

The  bishop  kept  his  promise.  I  heard  of  him  very  soon 
after,  when  his  agent,  Peter  Spink,  dragged  me,  again,  a  pris- 
oner, before  the  Criminal  Court  of  Kankakee,  accusing  me 
falsely  of  crimes  which  his  malice  alone  could  have  invented. 

My  lord  O'Regan  had  determined  to  interdict  me;  but  not 
being  able  to  find  any  cause  in  my  pvivate  or  public  life  as  a 
priest,  to  found  such  a  sentence,  he  had  pressed  that  land  specu- 
lator,  Spink,  to  prosecute  me  again ;  promising  to  base  his  inter- 
dict on  the  condemnation  which,  he  had  been  told,  would  be 
passed  against  me  by  the  Criminal  Court  of  Kankakee. 

But  the  bishop  and  Peter  Spink  were  again  to  be  disappointed ; 
for  the  verdict  of  the  court,  given  on  the  13th  of  November, 
1855,  was  again  in  my  favor. 

My  heart  filled  with  joy  at  this  new  and  great  victory  my  God 
had  given  me  against  my  merciless  persecutors.  I  was  blessing 
him,  when  m)"-  two  lawyers,  Messrs.  Osgood  and  Paddock,  came 
to  me  and  said:  "  Our  victory,  though  great,  is  not  so  decisive  as 
was  expected ;  for  Mr.  Spink  has  just  taken  an  oath  that  he  has 
no  confidence  in  this  Kankakee  Court,  and  he  has  appealed, by  a 
change  of  venue,  to  the  Court  of  Urbana,  in  Champaign  County. 
We  are  sorry  to  have  to  tell  you  that  you  must  remain  a  pris- 
oner, under  bail,  iu  the  hands  of  ihe  sheriff,  who  is  bound  to  de- 
liver you  to  the  sheriff  of  Urbana,  the  19th  of  May,  next  spring." 

I  nearly  fainted  when  I  heard  this.  The  ignominy  of  being 
again  in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff,  for  so  long  a  time;  the  enor- 
mous expenses,  far  beyond  my  means,  to  bring  my  fifteen  to 
twenty  witnesses  such  a  '  ^nf_  distance  of  nearly  one  hundred 
miles;  the  new  ocean  of  '..suits,  false  accusation^  and  perjuries, 
with  which  my  enemies  were  to  overwhelm  me  again ;  and  the 
new  risk  of  being  condemned,  though  innocent,  at  that  distant 


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624 


FIFTY    YEXRS    in    THR    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


IV:^. 


court ;  all  those  things  crowded  themselves  in  my  mind,  to  crush 
me.  For  a  few  minutes,  I  was  obliged  to  sit  down ;  for  I  would 
have,  surely,  fallen  down,  had  I  continued  to  stand  on  my  feet. 
A  kind  friend  had  to  bring  me  some  cold  water,  and  bathe  my 
forehead,  to  prevent  me  from  fainting.  It  seemed  that  God  had 
forsaken  me,  for  the  time  being,  and  that  He  was  to  let  me  fall 
powerless  in  the  hand  of  my  foes.  But  I  was  mistaken.  That 
merciful  God  was  near  me,  in  that  dark  hour,  to  give  me  one  of 
the  marvelous  proofs  of  his  paternal  and  loving  care. 

The  very  moment  I  was  leaving  the  court  with  a  heavy 
heart,  a  gentleman,  a  stranger,  came  to  me  and  said :  "  I  have 
followed  your  suit  from  the  beginning.  It  is  more  formidable 
than  you  suspect.  Your  prosecutor,  Spink,  is  only  an  instrument 
in  the  hands  of  the  bishop.  The  real  prosecutor  is  the  land 
shark  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  diocese,  and  who  is  destroying 
our  holy  religion  by  his  private  and  public  scandals.  As  you 
are  the  only  one  among  his  priests  who  dares  to  resist  him,  he  is 
determined  to  get  rid  of  you:  he  will  spend  all  his  treasures, 
and  use  the  almost  irresistible  influence  of  his  position  to  crush 
you.  The  misfortune  for  you  is  that,  when  yoii  fight  a  bishop 
you  fight  all  the  bishops  of  the  world.  They  will  unite  all  their 
wealth  and  influence  to  Bishop  O'Regan's,  to  silence  you,  though 
they  hate  and  despise  him.  There  was  no  danger  of  any  verdict 
against  you,  in  this  part  of  Illinois,  where  you  are  too  well  known 
for  the  perjured  witnesses  they  have  brought  to  influence  your 
judges.  But,  when  you  are  among  strangers,  mind  what  I  tell 
you:  the  false  oaths  of  your  enemies  may  be  accepted  as  gospel 
truths  by  the  jury,  and  then,  though  innocent,  you  are  lost. 
Though  your  two  lawyers  are  expert  men,  you  will  want  some- 
thing better,  at  Urbana.  Try  to  secure  the  services  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  of  Springfield.  If  that  man  defends  you,  you  will 
surely  come  out  victorious  from  that  deadly  conflict!" 

"  I  answered :  "  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  sympa- 
thetic words;  but  would  you  please  allow  me  to  ask  your  name?" 

"  Be  kind  enough  to  let  me  keep  my  incognito,  here,"  he 
answered.  "  The  only  thing  I  can  say  is,  that  I  am  a  Catholic 
like  you,  and    one  who,  like  you,  cannot  bear  any  longer  the 


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PUBLIC    ACTS   OF   SIMONY. 


625 


tyranny  of  our  American  bishops.  With  many  others,  I  look  to 
you  as  our  deliverer,  and  for  that  reason  I  advise  you  to  engage 
the  services  of  Abraham  Lincoln.'* 

«*  But,"  I  replied,  «  who  is  that  Abraham  Lincoln  ?  I  never 
heard  of  that  man  before.'* 

He  replied:  Abraham  Lincoln  is  the  best  lawyer  and  the 
most  honest  man  we  have  in  Illinois." 

I  went,  immediately,  with  that  stranger,  to  my  two  lawyers, 
who  were  in  consultation  only  a  few  steps  from  us,  and  asked 
them  if  they  would  have  any  objection  that  I  should  ask  the 
services  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  to  help  them  to  defend  me  at 
Urbana. 

They  both  answered:  "  Oh!  if  you  can  secure  the  services  of 
Abraham  Lincoln ;  by  all  means  do  it.  We  know  him  well ;  he 
is  one  of  the  best  lawyers,  and  one  of  the  most  honest  men  we 
have  in  our  State." 

Without  losing  a  minute,  I  went  to  the  telegraph  office  with 
that  stranger,  and  telegraphed  to  Abraham  Lincoln  to  ask  him 
if  he  would  defend  my  honor  and  my  life  (though  I  was  a 
stranger  to  him)  at  the  ne^t  May  term  of  the  court  at  Urbana. 

About  twenty  minutes  later,  I  received  the  answer : 

"  Yes,  I  will  defend  your  honor  and  your  life  at  the  next  May  term  at 
Urbana.  Abraham  Lincoln." 

My  unknown  friend  then  paid  the  operator,  pressed  my  hand, 
and  said:  "May  God  bless  and  help  you.  Father  Chiniquy. 
Continue  to  fight  fearlessly  for  truth  and  righteousness,  against 
our  mitred  tyrants;  and  God  will  help  you  to  the  end."  He 
then  took  a  train  for  the  north;  and  soon  disappeared,  as  a  vision 
from  heaven.  I  have  not  seen  him  since,  though  I  have  not  let 
a  day  pass  without  asking  my  God  to  bless  him.  A  few  minutes 
later,  Spink  came  to  t'  office,  to  telegraph  to  Lincoln,  asking 
liis  services  at  the  next  ^»iay  term  of  the  Court,  at  Urbana.  But 
it  was  too  late. 

Before  being  dragged  to  Urbana,  I  had  to  renew,  at  Eastei, 
1856,  the  oil  which  is  used  for  the  sick,  in  the  ceremony  which 
the  Church  of  Rome  calls  the  Sacrament  of  Extreme  Unction, 
and  in  the  Baptism  of  Children.     I  sent  my  little  silver  box  to 


626 


FIFTY    YBARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  bishop  by  a  respectable  young  merchant  of  my  colony,  called 
Dorion.  But  he  brought  it  back  without  a  drop  of  oil,  with  a 
most  abusive  letter  from  the  Bishop,  because  I  had  not  sent  five 
dollars  to  pay  for  the  oil.  It  was  just  what  I  expected.  I  knew 
that  it  was  his  habit  to  make  his  priests  pay  five  dollars  for  that 
oil,  which  was  not  vvorth  more  than  two  or  three  cents. 

This  act  of  my  bishop  was  one  of  the  many  evident  cases  of 
simony  of  which  he  was  guilty  every  day.     I   took  his  letter, 
with  my  small  silver  box,  to  the  Archbishop  of  St.  Louis,  my 
Lord  Kenrick,  before  whom  I  brought  my  complaints  against 
the  Bishop  of  Chicago,  on  the  9th  April,  1856.     That  high  dig- 
nitary  told  me  that  many  priests  of  the  diocese  of  Chicago  had 
already  brought  the  sain:*  complaints  before  him,  and  exposed 
the  infamous  conduct  of  their  bishop.     He  agreed  with  me  that 
the  rapacity  of  Bishop  O'Regan,  his  thefts,  his  lies,  his  acts  of 
simony,  were  public  and  intolerable,  but  that  he  had  no  remedy 
for  them,  and  said :  "  The  only  thing  I  advise  you  to  do  is  to 
write  to  the  Pope  directly.      Prove  your  charges  against  that 
guilty  bishop  as  clearly  as  possible.     I  will  myself  write  to  cor- 
roborate all  you  have  told  me;  for  I  know  it  is  true.     My  hope 
is  that  yr  ir  complaints  will  attract  the  attention  of  the  Pope. 
He  will,  2>robably,  send  some  one  from   Rome  to  make  an  in- 
quiry, and  then  that  wicked   man  will  be  forced  to  offer  his 
resignation.     If  you  succeed,  as  I  hope,  in  your  praiseworthy 
efforts  to  put  an  end  to  such  scandals,  you  will  have  well  deserved 
the  gratitude  of  the  whole  church.    For  that  unprincipled  digni- 
tary is  the  cause  that  our  holy  religion  is  not  only  losing  her 
prestige  in  the  United  States,  but  is  becoming  an  object  of  con- 
tempt wherever  those  public  crimes  are  known.'* 

I  was,  however,  forced  to  postpone  my  writing  to  the  Pope. 
For,  a  few  days  after  my  return  from  St.  Louis  to  my  colony,  I 
had  to  deliver  myself  again  into  the  hands  of  the  Sheriff  of 
Kankakee,  who  was  obliged  by  Spink  to  take  me  prisoner,  and 
deliver  me  as  a  criminal  into  the  hands  of  the  Sheriff  of  Cham- 
paign County,  on  the  19th  of  May,  1856. 

It  was  then  that  I  met  Mr.  Abraham  Lim  oln  for  the  first 
time.     He  was  a  giant  in  stature;  but  I  found  him  still  more  a 


PUBLIC    ACTS   OF   SIMONY. 


627* 


giant  in  the  noble  qualities  of  his  mind  and  heart.  It  was  im- 
possible to  converse  five  minutes  with  him  without  loving  him. 
There  was  such  an  expression  of  kindness  and  honesty  in  that 
face,  and  such  an  attractive  magnetism  in  the  man ;  that,  after  a 
few  moments'  conversation,  one  felt  as  tied  to  him  by  all  the 
noblest  affections  of  the  heart. 

When  pressing  my  hand,  he  told  me:  "You  were  mistaken 
when  you  telegraphed  that  you  were  unknown  to  me.  I  know 
you,  by  reputation,  as  the  stern  opponent  of  the  tyranny  of  your 
bishop,  and  the  fearless  protector  of  your  countrymen'in  Illinois; 
I  have  heard  much  of  you  from  two  priests;  and,  last  night, 
your  lawyers,  Messrs.  Osgood  &  Paddock  have  acquainted  me 
with  the  fact  that  your  bishop  employs  some  of  his  tools  to  get 
rid  of  you.  I  hope  it  will  be  an  easy  thing  to  defeat  his  pro- 
jects, and  protect  you  against  his  machinations." 

He  then  asked  me  how  I  had  been  induced  to  desire  his 
services.  I  answered  by  giving  him  the  stor^'  of  that  unknown 
friend  who  had  advised  me  to  have  Mr.  Abraham  Lincoln  for 
one  of  my  lawyers,  for  the  reason  that  "  he  was  the  best  lawyer 
and  the  most  honest  man  in  Illinois."  He  smiled  at  my  answer, 
with  that  inimitable  and  unique  smile,  which  we  may  call  the 
"  Lincoln  smile,"  and  replied :  "  That  unknown  friend  would 
surely  have  been  more  correct,  had  he  told  you  that  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  the  ugliest  lawyer  of  the  country ! "  and  he  laughed 
outright. 

I  spent  six  long  days  at  Urbana  as  a  criminal,  in  the  hands  of 
the  sheriff,  at  the  feet  of  my  judges.  During  the  greatest  part 
of  that  time,  all  that  human  language  can  express  of  abuse  and 
insult  was  heaped  on  my  poor  head.  God  only  knows  what  I 
suffered  in  those  days ;  but  I  was  providentially  surrounded,  as 
by  a  strong  wall,  when  I  had  Abraham  Lincoln  for  my 
defence.  "  The  best  lawyer  and  the  most  honest  man  of  * 
Illinois,"  and  the  learned  and  upright  David  Davis  for  my 
judge.  The  latter  became  Vice-President  of  the  United  States 
in  1882;  and  the  former  its  most  honored  President  from  1861 
to  1865. 

I  never  heard  anything  like  the  eloquence  of  Abraham  Liii- 


li 


628 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


coin,  when  he  demolished  the  testimonies  of  the  two  perjured 
priests,  Lebel  and  Carthevel,  who,  with  ten  or  twelve  other 
false  witnesses,  had  sworn  against  me.  I  would  have  surely 
been  declared  innocent,  after  that  eloquent  address,  and  the 
charge  of  the  learned  Judge  Davis,  had  not  my  lawyers,  by  a 
sad  blunder,  left  a  Roman  Catholic  on  the  jury.  Of  course, 
that  Irish  Roman  Catholic  wanted  to  condemn  me,  when  the 
eleven  honest  and  intelligent  Protestants  were  unanimous  in 
voting  "  Net  guilty."  The  court,  having  at  last  found  that  it 
was  impossible  to  persuade  the  jury  to  give  a  unanimous  verdict, 
discharged  them.  But  Spink  again  forced  the  sheriff  to  keep 
me  prisoner, by  obtaining  from  the  court  the  permission  to  begin 
the  prosecution  de  novo  at  the  term  of  the  fall,  the  19th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1856. 

Humanly  speaking,  I  would  have  been  one  of  the  most 
miserable  of  men,  had  I  not  had  my  dear  bible,  which  I  was 
meditating  and  studying  day  and  night,  in  those  dark  days  of 
trial. 

But,  though  I  was  then  still  in  the  desolate  wilderness, 
far  away  yet  from  the  Promised  Land,  my  heavenly  Father 
ntver  forsook  me.  He  niany  times  let  the  sweet  manna  fall 
from  heaven  to  feed  my  desponding  soul,  and  cheer  my  fainting 
heart.  More  than  once,  when  I  was  panting  with  spiritual 
thirst.  He  brought  me  near  the  Rock,  from  the  side  of  which 
the  living  waters  were  gushing  to  refresh  and  renew  my 
strength  and  courage. 

Though  the  world  did  not  suspect  it,  I  knew,  from  the  be- 
ginnmg,  that  all  my  tribulations  were  coming  from  my  uncon- 
querable attachment  and  my  unfaltering  love  and  respect  for 
the  bible,  as  the  root  and  source  of  every  truth  given  by  God  to 
man;  and  I  felt  assured  that  my  God  knew  it  also; — that  assur- 
ance supported  my  courage  in  the  conflict.  Every  day,  my 
bible  was  becoming  dearer  to  me.  I  was  then  constantly  trying 
to  walk  IP  its  marvellous  light  and  divine  teaching.  I  wanted 
to  learn  mj'  duties  and  rights.  I  like  to  acknowledge  that  it 
was  the  bible  which  gave  me  the  power  and  wisdom  I  then  so 
much  needed,  to  fearlessly  face  so  many  foes.     That  power  and 


isii 


(E. 


PUBLIC    ACTS   OF    SIMONY. 


629 


two  perjured 
twelve  other 
I  have  surely 
ress,  and    the 
lawyers,  by  a 
.     Of  course, 
me,  when  the 
unanimous  in 
found  that  it 
limous  verdict, 
sheriff  to  keep 
lission  to  begin 
»  19th  of  Octo- 

e  of  the  most 
;,  which  I  was 
ie  dark  days  of 

►late  wilderness, 
leavenly  Father 
veet  manna  fall 
leer  my  fainting 
T  with  spiritual 
le  side  of  which 
and  renew  my 

iw,  from  the  be- 
:rom  my  uncor- 
and  respect  for 
iven  by  God  to 
flso; — ^that  assur- 
Every  day,  my 
;onstantly  trying 
ling.     I  wanted 
lOwledge  that  it 
isdom  I  then  so 
That  power  and 


wisdom,  I  felt  were  not  mine.  On  this  very  account,  my  dear 
bible  enabled  me  to  remain  calm  in  the  very  lion's  den ;  and  it 
gave  me,  from  the  very  beginning  of  that  terrible  conflict,  the 
assurance  of  a  final  victory ;  for  every  time  1  bathed  my  soul  in 
its  divine  light,  I  heard  my  merciful  heavenly  Father's  voice, 
saying,  "  Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  thee." 


Chapter  LVII. 


BISHOP  O'BBOAN  SELLS  THB  PABSONAaS  OF  THB  FBEKCH 
OANABLANS  OF  OHIOAGO,  POCKETS  THB  MONET,  AND 
TTTBNS  THEM  OT7T  WHEN  THET  COMB  TO  OOMPLAIN-HB 
DETEBMINES  TO  TT7BN  ME  OUT  OF  MT  COIiONT  AND  SENS 
ME  TO  KAHOKIA-HB  FOBGETS  XT  THB  NEXT  DAT,  AND 
PUBLISHES  THAT  HE  HAS  INTEBDIOTED  ME-MT  PEOPLE 
SEND  A  DEPUTATION  TO  THE  BISHOP-HIS  ANSWEBS-THB 
SHAM  EXCOMMUNICATION  BT  THBEE  DBUNKBN  PBIESTS. 


THE  Holy  Scriptures  say  that  an  abyss  calls  for  another  abyss 
(abyssus  abyssum  invocat^.  That  axiom  had  its  accom- 
plishment in  the  conduct  of  Bishop  O'Regan.  When  once  on 
the  declivity  of  iniquity,  he  descended  to  its  lowest  depths,  with 
more  rapidity  than  a  stone  thrown  into  the  sea.  Not  satisfied 
with  the  shameful  theft,  of  the  rich  vestments  of  the  French 
Canadian  Church  of  Chicago,  he  planned  iniquity,  which  was  to 
bring  upon  him,  more  than  ever,  the  execration  of  the  Roman 
Catholics  of  Illinois.  It  was  nothing  less  than  the  complete 
destruction  of  the  thriving  congregations  of  my  French  Cana- 
dian countrymen  of  Chicago  and  St.  Anne.  The  removal  of 
the  French-speaking  priest  of  Chicago,  from  his  people,  as  well 
as  my  removal  from  my  colony,  were  determined. 

Our  churches  were,  at  first,  to  be  closed,  and  after  some  time, 
sold  to  the  Irish  people,  or  to  the  highest  bidder,  for  their  own 
use.     It  was  in  Chicago  that  this  great  iniquity  was  to  begin. 

Not  long  after  Easter,  1856,  the  Rev.  Mons.  Lemaire  was 
turned  out,  interdicted,  and  ignominiously  driven  from  the  dio- 
cese of  Chicago,  without  even  giving  the  shadow  of  a  reason, 
and  the  French  Canadians  suddenly  found  themselves  without  a 
pastor. 

A  few  days  after,  the  parsonage  they  had  built  for  their 

6.V 


fimifmmmmmmm 


mm 


mn 


BISHOP   O^RE&AN. 


631 


lad  built  for  their 


priest  in  Clark  street,  was  sold  for  $1,200  to  an  American.  The 
beautiful  little  church  which  they  had  built  on  the  lot  next 
to  the  parsonage,  at  the  cost  of  so  many  sacrifices,  was  re- 
moved five  or  six  blocks  south-west,  and  rented  by  the  bisliop  to 
the  Irish  Catholics  for  about  $2,000  per  annum,  and  the  whole 
money  was  pocketed,  without  even  a  word  of  notice  to  my  coun- 
trymen. 

Though  accustomed  to  his  acts  of  perfidy,  I  could  not 
believe,  at  first,  the  rumors  which  reached  me  of  those  transac- 
tions! They  seemed  to  be  beyond  the  limits  of  infamy,  and  to  be 
impossible.  I  went  to  Chicago,  hoping  to  find  that  the  public 
rumor  had  exaggerated  the  evil.  But  alas!  nothing  had  been 
exaggerated ! 

The  wolf  had  dispersed  the  sheep,  and  destroyed  the  flock. 
The  once  thriving  French  congregation  of  Chicago  wa?  no 
more!  Wherever  I  went,  I  saw  tears  of  distress  among  my 
dear  countrymen;  and  heard  cries  of  indignation  against  the  des- 
troyer. Young  and  old,  rich  and  poor  among  them,  with  one 
voice,  denounced  and  cursed  the  heartless  mitred  brigand,  who 
had  dared  to  commit  publicly,  such  a  series  of  iniquities,  to  satisfy 
his  thirst  for  gold,  and  his  hatred  of  the  French  Canadians. 

They  asked  me  what  they  should  do :  but  what  could  I  ans- 
wer! They  requested  me  to  go  again  to  him  and  remonstrate. 
But  I  showed  them  that  after  my  complete  failure,  when  I  had 
tried  to  get  back  the  sacerdotal  vestments,  there  was  no  hope 
that  he  would  disgorge  the  house  and  the  church.  The  only 
thing  I  could  advise  them  was  to  select  five  or  six  of  the  most 
influential  members  of  their  congregation  to  go  and  respectfully 
ask  him  by  what  right  he  had  taken  away,  not  only  their  priest, 
but  the  parsonage  and  the  church  they  had  built,  and  transferred 
them  to  another  people.  They  followed  my  advice.  Messrs. 
Franchere  and  Roffinot  (who  are  still  living)  and  six  other  re- 
spectable French  Canadians,  were  sent  by  the  whole  people,  to 
|ijt  those  questions  to  their  bishop.     He  answered  them : 

"French  Canadians!  you  do  not  know  your  religion!  Were 
you  a  little  better  acquainted  with  it,  you  would  know  that  I 
have  the  right  to   sell   your  churches   and   church   properties, 


63a 


FIFTY    YBitRS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


pocket  the  money,  and  go,  eat  and  drink  it  where  I  please.'* 

After  that  answer  they  were  ignominiously  turned  out  from 
his  presence  into  the  street.  Posterity  will  scarcely  believe  those 
things,  though  they  are  true. 

The  very  next  day,  Aug.  19th,  1856,  the  bishop  having 
heard  that  I  was  in  Chicago,  sent  for  me.  I  met  him  after  his 
dinner.  Though  not  absolutely  drunk,  I  found  him  full  of  wine 
and  terribly  excited. 

"  Mr.  Chiniquy,"  he  said,  "  you  had  promised  me  to  make 
use  of  your  influence  to  put  an  end  to  the  rebellious  conduct  of 
your  countrymen  against  me.  But  I  find  that  they  are  more  in- 
solent and  unmanageable  than  ever;  and  my  firm  belief  is  that  it 
is  your  fault.  You,  and  the  handful  of  French  Canadians  of 
Chicago,  give  me  more  trouble  than  all  the  rest  of  my  priests, 
and  my  people  of  Illinois.  You  are  too  near  Chicago,  sir,  your 
Influence  is  too  much  felt  on  your  people  here.  I  must  remove 
you  to  a  distant  place,  where  you  will  have  enough  to  do  without 
meddling  in  my  administration.  I  want  your  service  to  Kahokia, 
in  my  diocese  of  Quincy;  and  if  you  are  not  there  by  the  15th 
of  Sept.  next,  I  will  interdict  and  excommunicate  vou,  and  for- 
ever put  an  end  to  your  intrigues." 

These  words  fell  upon  me  as  a  thunderbolt.  The  tyranny  of  the 
bishop  of  my  church,  and  the  absolute  degradation  of  the  priest 
whose  honor,  position  and  life  are  entirely  in  his  hands,  had 
never  been  revealed  to  me  so  vividly  as  in  that  hour.  What 
could  I  say  or  do  to  appease  that  mitred  despot  ?  After  some 
moments  of  silence,  I  tried  to  make  some  respectful  remonstran- 
ces, by  telling  him  that  my  position  was  an  exceptional  one ;  that 
I  had  not  come  to  Illinois  as  his  other  priests,  to  be  at  the  head 
of  any  existing  congregation.  But  that  I  had  been  invited  by 
his  predecessor,  to  direct  the  tide  of  the  emigration  of  the 
French-speaking  people  of  Europe  and  America.  That  I  had 
come  to  a  wilderness  which,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  I  had 
changed  into  a  thriving  country,  covered  with  an  industrious  and 
religious  people.  I  further  told  him,  that  I  had  left  the  most 
honorable  position  which  a  priest  had  ever  held  in  Canada,  with 
the  promise  from  his  predecessor  that,  as  long  as  I  lived  the  life 


m 


BISHOP  O^RBOAN. 


633 


of  a  good  priest,  I  should  not  be  disturbed  in  my  work.  As  I 
soon  perceived  that  he  was  too  much  under  the  influence  of 
liquor  to  understand  me,  and  speak  with  intelligence,  I  only 
added : 

"  My  lord,  you  speak  of  interdict  and  excommunication  I 
Allow  me  to  respectfully  tell  you,  that  if  you  can  show  mc  that 
I  have  done  anything  to  deserve  to  be  interdicted  or  excommu- 
nicated, I  will  submit  in  silence  to  your  sentence.  But  before 
you  pass  that  sentence,  I  ask  you  in  the  name  of  God,  to  muke  a 
public  inquest  about  me,  and  have  my  accusers  confront  me.  I 
warn  your  lordship,  that  if  you  interdict  or  excommunicate  me 
without  holding  an  inquest,  I  will  make  use  of  all  the  means 
which  our  holy  church  puts  in  the  hands  of  her  priests,  to  defend 
my  honor  and  prove  my  innocence;  I  will  also  appeal  to  the  laws 
of  our  great  Republic,  which  protects  the  character  of  all  her 
citizens  against  any  one  who  slanders  them.  It  will,  then,  be  at 
your  risk  and  peril  that  you  will  pass  such  a  sentence  against  me." 

My  calm  answer  greatly  excited  his  rage.  He  violently 
struck  the  table  with  his  Bst,  and  said : 

"  I  do  not  care  a  straw  about  your  threats.  T  repeat  it,  Mr. 
Chiniquy,  if  you  are  not  at  Kahokia  by  the  15th  of  next  month, 
I  will  interdict  and  excommunicate  you." 

Feeling  that  it  was  a  folly  on  my  part  to  argue  with  a  man 
who  was  beside  himself  by  passion  and  excess  of  wine,  I  replied : 

"  With  the  help  of  God,  I  will  never  bear  the  infamy  of  an 
interdict  or  excommunication.  I  will  do  all  that  religion  and 
honor  will  allow  me  to  prevent  such  a  dark  spot  from  defiling 
my  name,  and  the  man  who  does  try  it,  will  learn  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, that  I  am  not  only  a  priest  of  Christ,  but  also  an  American 
citizen.  I  respectfully  tell  your  lordship  that  I  neither  smoke, 
nor  use  intoxicating  drinks.  The  time  which  your  other  priests 
give  to  those  habits,  I  spend  in  the  study  of  books,  and  especially 
of  my  Bible.  I  found  in  them,  not  only  my  duties,  but  my 
rights ;  and  just  as  I  am  determined,  with  the  help  of  God,  to 
perform  my  duties,  I  will  stand  by  my  rights." 

I  then  immediately  left  the  room  to  take  the  train  to  St. 
Anne. 


3PPS3»r¥P 


634 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


Having  spent  a  part  of  the  night,  praying  God  to  change  the 
heart  of  my  bishop,  and  keep  me  in  the  midst  of  my  people, 
which  were  becoming  dearer  and  dearer  to  me,  in  proportion  to 
the  efforts  of.  the  enemy  to  drive  me  away  from  them,  I  ad- 
dressed the  following  letter  to  the  bishop : 

To  the  Rt.  Rev.  O'Rboan,  Bishop  of  Chicago. 

My  Lord: — The  more  I  consider  ^our  design  to  turn  me  out  of  the  col- 
ony whicli  I  have  founded,  a.id  of  which  I  am  the  pastor ;  the  more  I  believe  it 
a  duty  which  I  owe  to  myself,  my  friends  and  to  my  countrymen,  to  protest 
ISefore  God  and  man  against  what  you  intend  to  do. 

Not  a  single  one  of  your  priests  stands  higher  than  I  do  in  the  public 
mind,  neither  is  more  loved  and  respected  by  his  people  than  I  am.  I  defy 
my  bitterest  enemies  to  prove  the  contrary.  And  that  character  which  is 
my  most  precious  treasure  you  intend  to  des^xiil  me  of  by  ignominiously 
sending  me  away  from  among  my  people!  Certainly,  I  have  enemies,  and 
I  am  proud  of  it.  The  chief  ones  are  well  known  in  this  country  as  the 
most  depraved  of  men.  The  cordial  reception  they  say  they  have  received 
from  you,  has  not  tiiken  away  the  stains  they  have  on  their  foreheads. 

By  this  letter,  I  again  request  you  to  make  a  public  and  most  minute  in- 
quest into  my  conduct.  My  conscience  tells  me  that  nothing  can  be  found 
against  me.  Such  a  public  and  fair  dealing  with  me  would  confound  my 
accusers.  But  I  speak  of  accusers,  when  I  do  not  really  know  if  I  have 
any.  Where  are  they?  What  are  their  names?  Of  what  sin  do  they 
accuse  me?  All  these  questions  which  I  put  to  you,  last  Tuesday,  were  left 
unanswered  I  and  would  to  God  that  you  would  answer  them  to-day,  by  giv- 
ing me  their  names.  I  am  ready  to  meet  them  before  any  tribunal.  Be- 
fore you  strike  the  last  blow  on  the  victim  of  the  most  hellish  plot,  I  request 
you,  in  the  name  of  God,  to  give  a  moment's  attention  to  the  following  con- 
sequences of  my  removal  from  this  place  at  present. 

You  know  I  have  a  suit  with  Mr.  Spink  at  the  Urbana  Court,  for 
the  beginning  of  October.  My  lawyers  and  witnesses  are  ull  in  Kankakee, 
and  Iroquois  counties ;  and  in  the  very  time  I  want  most  to  be  here  to 
prove  my  innocence  and  guard  my  honor,  you  order  me  to  go  to  a  place 
more  than  300  miles  distant!  Did  you  ever  realize  that  by  that  strange  con- 
duct, you  help  Spink  against  your  own  priest?  When  at  Kahokia,  I  will 
have  to  bear  the  heavy  expenses  of  traveling  more  than  300  miles,  many 
times,  to  consult  my  friends,  or,  be  deprived  of  their  valuable  help !  Is  it  pos- 
sible that  you  thus  try  to  tie  my  hands  and  feet,  and  deliver  me  into  the 
hands  of  my  remorseless  enemies?  Since  the  beginning  of  that  suit,  Mr. 
Spink  proclaims  that  you  help  him,  and  that,  with  the  perjured  priests,  you 
have  promised  to  do  all  in  your  power  to  crush  me  down  I  For  the  sake  of 
the  sacred  character  you  bear,  do  not  show  so  publicly  that  Mr.  Spink's  boast- 
ings are  true.    For  the  sake  oi  your  high  position  in  the  church,  do  not  so 


'^wm 


'■I'*' 


BISHOP  O'HEGAN. 


635 


publicly  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  heartless  land  speculator  of  L'Erable. 
}Ie  has  already  betrayed  his  Protestant  friends  to  get  a  wife;  he  will,  ere 
long,  betray  you  for  less.  Let  me  then  live  in  peace  here,  till  that  suit  is 
over. 

By  turning  me  away  from  my  settlement,  you  destroy  it.  More  than 
nine-tenths  of  the  emigrants  come  here  to  live  near  me;  by  striking  me  you 
strike  them  all. 

Where  will  you  find  a  priest  who  will  love  that  people  so  much  as  to 
give  them,  every  year,  from  one  to  two  thousand  dollars,  as  I  have  invariably 
done.  It  is  at  the  price  of  those  sacrifices  that,  with  the  poorest  class  of  emi- 
grants from  Canada,  I  have  founded,  here,  in  four  years,  a  scttlsmcnt  which 
cannot  be  surpassed,  or  even  equaled,  in  the  United  States,  for  its  progress. 
And  now  that  I  have  spent  my  last  cent  to  form  this  colony,  you  turn  me  out 
of  it.  Our  college  where  150  boys  are  receiving  such  a  good  education,  will 
be  closed,  the  very  day  I  leave.  For,  you  know  very  well  the  teachers  I  got 
from  Montreal  will  leave  as  soon  as  I  will. 

Ah!  if  you  are  merciless  towards  the  priest  of  St.  Anne,  have  pity  on 
these  poor  children.  I  would  rather  be  condemned  to  death  than  to  see 
them  destroy  their  intelligence  by  running  in  the  streets.  Let  me  then 
finisli  my  work  here,  and  give  me  time  to  strengthen  these  young  institu- 
tions which  would  fall  to  the  ground  with  me. 

If  you  turn  me  out  or  interdict  me,  as  you  say  you  will  do,  if  I  diso- 
bey your  orders,  my  enemies  will  proclaim  that  you  treat  me  with  that 
rigor  because  you  have  found  me  guilty  of  some  great  iniquity ;  and  this 
necessarily  will  prejudice  my  judges  against  me.  They  will  consider  me  as 
a  vile  criminal.  For,  who  will  suppose,  in  this  free  country,  that  there  is  a 
class  of  men  who  can  judge  a  man  and  condemn  him  as  our  Bishop  of 
Chicago  is  doing  to-day,  wi^'hout  giving  him  the  names  of  his  accusers,  or 
telling  him  of  what  crimes   .e  is  accused. 

In  the  name  of  God,  I  again  ask  you  not  to  force  me  to  leave  my 
colony  before  I  prove  my  innocence,  and  the  iniquity  of  Spink,  to  the  honest 
people  of  Urbana. 

But,  if  you  are  deaf  to  my  prayers;  and  if  nothing  can  deter  you  from 
your  resolution,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  in  the  unenviable  position  of  an  interdicted 
priest  among  my  countrymen ;  send  me,  by  return  mail,  my  letters  of  mis- 
sion for  the  new  places  you  intend  trusting  to  my  care.  The  sooner  I  get 
there,  the  better  for  me  and  my  people.  I  am  ready !  When  on  the  road 
of  exile,  I  will  pray  the  God  of  Abraham  to  give  me  the  fortitude  and  the 
faith  he  gave  to  Isaac,  when  laying  his  head  on  the  altar,  he  willingly 
presented  his  throat  to  the  sword.  I  will  pray  my  Saviour,  bearing  his 
heavy  cross  to  the  top  of  Calvary,  to  direct  and  help  my  steps  towards  the 
land  of  exile  you  have  prepared  for  your 

Devoted  Priest, 

C.  CHINIQUY. 


•'«':il 


636 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


This  letter  was  not  yet  mailed  when  we  heard  that  the  drun- 
kard priests  around  us  were  publishing  that  the  bishop  had  inter- 
dicted me,  and  they  had  received  orders  from  him  to  take  charge 
of  the  colony  of  St.  Anne.  I  immediately  called  a  meeting  of 
the  whole  people  and  told  them :  "  The  bishop  has  not  interdic- 
ted me  as  the  neighboring  priests  publish,  he  has  only  threat- 
ened to  do  so,  if  I  do  not  leave  this  place  for  Kahf>kia,  by  the 
15th  of  next  iTionth.  But  though  he  has  not  interdicted  me,  it 
may  be  that  he  does  to-day,  falsely  publish  that  he  has  done  it. 
We  can  expect  anything  from  the  destroyer  of  the  fine  congre- 
gation of  the  French  Canadians  of  Chicago,  He  wants  to  des- 
troy me  and  you  as  he  has  destroyed  them.  But  before  i:e 
immolates  us,  I  hope  that,  with  the  help  of  God,  we  will  fight 
as  Christian  soldiers,  for  our  life,  and  we  will  use  all  the  means 
which  the  Ijaws  of  our  church,  the  Holy  Word  of  God  and  the 
glorious  Constitution  of  the  United  States  allow  us  to  employ 
against  our  merciless  tyrant. 

"  I  ask  you,  as  a  favor,  to  send  a  deputation  of  four  members 
of  our  colony  in  whom  you  place  the  most  implicit  confidence, 
to  carry  this  letter  to  the  bishop.  But  before  delivering  it,  they 
will  put  to  him  the  following  questions,  the  answers  of  which, 
they  will  write  down  with  great  care  in  his  presence,  and  deliver 
them  to  Vi  faithfully.  It  is  evident  that  we  are  now  entering 
into  a  mcmentous  struggle.  We  must  act  with  prudence  and 
firmness.  Messrs.  J.  B.  Lemoine,  Licon  Mailloux,  Francis 
Bechard  and  B.  Allaire,  having  been  unanimously  chosen  for 
that  important  mission,  we  gave  them  the  following  questions  to 
put  to  the  bishop: 

1st.     "  Have  you  interdicted  Mr.  Chiniquy? 

2nd.  "  Why  have  you  interdicted  him?  Is  Mr.  Chiniquy  guilty  of  any 
crime  to  deserve  to  be  interdicted.'  Have  those  crimes  been  proved  against 
him  in  a  canonical  way? 

3rd.     "  Why  do  you  take  Mr.  Chiniquy  away  from  us  ? 

[Our  deputies  came  back  from  Chicago,  with  the  following  report  and 
answers,  which  they  swore  to,  some  time  after  before  the  Kankakee  court.] 

1st.  "  I  have  suspended  Mr.  Chiniquy  on  the  lyth  inst,  on  account  of  his 
stubbornness  and  want  of  submission  to  my  orders,  when  I  ordered  liim 
to  Kahokia. 

2nd.     "  If  Mr.  Chiniquy  has  said  mass  since,  as  you  say,  he  is  irregular 


BISHOP   O  REGAN. 


637 


say,  he  is  irregular 


and  the  Pope  alone  can  restore  him  in  his  ecclesiastical  and  sacerdotal 
functions. 

3rd.  "  I  take  him  away  from  St.  Anne,  despite  his  prayers  and  yours,  be- 
cause he  has  not  been  willing  to  live  in  peace  and  friendship  with  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Lebel  and  Cartevel. 

[The  bishop,  being  asked  if  those  two  priests  had  not  been  interdicted  by 
him  for  public  scandals,  was  forced  to  say:  "  Yes!  "] 

4th.  "  My  second  reason  for  taking  Mr.  Chiniquy  from  St.  Anne,  and 
sending  him  to  his  new  mission,  is  to  stop  the  law-suit  Mr.  Spink  has  institu 
ted  against  him. 

[The  bishop  being  asked  if  he  would  promise  that  the  suit  would  be 
stopped  by  the  removal  of  Mr.  Chiniquy,  answered:  "I  cannot  promise 
that."] 

5th.  "  Mr.  Chiniquy  is  one  of  the  best  priests  in  my  diocese,  and  I  do  not 
want  to  deprive  myself  of  his  services,  no  accusation  against  his  morality 
has  been  proved  before  me. 

6th.  •'  Mr.  Chiniquy  has  demanded  an  inquest  to  prove  his  innocence 
against  certain  accusations  made  against  him ;  he  asked  me  the  names  of  his 
accusers,  to  confound  them;  I  have  refused  to  grant  his  request. 

[After  the  bishop  had  made  those  declarations,  the  deputation  presented 
him  the  letter  of  Mr.  Chiniquy ;  it  evidently  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
him.      As  soon  as  he  had  read  it,  he  said :] 

7th.  "  Tell  Mr.  Chiniquy  to  come  and  meet  me  to  prepare  for  his  new 
mission,  and  I  will  give  him  the  letters  he  wants,  to  go  and  labor  there. 

FRANCIS  BECHARD, 
(Signed)  J.  B.  LEMOINE, 

BASILIQUE  ALLAIRE, 
LEON  MAILLOUX.  "* 

After  the  above  had  been  read  and  delivered  to  the  people,  I 
showed  them  the  evident  falsehood  and  contradictions  of  the 
bishop  when  he  said  in  his  second  answer:  "If  Mr.  Chiniquy 
said  mass  since  I  interdicted  him,  he  is  irregular,  and  the  Pope 
alone  can  restore  him  in  his  ecclesiastical  functions,"  and  then  in 
the  seventh,  "tell  Mr.  Chiniquy  to  come  and  meet  me  to  prepare 
for  his  new  mission,  and  I  will  give  liiin  the  letters  he  wants  to 
go  and  labor  there." 

The  last  sentence,  I  said,  proves  that  he  knew  he  had  not  in- 
terdicted me  as  he  said  at  first.  For,  had  he  done  so,  he  could 
not  give  me  letters  to  administer  the  sacraments  and  preach  at 
Kahokia  before  my  going  before  the  Pope,  who,  alone,  as  he  said 

♦Those  gentlemen  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  Allaire,  iirc  still  living,  1885. 


w 


ippw 


^pppiipippfiip^iiiip 


^ 


638 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OK    ROME. 


himself,  could  give  me  such  powers,  after  he  (the  bishop)  knew 
that  I  had  said  mass  since  my  return  from  Chica^fo.  Now,  my 
friends,  here  is  the  law  of  our  holy  church,  not  the  saying,or  the 
law  of  a  publicly  degraded  man,  as  the  Bishop  of  Chicago:  "  If  a 
man  has  been  unjustly  condemned,  let  him  pay  no  attention  to  the 
unjust  sentence  :  let  him  even  do  nothing  to  have  that  unjust  sen- 
tence removed."   (  Cat/on  of  the  CJiurch^  by  St.  Gelase,  Pope. 

"If  the  bishop  had  interdicted  me  on  the  19th,  his  sentence 
would  be  unjust,  for,  from  his  own  lips,  we  have  the  confession, 
'that  no  accusation  has  ever  been  proved  before  him;  that  I  am 
one  of  his  best  priests;  that  he  does  not  want  to  be  deprived  of  my 
services.'  Yes,  such  a  sentence,  if  passed,  would  have  been  un- 
just, and  our  business^  to-day,  would  be  to  treat  it  with  the  con- 
tempt it  would  deserve.  But,  that  unjust  sentence  has  not  even 
been  pronounced,  since,  after  saying  mass  everj'^  day  since  the 
19th,  the  bishop  himself  wants  to  give  me  lettters  to  go  to 
Kahokia  and  work  as  one  of  his  best  jDrlests!  It  strikes  me, 
to-day,  for  the  first  time,  that  it  is  more  your  destruction,  as  a 
people,  than  mine,  which  the  bishop  wants  to  accomplish.  It  is 
my  desire  to  remain  in  your  midst  to  defend  your  rights  as 
Catholics.  If  you  are  true  to  me,  as  I  will  be  to  you,  in  thr  im- 
pending struggle,  we  have  nothing  to  fear;  for  our  holy  Catholiv, 
Church  is  for  us;  all  her  laws  and  canons  are  in  our  favor;  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  is  for  us.  The  God  of  the  Gospel  is  for  us. 
Even  the  Pope,  to  whom  we  will  appeal,  will  be  for  us.  For,  I 
must  tell  you  a  thing,  which,  till  to-day  I  kept  secret;  viz:  The 
Archbishop  of  St.  Louis,  to  whom  I  brought  my  complaint,  in 
April  last,  advised  me  to  write  to  the  Pope  and  tell  him,  not 
all,  for  it  would  make  too  large  a  volume,  but  something  of  the 
criminal  deeds  of  the  roaring  lion  who  wantr,  to  devour  us.  He 
is,  to-day,  selling  the  bones  of  the  dead  which  are  resting  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  cemetery  of  Chicago!  But  if  you  arc  true  to 
yourselves  as  Catholics  and  Americans,  that  mitred  tyrant  will 
not  sell  the  bones  of  our  friends  and  relatives  which  rest  here  in 
our  burying  ground.  He  has  sold  the  parsonage  and  the  church 
which  our  dear  countrymen  had  built  in  Chicago.  Those  prop- 
erties are,  to-day,  in  the  hands  of  the  Irish:  but  if  you   promise 


iipli 


BISHOP  o'rKGAN. 


*>39 


to  stand  by  your  rights  as  Christian  men  and  American  citizens, 
I  will  tell  that  avaricious  bishop:  'Come  and  sell  onr  parsonage 
and  our  cliurch  '  lere,  if  you  dare !' 

"  As  I  told  you  before,  Wc  have  a  glorious  battle  to  fight.  It 
is  the  battle  of  freedom  against  the  most  cruel  tyranny  the 
w^orld  has  ever  seen:  It  is  the  battle  of  truth  against  falsehood: 
It  is  the  battle  of  the  old  Gospel  of  Christ  against  the  new  gos- 
pel of  Bishop  O'Regan.  Let  us  be  true  to  ourselves  to  the  end, 
and  our  holy  church,  which  that  bishop  dishonors,  will  bless  us. 
Our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  whose  Gospel  is  dispised  by  that  adven- 
turer, will  be  for  us,  and  give  us  a  glorious  victory.  Have  you  not 
read  in  your  Bibles  that  Jesus  wanted  his  disciples  to  be  free, 
when  he  said :  '  If  the  son  of  man  shall  make  you  free,  you  shall 
be  free  indeed.'  Does  that  mean  that  the  Son  of  God  wants  us  to  be 
the  slaves  of  Bishop  O'Regan  ?  '  No ! '  cried  out  the  whole  people. 

"May  God  bless  you  for  your  understanding  of  your  Chris- 
tian rights.  Let  all  those  who  want  to  be  free,  with  me,  raise 
their  hands. 

"  Oh !  blessed  be  the  Lord,"  I  said,  "  there  are  more  than 
3,000  hands  raised  towards  heaven  to  say  that  you  want  to  be 
free!  Now,  let  those  who  do  not  want  to  defend  their  rights  as 
Christians,  and  as  American  citizens,  raise  their  hands.  Thanks 
be  to  God,"  I  again  exclaimed.  "  There  is  not  a  traitor 
among  us !  You  are  all  the  true, brave  and  noble  soldiers  of 
liberty,  truth  and  righteousness!  May  the  Lord  bless  you  all!" 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people. 
Before  dismissing  them,  I  said: 

"  We  will,  no  doubt,  very  soon,  witness  one  of  the  most 
ludicrous  comedies  ever  played  on  this  continent :  that  comedy  is 
generally  called  excommunication.  Some  drunkard  priests,  sent 
by  the  drunkard  Bishop  of  Chicago,  will  come  to  excommunicate 
us.  I  expect  their  visit  in  a  few  days.  That  performance  will 
be  worth  seeing ;  and  I  hope  that  you  will  see  and  hear  the  most 
amusing  thing  in  your  lile." 

I  was  not  mistaken.  The  very  next  day,  we  heard  that  the 
3rd  of  Sept.  had  been  chosen  by  the  bishop,  to  excommunicate 
us. 


miP" 


ii!ppiiifWiR|i|fysipppiiJiyi^^ 


640 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


I  said  to  the  people :  "  When  you  see  the  flag  of  the  free  and 
the  brave  floating  from  the  top  of  our  steeple,  come  and  rally 
around  that  emblem  of  liberty." 

There  were  more  than  3,000  people  on  our  beautiful  hill, 
when  the  priests  made  their  appearance.  A  few  moments 
before,  I  had  said  to  that  immense  gathering: 

"  I  bless  God  that  you  are  so  many  to  witness  the  last  tyran- 
nical act  of  Bishop  O'Regan.  But  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you, 
it  is,  that  no  insult  or  opposition  whatever  will  be  made  to  the 
priests  who  come  to  play  that  comedy.  Please  do  not  say  an 
angry  word,  do  not  move  a  finger  against  the  performers.  They 
are  not  responsible  for  what  they  will  do,  for  two  reasons. 

1st.     "  They  will  probably  be  drunk." 

2nd.  "  They  are  bound  to  do  that  work,  by  their  master  and 
Lord  Bishop  O'Regan." 

The  priests  arrived  at  about  2  o'clock  f.  M.,and  never  such 
shouting  and  clapping  of  hands  had  been  heard  in  our  colony  as 
on  their  appearance.  Never  had  I  seen  my  dear  people  so 
cheei"ful  and  good-humored  as  when  one  of  the  priests,  trem- 
bling from  head  to  foot  with  terror  and  drunkenness,  tried  to 
read  the  following  sham  act  of  excommunication;  which  he 
nailed  on  the  door  of  the  chapel : 

The  Reverend  Monsieur  ChtiiUjuv,  heretofore,  curate  of  St.  Anne, 
Colonic  of  Beaver,  in  the  Diocese  of  Cliicago,  has  formally  been  interdic- 
ted by  me  for  canomical  rnu»es«. 

The  said  Mr.  Chiniquy,  notwithstanding  that  interdict,  has  malicious- 
ly performed  the  functions  of  the  holy  ministr\ .  in  administering  the  holy 
sacraments  and  saying  mass.  This  ha»  caused  him  to  be  irregular,  and  in 
direct  opposition  to  the  authority  of  the  chuivh.  consequently,  he  is  a 
schismatic. 

The  said  Mr.  Chiniquy,  thus  named  by  my  letters  and  verbal  injunc 
tion  has  absolutely  persisted  in  violating  the  lawn  of  the  church,  and  diso- 
beyed her  authority,  is  by  this  present  letu-r  excommunicated. 

I  forbid  any  Catholic  having  any  communication  with  him,  in  spirirual 
matters,  under  pain  of  excommunication.  Every  Catholic  who  goes  against 
♦his  defense,  is  excommunicated. 

(Signed,)  |||  ANTHONY. 

Bishop  of  Chicago,  and  administrator  of  Quincy, 

Sept.  3rd.,  1856. 


BISHOP    O  REGAN. 


641 


their  master  and 


As  soon  as  the  priests,  who  had  nailed  this  document  to  the 
door  of  our  chapel,  had  gone  away  at  full  speed,  I  went  to  see 
it,  and  found,  what  I  had  expected,  that  it  was  not  signed  by  the 
bishop,  neither  by  his  grand  vicar,  nor  any  known  person,  and 
consequently,  it  was  a  complete  mullity,  according  to  the  laws 
of  the  church.  Fearing  I  would  prosecute  him,  as  I  threatened, 
he  shrank  from  the  responsibility  of  his  own  act,  and  had  not 
signed  it.  He  was  probably  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
himself  excommunicated,  ipsofacto^  for  not  having  signed  the 
document  himself,  or  by  his  known  deputies.  I  learned  after- 
wards, that  he  got  a  boy  12  years  old  to  write  and  sign  it.  In 
this  way,  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  bring  that  document  before 
any  court,  on  account  of  its  want  of  legal  and  necessary  forms. 
That  act  w:.s  also  a  nullity,  for  bemg  brought  by  three  priests 
who  were  not  mentis  compos^  from  their  actual  state  of  drun- 
kenness. And  again,  it  was  a  nullity,  from  the  evident  falsehood, 
which  was  its  base. 

It  alleged  that  the  bishop  had  interdicted  and  suspended  me  on 
tiie  19th  of  Aug.,  for  canonical  causes.  But  he  had  declared  to  the 
four  deputies  we  had  sent  him:  "  That  Mr.  Chiniquy  was  one 
of  my  best  priests,  that  nothing  had  been  prover'.  against  him,'* 
consequently,  no  canonical  cause  could  exist  for  the  allegation. 
The  people  understood  very  well  that  the  whole  affair  was  a 
miserable  farce,  designed  to  separate  them  from  their  pastor.  It 
had  just,  by  the  good  providence  of  God,  the  contrary  effect. 
They  had  never  shown  me  such  sincere  respect  and  devotedness. 
as  since  that  never-to-be-forgotten  day. 

The  three  priests,  after  leaving,  entei'ed  the  house  of  one  of 
our  farmers,  called  Bellanger,  a  short  distance  from  the  chapel,, 
and  asked  permission  to  rest  a  while.  But  after  sitting  and 
smoking  a  few  minutes  they  all  went  out  to  the  stables.  The 
farmer  finding  this  very  strange,  went  after  them  to  see  what 
they  would  do  in  his  stables :  to  his  great  siirpnse  and  disgust, 
he  found  them  drinking  the  last  of  their  whiskey.  He  ex- 
chiiiT.ed:  "  Is  it  not  a  shame  to  see  Ihree  priests  in  a  stable  drink- 
ing rum  ? " 

They    made  no  answer,  but  went  immediately   to  their  car- 


642 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


riage  and  drove  away  as  quickly  as  possible,  singing  with  all 
their  might,  a  bacchanalian  song!  Such  was  the  last  act  of  that 
excommunication,  which  has  done  more  than  anything  else  to 
prepare  my  people  and  myself  to  understand  that  the  Church  of 
Rome  is  a  den  of  theives,  a  school  of  infidelity  and  the  very 
antipodes  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 


>ME. 

nging  with  all 
ist  act  of  that 
lything  else  to 
;  the  Church  of 
f  and  the  very 


Chapter  LVIII. 


ADDBESS  FBOUMT  PBOPLE,  ASKING  MS!  TO  BEUAIN-ADDBESS 
OF  THB  FEOPIiE  TO  THE  BISHOP-I  AM  AOAXK  DBAPOED 
AS  A  FBISONEB  BT  THE  SHEBIFF  TO  TTBBANA-PEBJTTB'Z' 
OF  THE  FBIEST  liEBEIiIiE-ABBAHAM  I^INOOIiN'S  ANXIETY 
ABOT7T  THE  ISSXTE  OF  THB  PBOSE0T7TION-M7  DISTBESS- 
NIOHT  OF  DESOIiATION-THE  BESOITE-MISS  PHII.OMENE 
MOFFAT  SENT  BT  OOD  TO  SAVE  ME- LEBELLE'S  CONFESS- 
ION AND  DISTBESS-SFINK  WITHBBAWS  HIS  SXTIT-MT 
INNOCENCE  ACKNOWIiEBOEB- NOBLE  WOBDS  AND  OON- 
DT7CT  OF  ABBAHAM  LINGOIiN-THE  OATH  OF  MISS  PHILO- 
MENE  MOFFAT. 

THE  Sabbath  afternoon  after  the  three  drunken  priests  nailed 
their  unsigned,  unsealed,  untestified,  and  consequently  null 
sentence  of  excommunication,  to  the  door  of  our  chapel,  the  peo- 
ple had  gathered  from  every  part  of  our  colony  into  the  large 
hall  of  the  court-house  of  Kankakee  City  to  hear  several  ad- 
dresses on  ther  duties  of  the  day,  and  they  unanimously  passed 
the  following  resolution: 

"  Resolved.  That  we,  French  Canadians  of  the  County  of  Kankakee, 
do  hereby  decide  to  give  our  moral  support  to  Rev.  C.  Chiniquy,  in  the 
persecution  now  exerted  against  him  by  the  Bishop  of  Chicago,  in  violation 
of  the  laws  of  the  church,  expressed  and  sanctioned  by  the  Councils." 

After  this  resolution  had  been  voted,  Mr.  Bechard,  who  is 
now  one  of  the  principal  members  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada, 
and  who  was  then  a  merchant  of  Kankakee  City,  presented  to 
me  the  following  address,  which  had  also  been  unanimously 
voted  by  the  people : 

«'  Dear  and  Beloved  Pastor  : — For  several  years  we  have  been  wit- 
nesses of  the  persecution  of  which  you  are  the  subject,  on  the  part  of  the 
bad  priests,  your  neighbors,  and  on  the  part  of  the  unworthy  Bishop  o£ 
Chicago;  but  we  also  have  been  the  witnesses  of  your  sacerdotal  virtues — 

643 


644 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


of  your  forbearance  of  their  calumnies — and  our  respect  and  affection  for 
your  person  lias  but  increased  at  the  sight  of  all  those  trials. 

"  We  know  that  you  are  persecuted,  not  only  because  you  are  a  Cana- 
dian priest,  and  that  you  like  us,  but  also  because  you  do  us  good  in  making 
a  sacrifice  of  your  own  private  fortune  to  build  school-houses  and  to  feed 
our  teachers  at  your  own  table.  We  know  that  the  Bishop  of  Chicago, 
who  resembles  more  an  angry  wolf  than  a  pastor  of  the  church,  having  des- 
troyed the  prosperous  congregation  of  Chicago  by  taking  away  from  them 
their  splendid  church,  which  they  had  built  at  the  cost  of  many  sacrifices, 
and  giving  it  to  the  Irish  population,  and  having  discouraged  the  worthy 
population  of  Bourbonnais  Grove  in  forcing  on  them  drunken  and  scanda- 
lous priests,  wants  to  take  you  away  from  among  us,  to  please  Spink,  the 
greatest  enemy  o£  the  French  population.  They  even  say  that  the  bishop, 
carrying  iniquity  5n  its  extreme  bounds,  wanted  to  interdict  you.  But  as 
our  church  cannot,  and  is  not  willing  to  sanction  evil  and  calumny,  we  know 
that  all  those  interdicts,  based  on  falsehoods  and  spite,  are  null  and  void. 

"  We  therefore  solicit  you  not  to  give  way  in  presence  of  the  perfidious 
plots  of  your  enemies,  and  not  to  leave  us.  Stay  among  us  as  our  pastor 
and  our  father,  and  we  solemnly  promise  to  sustain  you  in  all  your  hard- 
ships to  the  end,  and  to  defend  you  against  our  enemies.  Stay  among  us, 
to  instruct  us  in  our  duties  by  your  eloquent  speeches,  and  to  enlighten  us 
by  your  pious  examples.  Stay  among  us,  to  guard  us  against  the  perfidious 
designs  of  the  Bishop  of  Chicago,  who  wants  to  discourage  and  destroy  our 
prosperous  colony,  as  he  has  already  discouraged  and  destroyed  other  congre- 
gations of  the  French  Canadians,  by  leaving  them  without  a  pastor,  or  by 
forcing  on  them  unworthy  priests." 

The  stern  and  unanimous  determination  of  my  countrymen 
to  stand  by  me  in  the  impending  struggle  is  one  of  the  greatest 
blessings  which  God  has  ever  given  me.  It  filled  me  with  a 
courage  which  nothing  could  hereafter  shake.  But  the  people 
of  St.  Anne  did  not  think  that  it  was  enough  to  show  to  the 
bishop  that  nothing  could  ever  shake  the  resolution  they  had 
taken  to  live  and  die  free  men.  They  gathered  in  a  public  and 
immense  meeting  on  the  Sabbath  after  the  sham  excommuni- 
cation, to  adoft  the  following  address  to  the  Bishop  of  Chicago, 
a  copy  of  which  was  sent  to  every  Bishop  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  and  to  Pope  Pius  IX  : 

"To  His  Lordship,  Anthony  O'Regan  of  Chicago: — We,  the 
undersigned,  inhabitants  of  the  parish  of  St.  Anne,  Beaver  settlement, 
seeing  with  sorrow  that  you  have  discarded  our  humble  request,  which  we 
have  sent  you  by  the  four  delegates,  and  have  persisted  in  trying  to  drive 
away  our  honest  and  worthy  priest,  who  has  edified  us  in  all  circumstances 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


OMB. 

;  and  affection  for 

lis. 

I  you  are  a  Cana- 
us  good  in  making 
ouses  and  to  feed 
isliop  of  Chicago, 
hurcii,  having  des- 
•  away  from  them 
)f  many  sacrifices, 
luraged  the  worthy 
unken  and  scanda- 
>  please  Spink,  the 
say  that  the  bishop, 
;rdict  you.     But  as 
1  calumny,  we  know 
re  null  and  void, 
nee  of  the  perfidious 
ig  US  as  our  pastor 
»u  in  all  your  hard- 
:s.     Stay  among  us, 
,  and  to  enlighten  us 
igainst  the  perfidious 
rage  and  destroy  our 
stroyed  other  congre- 
lout  a  pastor,  or  by 

my  countrymen 
\e  of  the  greatest 

filled  me  with  a 

But  the  people 

igh  to  show  to  the 

isolution  they  had 

fed  in  a  public  and 

;ham  excommuni- 

lishop  of  Chicago, 
|the  United  States 

Chicago:— We,  the 
Beaver  settlement, 
Lie  request,  which  we 
Isted  in  trying  to  drive 
Is  in  all  circumsUnces 


645 


by  his  public  and  religious  conduct,  and  having,  contrary  to  the  rules  of  our 
holy  '  "irch  and  common  sense,  struck  our  worthy  pastor,  Mr.  Chiniquy, 
v,iV  communication,  having  caused  him-  to  be  announced  as  a  schismatic 
pri'st,  and  having  forbidden  us  to  communicate  with  him  in  religious  mat- 
ters, are  hereby  protesting  against  the  unjust  and  iniquitous  manner  in 
which  you  have  struck  liim,  refusing  him  the  privilege  of  justifying  him- 
self and  proving  his  innocence.  • 

"  t\/nsequently,  we  declare  that  we  are  ready  at  all  times  as  good 
Catholics,  to  obey  all  your  orders  and  ordinances  that  are  in  accordance 
with  the  laws  of  the  Gospel  and  the  Church,  but  that  we  are  not  willing  to 
follow  you  in  all  your  errors  of  judginents,  in  your  injastices  and  covetous 
caprices.  Telling  you,  as  St.  Jerome  wrote  to  his  Bishop„that  as  long  as 
you  will  treat  us  as  your  children,  we  will  obey  you  as  a  father;  but  as  soon 
as  you  will  treat  us  as  our  master,  we  shall  cease  to  consider  you  as  our 
father.  Considering  Mr.  Chiniquy  as  a  good  and  virtuous  priest,  worthy  of 
the  place  he  occupies,  and  possessing  as  yet  all  his  sacerdotal  powers,  in 
spite  of  your  null  and  ridiculous  sentence,  we  have  unanimously  decided  to 
keep  him  among  us  as  our  pastor;  therefore  praying  your  Lordship  not  to 
put  yourself  to  the  trouble  of  seeking  another  priest  for  us.  More  yet :  we 
have  unanimously  decided  to  sustain  him  and  furnish  him  the  means  to  go 
as  far  as  Rome,  if  he  cannot  have  justice  in  America. 

"  We  further  declare  that  it  has  been  dishonor  ible  and  shameful  for  our 
bishop  and  for  our  holy  religion  to  have  seen,  coming  under  the  walls  of  our 
chapel,  bringing  the  orders  of  the  prince  of  the  church  of  are  presentativeof 
Christ,  three  men  covered  with  their  sacerdotal  garments,  havmg  their 
tongues  half  paralyzed  by  the  effects  of  brandy,  and  who,  turning  their 
backs  to  the  church,  went  in  the  house  and  barn  of  one  of  our  settlers  and 
there  emptied  their  bottles.  And  from  there,  taking  their  seats  in  their 
buggies,  went  towards  the  settlement  of  1.,'Erable,  singing  drunken  songs 
and  hallooing  like  wild  Indians.  Will  your  lordship  be  influenced  by  such  a 
set  of  men,  who  seem  to  have  for  their  mission  to  degrade  the  sacrados  and 
Catholicism  ? 

"  We  conclude,  in  hoping  that  your  lordship  will  not  persist  in  your 
decision,  given  in  a  moment  of  madness  and  spite;  that  you  will  reconsider 
your  acts,  and  that  you  will  retract  your  unjust,  null  and  ridiculous  excom- 
munication, and  by  these  means  avoid  the  scandal  of  which  your  precipita- 
tion is  the  cause.  We  then  hope  thai,  changing  your  determination,  you 
will  work  to  the  welfare  of  our  holy  religion,  and  not  to  its  degradation,  in 
which  your  intolerant  conduct  would  lead  us,  and  that  you  will  not  persist 
in  trying  to  drive  our  worthy  pastor.  Rev.  Charles  Chiniquy,  from  the 
flourishing  colony  that  he  has  founded  at  the  cost  of  the  abandonment  of 
his  native  land,  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  high  position  he  had  in  Canada ;  that 
you  will  bring  peace  between  you  and  us,  that  we  shall  have  in  the 
Bishop  of  Chicago  not  a  tyrant,  but  a  'ithcr,  and  that  you  will  have  in  us 


646 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


not  rebels,  but  faithful  children,   hy  our  virtues  and  our  good  example. 
Subscribing  our-selves  the  obedient  children  of  the  church. 

"  THEOPILE  DORIEN,  J.  B.  LEMOINE,  N.  P., 

"  DET.  VANIER,  OLIVER  SENECHALL, 

••J.  B.  BELANGER,  BASILIQUE  ALLAIR, 
"CAMILE  BETOURNEY,  MICHEL  ALLAIR, 

"STAN'LAS  GAGNE,  JOSEPH  GRIST, 

"  ANTOINE  ALLAIN,  JOSEPH  ALLARD, 
"  And  five  hundred  others." 

This  addres.s,  signed  by  more  than  five  hundred  men,  all 
heads  of  families,  and  reproduced  by  almost  the  whole  press 
in  the  United  States,  fell  as  a  thunderclap  on  the  head  of  the 
heartless  destroyer  of  our  people.  But  it  did  not  change  his 
destructive  plans.  It  had  just  the  contrary  effect.  As  a  tiger, 
mortally  wounded  by  the  sure  shots  of  the  hunters,  he  filled  the 
country  with  his  roaring,  hoping  to  frighten  us  by  his  new  de- 
nunciations. He  published  the  most  lying  stories  to  explain  his 
conduct,  and  to  show  the  world  that  he  had  good  reasons  for 
destroying  the  French  congregation  of  Chicago,  and  trying  the 
same  experiment  on  St.  Anne. 

In  order  to  refute  his  false  statements,  and  show  more  clearly 

to  the  whole  world  the  reasons  I  had,  as  a  Catholic  priest,  to 

resist  him,  I  addressed  the  following  letter  to  his  lordship: 

"  St.  Anne,  Kankakee  County,  III., 

Sept.  25,  1856. 

"  Rt.  Rev'd.  O'Regan: — You  seem  to  be  surprised  that  I  have  offered 
the  holy  sacrifice  of  mass  since  our  last  interview.  Here  are  some  of  my 
reasons  for  so  doing. 

"  1st.  You  have  not  suspended  me;  far  from  it,  you  have  given  me 
fifteen  days  to  consider  what  I  should  do,  threatening  only  to  interdict  me 
after  that  time,  if  I  would  not  obey  your  orders. 

"  2nd.  If  you  have  been  so  ill-advised  as  to  suspend  me,  for  the  crime 
of  telling  you  that  my  intention  was  to  live  the  life  of  a  retired  priest  in  my 
little  colony,  sooner  than  to  be  exiled  at  my  age,  your  sentence  is  ridiculous 
and  null;  and  if  you  were  as  expert  in  the  jure  Canonico  as  in  the  art 
pocketing  our  money,  you  would  know  that  you  are  yourself  suspended 
1*^50  /acta  for  a  year,  and  that  I  have  nothing  to  fear  or  to  exoect  from 
you  now. 

"  3rd.  When  I  bowed  down  before  the  altar  of  Jesus  Christ,  twenty- 
four  years  ago,  to  receive  the  priesthooii,  my  intention  was  to  be  the  minis- 
ter of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  not  a  slave  of  a  lawless  tyrant. 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


647 


"4th.  Remember  the  famous  words  of  Tertullian,  ^  Nimia  pofeaias, 
nulla  foteslas.''  For  the  sake  of  peace,  I  have,  with  many  others,  tolerated 
your  despotism  till  now;  but  my  patience  Is  at  an  end,  and  for  the  the  sake 
of  our  holy  church,  which  you  are  destroying,  I  am  determined  with  many 
to  oppose  an  insurmountable  wall  to  your  tyranny. 

"  5th.  I  did  not  come  here,  you  know  well,  as  an  ordinary  missionary ; 
but  I  got  from  your  predecessor  the  permission  to  form  a  colony  of  my  em- 
igrating countrymen.  I  was  not  sent  here  in  1851  to  take  care  of  any  con- 
gregation. It  was  a  complete  wilderness;  but  I  was  sent  to  form  a  colony 
of  Catholics.  I  planted  my  cross  in  a  wilderness.  In  a  great  part,  with  my 
own  money,  I  have  built  a  chapel,  a  college  and  a  female  academy.  I 
have  called  from  everywhere  my  countrymen — nine-tenths  \ti  them  came 
here  only  to  live  with  me,  and  because  I  had  the  pledged  word  of  my 
bishop  to  do  that  work.  And  as  long  as  I  live  the  life  of  a  good  priest  I 
deny  you  the  right  to  forbid  me  to  remain  in  mv  colonv  which  wants  my 
help  and  my  presence. 

"6th.  You  have  never  shown  me  your  authority  (but  once)  except  in 
the  most  tyrannical  way.  But  now,  seeing  that  the  more  humble  I  am 
before  you  the  more  insolent  you  grow,  I  have  taken  the  resolution  to 
stand  by  my  rights  as  a  Catholic  priest  and  as  an  American  citizen. 

"  7th.  You  remember,  that  in  our  second  interview  you  forbade  me  to 
have  the  good  preceptors  we  have  now  for  our  children,  and  you  turned  into 
ridicule  the  idea  I  had  to  call  them  from  Canada.  Was  that  the  act  of  a 
bisnop  or  of  a  mean  despot  ? 

"  8th.  A  few  days  after  you  ordered  me  to  live  on  good  terms  with  R; 
R.  LeBelle  and  Carthavel,  though  you  were  well  acquainted  with  their 
scandalous  lives,  and  twice  you  threatened  me  with  suspension  for  refusing 
to  become  a  friend  of  those  two  rogues !  And  you  have  so  much  made  a 
fool  of  yourself  before  the  four  gentlemen  I  sent  to  you  to  be  the  witnesses 
of  your  iniquity  and  my  innocence,  that  you  have  acknowledged  before  them 
that  one  of  your  principal  reasons  for  turning  me  out  of  my  colony  was, 
that  I  had  not  been  able  to  keep  peace  with  three  priests  whom  you  ac- 
knowledged to  be  depraved  and  unworthy  priests !  Is  not  that  surpassing 
wickedness  and  tyranny  of  anything  recorded  in  the  blackest  pages  of  the 
most  daring  tyrants?  You  want  to  punish  by  exile  a  gentleman  and  a 
good  priest,  because  he  cannot  agree  to  become  the  friend  of  two  public 
rogues!  I  thank  you,  Bishop  O'Regan,  toliave  made  that  public  confession 
in  the  presence  of  unimpeachable  witnesses.  I  do  not  want  to  advise  you 
to  be  hereafter  very  prudent  in  what  you  intend  to  do  against  the  reputation 
and  character  of  the  priest  of  St.  Anne.  If  you  continue  to  denounce  me  as 
you  have  done  since  a  few  weeks,  and  to  tell  the  people  what  you  think 
fit  against  me.  I  .have  awful  things  to  publish  of  your  injustice  and 
tyranny. 

"  As  Judas  sold  our  Saviour  to  his  enemies,  so  you  have  sold  me  to 


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WIBSTH.N.Y.  I45M 

(71«)S72-4S03 


€48 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


my  enemy  of  L'Erable.     But  be  certain  that  you  shall  not  deliver  up  your 
victim  as  you  like. 

"  For  withdrawing  a  suit  which  you  have  incited  against  my  honor 
and  Which  you  shall  certainly  lose,  you  drag  me  out  from  my  home  and 
order  me  to  the  land  of  exile,  and  you  cover  that  iniquity  with  the  appear 
ance  of  zeal  for  the  public  peace,  just  as  Pilate  delivered  his  victim  into 
the  hands  of  their  enemies  to  make  peace  with  them. 

"  Shame  on  you.  Bishop  O'Regan !  For  the  sake  of  God,  do  not 
oblige  me  to  reveal  to  the  world  what  I  know  against  you.  Do  not  oblige 
me,  in  self-defence,  to  strike,  in  you,  my  merciless  persecutor.  If  you  have 
no  pity  for  me,  have  pity  on  yourself,  and  on  the  church  which  that  coming 
struggle  will  so  much  injure. 

"  It  is  not  enough  for  you  to  have  so  badly  treated  my  poor  countrymen 
cf  Chicago — ^your  hatred  against  the  French  Canadians  cannot  be  satisfied 
except  when  you  have  taken  away  from  them  the  only  consolation  they 
have  in  this  land  of  exile — to  possess  in  their  midst  a  priest  of  their  own 
nation  whom  they  love  and  respect  as  a  father  I  My  poor  countrymen  of 
Chicago,  with  many  hard  sacriiices,  had  built  a  fine  church  for  themselves 
and  a  house  for  their  priest.  I'ou  have  taken  their  church  from  their  hands 
and  given  it  to  the  Irish ;  you  have  sold  the  house  of  their  priests,  after 
turning  him  out;  and  what  have  you  done  with  the  $1,500  you  got 
as  its  price?  Public  rumor  says  that  you  are  employing  that  money  to 
support  the  most  unjust  and  infamous  suit  against  one  of  their  priests. 
Continue  a  little  longer,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  the  cursing  of  my  poor 
countrymen  against  yon  will  be  heard  in  heaven  and  that  the  God  of 
Justice  will  give  them  an  avenger. 

"  You  have,  at  three  different  times,  threatened  to  interdict  ana  excom- 
municate me  if  I  would  not  give  you  my  little  personal  properties !  and  as 
many  times  you  have  said  in  my  teeth,  th  it  I  was  a  bad  priest,  because  I 
refused  to  act  according  to  your  rapacious  tyranny  I 

"The  impious  Ahab,  murdering  Naboth  to  get  his  fields,  is  risen  from 
the  dead  in  your  person.  You  cannot  kill  my  body,  since  I  am  protected  by 
the  glorious  flag  of  the  United  States ;  but  you  do  worse,  you  try  to  destroy 
my  honor  and  my  character,  which  are  dearer  to  me  than  my  life.  In  a 
moral  way  you  give  my  blood  to  be  licked  by  your  dogs.  But  remember 
the  words  of  the  prophet  to  Ahab, '  In  this  place  where  the  dogs  have  licked 
the  blood  of  Naboth,  they  shall  lick  thy  blood  also.'  For  every  false  wit- 
ness you  shall  bring  against  me,  I  shall  have  a  hundred  unimpeachable  ones 
against  you.  Thousands  and  thousands  of  religious  Irish,  and  generous 
Germans,  and  liberty  and  fair-play-loving  French  Canadians,  will  help  me  in 
that  struggle.  I  do  not  address  you  these  words  as  a  threat,  but  as  a  friendly 
warning. 

"  Keep  quiet,  my  lord ;  do  not  let  yourself  be  guided  by  your  quick  tem- 
per;  do  not  be  so  free  in  the  use  of  suspense  and  interdicts.     These  terrible 


MY    INNOCJKNCK    ACKNOWLEDGiSD. 


649 


leliver  up  your 

linst  my  hoi^or, 
1  my  home  and 
rith  the  appear 
his  victim  into 

oi  God,  do  not 
.  Do  not  oblige 
:or.  If  you  have 
hich  that  coming 

poor  countrymen 
nnot  be  satisfied 
consolation  they 
iest  of  their  own 
)r  countrymen  of 
;h  for  themselves 
from  their  hands 
heir  priests,  after 
I  $1,500  you  got 
ing  that  money  to 
e  of  their  priests, 
irsing  of  my  poor 
that  the  God  of 

:erdict  ana  excom- 

properties!  and  as 

priest,  because  I 

Ids,  is  risen  from 
/  am  protected  by 

you  try  to  destroy 

an  my  life.    In  a 
But  remember 

le  dogs  have  licked 
every  false  wit- 
limpeachable  ones 

rish,  and  generous 
ins,  will  help  me  in 
at,  but  as  a  friendly 

by  your  quick  tern- 
ts.    These  terrible 


arms  are  two-edged  swords,  which  very  often  hurt  more  the  imprudent  who 
make  use  of  them  than  those  whom  thev  intend  to  strike. 

"  I  wish  to  live  in  peace  with  you.  I  take  my  God  to  witness,  that  to 
this  day,  I  have  done  everything  to  keep  peace  with  you.  But  the  peace  I 
want  is  the  peace  which  St.  Jerome  speaks  of  when,  writing  to  his  bishop, 
he  tells  him : 

•"  It  is  no  use  to  speak  of  peace  with  the  lips,  if  we  destroy  it  with  our 
works.  It  is  a  very  different  way  to  work  for  peace,  from  trying  to  submit 
every  one  to  an  abject  slavery.  We,  also,  want  peace.  Not  only  we 
desire  it,  but  we  implore  you  instantly  to  give  it.  However,  the  peace  we 
want  is  the  peace  of  Christ — a  true  peace,  a  peace  without  hatred,  a  peace 
which  is  not  a  masked  war,  a  peace  which  is  not  to  crush  enemies,  but  a 
peace  which  unites  friends. 

"  '  Fi  ■  )w  can  we  call  that  peace  which  is  nothing  but  tyranny  ?  Why  should 
we  not  call  everything  by  its  proper  name?  Let  us  call  hatred — whabis 
hatred?  And  let  us  say  that  peace  reigns  only  when  a  true  love  exists.  We 
are  not  the  authors  of  the  troubles  and  divisions  which  exist  in  the  church. 
A  father  must  love  his  children.  A  bishop,  as  well  'as  a  father,  must  wish 
to  be  loved,  but  not  feared.  The  old  proverb  says,  One  hatis  -whom  he 
fears,  and  we  naturally  wish  for  the  death  of  the  one  we  hate.  If  you  do 
not  try  to  crush  the  religious  men  under  your  power  they  will  submit 
themselves  to  your  authority.  Offer  them  the  kiss  of  love  and  peace  and 
they  will  obey  you.  But  liberty  refuses  to  yield  as  soon  as  you  try  to  crush 
it  down.  The  best  way  to  be  obeyed  by  a  free  man  is  not  to  deal  with 
him  as  with  a  slave.  We  know  the  laws  of  the  church,  and  we  do  not 
ignore  the  rights  which  belong  to  every  man.  We  have  learned  many 
things,  not  only  from  experience,  but  also  from  the  study  of  books.  The 
king  who  strikes  his  subjects  Avith  an  iron  rod,  or  who  thinks  that  his  fingers 
must  be  heavier  than  his  father's  hand,  has  soon  destroyed  the  kingdom 
even  of  the  peaceful  and  mild  David.  The  people  of  Rome  refused  to  bear 
the  yoke  of  their  proud  king. 

"  •  We  have  lett  our  country  in  ord^r  to  live  in  peace.  In  this  solitude 
our  intention  was  to  respect  the  authority  of  the  pontiffs  of  Christ  (we 
mean  those  who  teach  the  true  faith).  We  want  to  respect  them  not  as  our 
masters,  but  as  our  fathers.  Our  intention  was  to  respect  them  as  bishops, 
not  as  usurpers  and  tyrants  who  want  to  reduce  us  to  slavery  by  the  abuse 
of  their  power.  We  are  not  so  vain  as  to  ignore  what  is  due  to  the  priests 
of  Christ,  for  to  receive  them  is  to  receive  the  very  one  whose  bishops  they 
are.  But  let  them  be  satisfied  with  the  respect  which  is  due  to  them.  Let 
them  remember  that  they  are  fathers,  not  inasters  of  those  who  have  given 
up  everything  in  order  to  enjoy  the  privileges  of  a  peaceful  solitude.  May 
Christ  who  is  our  mighty  God  grant  that  we  should  be  united,  not  by  a 
false  peace,  but  by  a  true  and  loyal  love,  lest  that  by  biting  each  other  we 
destroy  each  other.' 

[Letter  of  St.  Jerome  to  his  bishop.] 


650 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


"  You  have  a  gi'eat  opinion  of  the  episcopal  power,  and  so  have  I.  But 
St.  Paul  and  all  the  Holy  Fathers  that  I  have  read,  have  also  told  us  many 
things  of  the  dignity  of  the  priest  (alter  Christus  Sacerdos).  I  am  your 
brother  and  equal  in  many  things ;  do  not  forget  it.  I  know  my  dignity  as  a 
man  and  a  priest,  and  I  shall  sooner  lose  my  life  than  to  surrender  them  to 
any  man,  even  a  bishop.  If  you  think  you  can  deal  with  me  as  a  carter  with 
his  horse,  drawing  him  where  he  likes,  you  will  very  soon  see  your 
error. 

"  I  neither  drink  strong  wines  nor  smoke,  and  the  many  hours  that 
others  spent  in  emptying  their  bottles  and  smoking  their  pipes,  I  read  my  dear 
books — I  s' .  dy  the  admirable  laws  of  the  church  and  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
I  love  my  books  and  the  holy  laws  of  our  church,  because  they  teach  me 
my  rights  as  well  as  my  duties.  They  tell  me  that  many  years  ago  a  general 
council,  which  is  something  above  you,  has  annulled  your  unjust  sentence, 
and  brought  upon  your  head  the  very  penalty  you  intended  to  impose  upon 
me.  They  tell  me  that  any  sentence  from  you,  coming  (from  your  own 
profession)  from  bad  and  criminal  motives,  is  null,  and  will  fall  powerless  at 
my  feet. 

"  But  1  tell  you  again,  that  I  desire  to  live  in  peace  with  you.  The  false 
reports  of  LeBelle  and  Carthevel  have  disturbed  that  peace ;  but  it  is  still  in 
your  power  to  have  it  for  yourself  and  give  it  to  me.  I  am  sure  that  the 
sentence  you  say  you  have  preferred  against  me  comes  from  a  misunder- 
standing, and  your  wisdom  and  charity,  if  you  can  hear  their  voice,  can 
very  easily  set  everything  as  it  was  two  months  ago.  It  is  still  in  your 
power  to  have  a  warm  friend,  or  an  immovable  adversary  in  Kankakee 
County.  It  would  both  be  equitable  and  honorable  in  you  to  extinguish 
the  fires  of  discord  which  you  have  so  unfortunately  enkindled,  by  drawing 
back  a  sentence  which  you  would  never  have  preferred  if  you  had  not  been 
deceived.  You  would  be  blessed  by  the  Church  01  Illinois,  and  particularly 
by  the  10,000  French  Canadians  who  surround  me,  and  are  ready  to  support 
me  at  all  hazards. 

"  Do  not  be  angry  from  the  seeming  harsh  words  which  you  find  in  this 
letter.  Nobody,  but  I,  could  tell  you  these  sad  truths,  though  every  one 
of  your  priests,  and  particularly  those  who  flatter  you  the  most,  repeat 
them  every  day. 

"  By  kind  and  honest  proceedings  you  can  get  everything  from  me, 
even  the  last  drop  of  my  blood ;  but  you  will  find  me  an  immovable  rock  if 
you  approach  me  as  you  have  always  done  (but  once)  with  insult  and  tyran- 
nical threats. 

"  You  have  not  been  ordained  a  bishop  to  rule  over  us  accord;. ig  to 
your  fancy,  but  you  have  the  eternal  laws  of  justice  and  equity  to  guide  you. 
You  have  the  laws  of  the  church  to  obey  as  well  as  her  humblest  child,  and 
as  soon  as  you  do  anything  against  these  imperishable  laws  you  are  power- 
less to  obtain  your  object.     It  is  not  only  lawful,  but  a  duty  to  resist  you. 


IE. 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


651 


so  have  I.  But 
50  told  us  many 
>s).  I  am  your 
my  dignity  as  a 
rrender  them  to 
e  as  a  carter  with 
f  soon  see   your 

nany  hours  that 
',i,  I  read  my  dear 
Gospel  of  Christ, 
se  they  teach  me 
ears  ago  a  general 
r  unjust  sentence, 
•d  to  impose  upon 
;  (from  your  own 
II  fall  powerless  at 

thyou.    The  false 
ce;butit  is  still  in 

I  am  sure  that  the 

trom  a  misunder- 

;ar  their  voice,  can 

It  is  still  in  your 

rsary  in  Kankakee 

you  to  extinguish 
.indled,  by  drawing 
if  you  had  not  been 
iois,  and  particularly 

are  ready  to  support 


Lerything  from  tne, 
In  immovable  rock  « 
[ith  insult  and  tyra.v 


When  you  strike  without  a  legitimate  or  a  canonical  cause ;  when  you  try  to 
take  away  my  character  to  please  some  of  your  friends;  when  you  order  me 
to  exile  to  stop  a  suit  which  you  are  inciting  against  me ;  when  you  punish 
me  for  the  crime  of  refusing  to  obey  the  orders  you  gave  me  to  be  the 
friend  of  three  public  rogues ;  when  you  threatened  me  with  excommuni- 
cation, because  I  do  not  give  you  my  little  personal  properties,  I  have  noth- 
ing to  fear  from  your  interdicts  and  excommunication. 

"  What  a  sad  lot  for  me,  and  what  a  shame  for  you,  if  by  your  continual 
attacks  at  the  doors  of  our  churches  or  in  the  public  press,  you  oblidge  me 
to  expose  your  injustice.  It  is  yet  time  for  you  to  avoid  that.  Instead  of 
striking  me  like  an  outcast,  come  and  give  me  the  paternal  hand  of  charity, 
instead  of  continuing  that  fratricidal  combat,  come  and  heal  the  wounds 
you  have  made  and  already  received.  Instead  of  insulting  me  by  driving 
irie  away  from  my  colony  to  the  land  of  exile,  come  and  bless  the  great 
work  I  have  begun  here  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  my  people. 
Instead  of  destroying  the  college  and  the  female  academy,  for  the  erection 
of  which  I  have  expended  my  last  cent,  and  whose  teachers  are  fed  at  my 
table,  come  and  bless  the  three  hundred  little  children, who  are  daily  attend- 
ing our  schools. 

'•  Instead  of  sacrificing  me  to  the  hatred  of  my  enemies,  come  and 
strengthen  my  heart  against  .their  fury. 

"  I  tell  you  again,  that  no  consideration  whatever  will  induce  me  to 
surrender  my  right  as  a  Catholic  priest  and  as  an  American  citizen.  By  the 
first  title  you  cannot  interdict  me,  as  long  as  I  am  a  good  priest,  for  the 
crime  of  wishing  to  live  in  my  colony  and  among  my  people.  By  the  second 
title,  you  cannot  turn  me  out  from  my  home. 

"  C.  CHINIQUY." 
It  was  the  first  time  that  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  with  his 
whole  people,  had  dared  to  speak  such  language  to  a  Bishop  of 
Rome  on  this  continent.  Never  yet  had  the  unbearable  tyranny 
of  those  haughty  men  received  such  a  public  rebuke.  Our  fear- 
less words  fell  as  a  bombshell  in  the  camp  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic hierarchy  of  America. 

With  very  few  exceptions,  the  press  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
whose  columns  had  so  often  echoed  the  cries  of  indignation 
raised  everywhere  against  the  tyranny  of  Bishop  O'Regan, 
took  sides  with  me.  Hundreds  of  priests,  not  only  from  Illinois, 
but  from  every  corner  of  the  United  States,  addressed  their 
warmest  thanks  to  me  for  the  stand  I  had  taken,  and  asked  me, 
in  the  name  of  God  and  for  the  honor  of  the  church,  not  to 
yield  an  inch  of  my  rights.     Many  promised  to  support  us  at 


wmmwm 


mmmm 


652 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  court  of  Rome,  by  writing  themselves  to  the  Pope,  to  de- 
nounce not  only  the  Bishop  of  Illinois,  but  several  others,  who, 
though  not  so  openly  bad,  were  yet  trampling  under  their  feet 
the  most  sacred  rights  of  the  priests  and  the  people.  Unfortu- 
nately those  priests  gave  me  a  saddening  knowledge  of  their 
cowardice  by  putting  in  their  letters  ''■absolutely  confidential.'" 
They  all  promised  to  help  me  when  I  was  storming  the  strong 
fortress  of  the  enemy,  provided  I  would  go  alone  in  the  gap, 
and  that  they  would  keep  themselves  behind  thick  walls,  far 
from  shot  and  shell. 

However,  this  did  not  disturb  me,  for  my  God  knows  it,  my 
trust  was  not  in  my  own  strength,  but  in  his  protection.  I  was 
sure  that  I  was  in  the  right,  that  the  Gospel  of  Christ  was  on 
my  side,  that  all  the.  canons  and  laws  of  the  councils  Were  in  my 
favor. 

My  library  was  filled  with  the  best  books  on  the  canons  and 
laws  passed  in  the  great  councils  of  my  church.  It  was  written 
in  big  letters  in  the  celebrated  work,  "  Histoire  du  droit  canoni- 

gue.^'*     There  is  no  arbitrary  power  in  the   Church   of  Christ 

vol.  iii.,  page  1 39. 

The  Council  of  Augsburg,  held  in  1548  (Can.  24),  had  de- 
clared that,  "  no  sentence  of  excommunication  will  be  passed, 
except  for  great  crimes." 

The  Pope  St.  Gregory  had  said:  "That  censures  are  null 
when,  not  inflicted  for  great  sins  or  for  faults  which  have  not 
been  clearly  proved." 

"  An  unjust  excommunication  does  not  bind  before  God 
those  against  whom  it  has  been  hushed.  But  it  injures  only  the 
one  who  has  proffered  it." — Eccl.  Laws,  by  Hericourt,  c.  xxii., 
Fo.  50. 

"  If  an  unjust  sentence  is  pronounced  against  any  one,  he 
must  not  pay  any  attention  to  it ;  for,  before  God  and  his  Church, 
an  unjust  sentence  cannot  injure  anybody.  Let,  then,  that  per- 
son do  nothing  to  get  such  an  nnjust  sentence  repealed,  for  it 
cannqt  injure  him." — St.  Gelace — The  Pope — (  Canoni  bin  est.) 

The  canonists  conclude,  from  all  the  laws  of  the  church  on 
that  matter,  "  That  if  a  priest  is  unjustly   interdicted  or  cxcom- 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


653 


municated  he  may  continue  to  officiate  without  any  fear  of  be- 
coming irregular." — Eccl.  Laws,  by  Hericourt,  c.  xxii.,  No.  51. 

Protected  by  these  laws,  and  hundreds  of  others  too  long  to 
enumerate,  which  my  church  had  passed  in  every  age,  strength- 
ened by  iiie  voice  of  my  conscience,  which  assured  me  that  I 
had  done  nothing  to  deserve  to  be  interdicted  or  excommunica- 
ted ;  sure,  besides,  of  the  testimony  brought  by  our  four  dele- 
gates that  the  bishnp  himself  had  declared  that  I  was  one  of 
his  best  priests,  that  he  wanted  to  give  me  my  letters  to  go  ar.d 
perform  the  functions  of  my  ministry  in  Kahokia :  above  all, 
knowing  the  unanimous  will  of  my  people  that  I  should  remain 
with  them  and  continue  the  great  and  good  work  so  providen- 
tially trusted  to  me  in  my  colony,  and  regarding  this  as  an  indi- 
cation of  the  divine  will,  I  determined  to  remain,  in  spite  of  the 
Bishop  of  Chicago.  All  the  councils  of  my  church  were  telling 
me  that  he  had  no  power  to  injure  me,  and  that  all  his  official 
acts  were  null. 

But  if  he  were  spiritually  powerless  against  me,  it  was  not 
so  in  temporal  matters.  His  power  and  his  desire  to  injure  us 
had  increased  with  his  hatred^  since  he  had  read  our  letters  and 
seen  them  in  all  the  papers  of  Chicago. 

The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  reconcile  himself  to  the  priest 
^eBelle,  whom  he  had  turned  out  ignominiously  from  his  diocese 
some  time  before.  That  priest  had  since  that  obtained  a  fine 
situation  in  the  diocese  of  Michigan.  He  invited  him  to  his 
palace,  and  petted  him  several  days.  I  felt  that  the  reconciliation 
of  those  two  men  meant  nothing  good  for  me.  But  my  hope 
was,  more  than  ever,  that  the  merciful  God  who  had  protected 
me  so  many  times  against  them,  would  save  me  again  from 
their  machinations.  The  air  was,  however,  filled  with  the 
strangest  rumors  against  me.  It  was  said  everywhere  that  Mr. 
LeBelle  was  to  bring  such  charges  against  my  character  that  I 
would  be  sent  to  the  penitentiary. 

What  were  the  new  iniquities  to  be  laid  to  my  charge?  No 
one  could  tell.  But  the  few  partisans  and  friends  of  the  bishop, 
Messrs.  LeBelle  and  Spink,  were  jubilant  and  sure  that  I  was  to 
be  forever  destroyed. 


654 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OP    ROME. 


At  last  the  time  arrived  when  the  Sheriff  of  Kankakee  had 
to  drag  tne  again  as  a  criminal  and  a  prisoner  to  Urbana,  and 
deliver  me  into  the  hands  of  the  sheriff  of  that  city.  I  arrived 
there  on  the  2oth  of  October,  with  my  lawyers,  Messrs.  Osgood, 
and  Paddock,  and  a  dozen  witnesses.  Mr.  Abraham  Lincoln 
had  preceded  me  only  by  a  few  minutes  from  Springfield.  He 
was  in  the  company  of  Judge  David  Davis,  since  Vice-President 
of  the  United  States,  when  I  met  him. 

The  jury  having  been  selected  and  sworn,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
LeBelle  was  the  first  witness  called  to  testify  and  say  what  he 
knew  against  my  character. 

Mr.  Lincoln  objected  to  that  kind  of  testimony,  and  tried  to 
prove  that  Mr.  Spink  had  no  right  to  bring  his  new  suit  against 
me  by  attacking  my  character.  But  Judge  Davis  ruled  that  the 
prosecution  had  that  right  in  the  case  that  was  before  him.  Mr. 
LeBelle  had,  then,  full  liberty  to  say  anything  he  wanted,  and 
he  availed  himself  of  his  privilege.  His  testimony  lasted  nearly 
an  hour,  and  was  too  long  to  be  given  here.  I  will  only  say 
that  he  began  by  declaring  that  "  Chiniquy  was  one  of  the  vilest 
men  of  the  day — that  every  kind  of  bad  rumors  were  constantly 
circulating  against  him."  He  gave  a  good  number  of  those 
rumors,  though  he  could  not  positively  swear  if  they  were 
founded  on  truth  or  not,  for  he  had  not  investigated  them.  But 
he  said  there  was  one  of  which  he  was  sure,  for  he  had  authen- 
ticated it  thoroughly.  He  expressed  a  great  deal  of  apparent 
regret  that  he  was  forced  to  reveal  to  the  world  such  things 
which  were  not  only  against  the  honor  of  Chiniquy,  but,  to 
some  extent,  involved  the  good  name  of  a  dear  sister,  Madame 
Bosse.  But  as  he  was  to  speak  the  truth  before  God,  he  could 
not  help  it — the  sad  truth  was  to  be  told.  "  Mr.  Chiniquy^''  he 
said,  "  had  attempted  to  do  the  most  infamous  things  with  my 
own  sister^  Madame  Basse.  She  herself  has  told  me  the  whole 
story  under  oath,  and  she  would  be  here  to  unmask  the  wicked 
man  to-day  before  the  whole  world,  if  she  were  not  forced  to 
silence,  at  home,  from  a  severe  illness." 

Though  every  word  of  that  story  was  a  perjury,  there  was 
such  a  color  of  truth  and  sincerity  in  my  accuser,  that  his  testi- 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWI<EDGED. 


OME. 

Kankakee  had 
to  Urbana,  and 
city.     I  arrived 
Messrs.  Osgood, 
3raham  Lincoln 
ipringfield.     He 
e  Vice-President 


655 


rt,  the   Rev.  Mr. 
and  say  what  he 

lony,  and  tried  to 
i  new  suit  against 
avis  ruled  that  the 
before  him.    Mr. 
Lg  he  wanted,  and 
lony  lasted  nearly 
I  will  only  say 
as  one  of  the  vilest 
rs  were  constantly 
number   of  those 
wear  if  they  were 
itigated  them.     But 
;or  he  had  authen- 
it  deal  of  apparent 
[world    such  things 
Chiniquy,  but,  to 
lear  sister,  Madame 
iore  God,  he  could 
\Mr.  Chiniquy^  he 
\us  things  ivith  my 
Is  told  me  the  whole 
unmask  the  wicked 
were  not  forced  to 

perjury,  there  was 
tcuser,  that  his  testi- 


mony fell  upon  me  and  my  lawyers  and  all  my  friends  as  a 
thunderbolt.  A  man  who  has  never  heard  such  a  calumny 
brought  against  him  before  a  jury  in  a  court-house  packed  with 
people,  composed  of  friends  and  foes,  will  never  understand 
what  I  felt  in  this  the  darkest  hour  of  my  life.  My  God  only 
knows  the  weight  and  the  bitterness  of  the  waves  of  desolation 
which  then  passed  over  my  soul. 

After  that  testimony  was  given,  there  was  a  lull,  and  a  most 
profound  silence  in  the  court-room.  All  the  eyes  were  turned 
upon  me,  and  I  heard  many  voices  speaking  of  me,  whispering, 
"The  villain!"  Those  voices  passed  through  my  soul  as  pois- 
oned arrows.  Though  innocent,  I  wished  that  the  ground  would 
open  under  my  feet  and  bring  me  down  to  the  darkest  abysses, 
to  conceal  me  from  the  eyes  of  my  friends  and  the  whole  world. 
However,  Mr.  Lincoln  soon  interrupted 'the  silence  by  ad- 
dressing to  LeBelle  such  cross-questions  that  his  testimony,  in 
the  minds  of  many,  soon  lost  much  of  its  power.  And  he  did 
still  more  destroy  the  effect  of  his  (LeBellc's)  false  oath,  when, 
he  brought  my  twelve  witnesses,  who  were  among  the  most 
respectable  citizens  of  Bourbonnais,  formerly  the  parishioners  of 
Mr.  LeBelle.  Those  twelve  gentlemen  swore  that  Mr.  LeBelle 
was  such  a  drunkard  and  vicious  man,  that  he  was  so  publicly 
my  enemy  on  account  of  the  many  rebukes  I  had  given  to  his 
private  and  public  vices,  that  they  would  not  believe  a  word  of 
what  he  said,  even  upon  his  oath. 

At  ten  p.  M.  the  court  was  adjourned,  to  meet  again  the  next 
morning,  and  I  went  to  the  room  of  Mr.  Lincoln  with  my  two 
other  lawyers,  to  confer  about  the  morning's  work.  My  mind 
was  unspeakably  sad.  Life  had  never  been  such  a  burden  to  me 
as  in  that  hour.  I  was  tempted,  like  Job,  to  curse  the  hour 
when  I  was  born.  I  could  see  in  the  face  of  my  lawyers 
though  they  tried  to  conceal  it,  that  they  were  also  full  of 
anxiety. 

"  My  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  though  I 
hope,  to-morrow,  to  destroy  the  testimony  of  Mr.  LeBelle 
against  you,  I  must  concede  that  I  see  great  dangers  ahead. 
There  is  not  the  least  doubt  in  my  mind  that  t  very  word  he  has 


656 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


said  is  u  sworn  lie;  but  my  fear  is  that  the  jury  thinks  differently. 
I  am  a  pretty  good  judge  in  these  matters.  I  feel  that  our  jury- 
men think  that  you  are  guilty.  There  is  only  one  way  to  per- 
fectly destroy  the  power  of  a  false  witness — it  is  by  another 
tlirect  testimony  against  what  he  has  said,  or  by  showing  from 
his  very  lips  that  he  has  perjured  himself.  I  failed  to  do  that 
last  night,  though  I  have  diminished,  to  a  great  extent,  the  force 
of  his  testimony.  Can  you  not  prove  an  alibi,  or  can  you  not 
bring  witnesses  who  were  there  in  the  same  house  that  day, 
who  would  flatly  and  directly  contradict  what  your  remorseless 
enemy  has  said  against  you  ?  " 

I  answered  him :  "  How  can  I  try  to  do  such  a  thing  when 
they  have  been  shrewd  enough  not  to  fix  the  very  date  of  the 
alleged  crime  against  me  ?  " 

"  You  are  correct,  you  are  perfectly  correct,  Mr.  Chiniquy," 
answered  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  as  they  have  refused  to  precise  the 
date,  we  cannot  try  that.  I  have  n6ver  seen  two  such  skillful 
rogues  as  those  two  priests.  There  is  really  a  diabolical  skill  in 
the  plan  they  have  concocted  for  your  destruction.  It  is  evident 
that  the  bishop  is  at  the  bottom  of  the  plot.  You  remember 
how  I  have  forced  LeBelle  to  confess  that  he  was  now  on  the 
most  friendly  terms  with  the  Bishop  of  Chicago,  since  he  has 
become  the  chief  of  your  accusers.  Though  I  do  not  give  up 
the  hope  of  rescuing  you  from  the  hands  of  your  enemies,  I 
do  not  like  to  conceal  from  you  that  I  have  several  reasons 
to  fear  that  you  will  be  declared  guilty  and  condemned  to  a 
heavy  penalty,  or  to  the  penitentiary,  though  I  am  sure  you 
are  perfectly  innocent.  It  is  very  probable  that  wc  will  have  to 
confront  that  sister  of  LeBelle  to-morrow.  Her  sickncbs  is 
probably  a  feint,  in  order  not  to  appear  here  except  after  the 
brother  will  have  prepared  the  public  mind  in  her  favor.  At 
all  events,  if  she  does  not  come,  they  will  send  some  justice  of 
the  peace  to  get  her  sworn  testimony,  which  will  be  more  dif- 
ficult to  rebut  than  her  own  verbal  declarations.  That  woman 
is  evidently  in  the  hands  of  the  bishop  and  her  brother  priest, 
ready  to  swear  anything  they  order  her,  and  I  know  nothing  so 
difficult  as  to  refute  such  female  testimonies,  particularly  when 


OME. 

inks  difierently. 
:l  that  our  jury- 
ane  way  to  per- 
it  is  by  another 
J  showing  from 
Eailed  to  do  that 
extent,  the  force 
,  or  can  you  not 
'house  that  day, 
your  remorseless 

ich  a  thing  when 
,  very  date  of  the 

;t,  Mr.  Chiniquy," 
sed  to  precise  the 
two  such  skillful 
I  diabolical  skill  in 
:tion.     It  is  evident 
>t.     You  remember 
he  was  now  on  the 
^icago,  since  he  has 
I  do  not  give  up 
)i  your  enemies,  I 
ave  several  reasons 
.d  condemned  to  a 
,gh  I  am  sure  you 
hat  wc  will  have  to 
Her    sickneis  is 
|re  except  after  the 
[  in  her  favor.    At 
ind  some  justice  of 
Ich  will  be  more  dif- 
ions.    That  woman 
her  brother  priest, 
I  know  nothing  so 
i,  particularly  when 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDUED. 


657 


they  are  absent  from  the  court.  The  only  way  to  be  sure  of 
a  favorable  verdict  to-morrow  is,  that  God  Almighty  would 
take  our  part  and  show  your  innocence!  Go  to  Him  and 
pray,  for  He  alone  can  save  you." 

Mr.   Lincoln  was  exceedingly  solemn   when   he  addressed 
those  words  to  me,  and  they  went  very  deep  into  my  soul. 

I  have  often  been  asked  if  Abraham  Lincoln  had  any  religion? 
But  I  never  had  any  doubt  about  his  profound  confidence  in 
God,  since  I  heard  those  words  falling  from  his  lips  in  that  hour 
of  anxiety.     I  had  not  been  able  to  conceal  my  deep  distress. 
Burning  tears  were  rolling  on  my  cheeks  when  he  was  speaking, 
and  there  was  on  his  face  the  expression  of  friendly  sympathy 
which  I  shall  never  forget.     Without  being  able  to  say  a  word, 
I   left   him  to    go    to  my  little    room.     It  •was   nearly  eleven 
o'clock.     I  locked  the  door  and  fell  on  my  knees  to  pray,  but  I 
was  unable  to  say  a  single  word.    The  horrible  sworn  calumnies 
thrown  at  my  face  by  a  priest  of  my  own  church  were  ringing 
in  my  ears  I  my  honor  and  my  good  name  so  cruelly  and  forever 
destroyed!  all  my  friends  and  my  dear  people  covered  with  an 
eternal  confusion!  and  more  than  that,  the  sentence  of  condem- 
nation which  was  probably  to  be  hurled  against  me  the  next 
day  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  country,  whose  eyes  were  upon 
mel     All   those  things  were  before  me,  not  only  as  horrible 
phantoms,  but  as  heavy  mountains,  under  the  burdens  of  which 
I  could  not  breathe.   At  last  the  fountains  of  tears  were  opened, 
and  it  relieved  me  to  weep ;  I  could  then  speak  and  cry  :  "  Oh ! 
my. God!  have  mercy  upon  me!  thou  knowest  my  innocence! 
hast  thou  not  promised  that  those  who  trust  in  thee  cannot  perish ! 
Oh!  do  not  let  me  perish,  when  Thou  art  the  only  One  in  whom 
I  trust!     Come  to  my  help!     Save  me!  " 

From  eleven  p.  m.  to  three  in  the  morning  I  cried  to  God, 
and  raised  my  supplicating  hands,  to  his  throne  of  mercy.  But 
I  confess  to  my  confusion,  it  seemed  to  me  in  certain  moments, 
that  it  was  useless  to  pray  and  to  cry,  for  though  innocent,  I  was 
doomed  to  perish.  I  was  in  the  hands  of  my  enemies.  My  God 
had  forsaken  me ! 

What  an  awful  night  I  spent!    I  hope  none  of  my  readers 


658 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROMB.' 


will  ever  know  by  their  own  experience  the  agony  of  spirit  I 
endured.  I  had  no  other  expectation  than  to  be  forever  dis- 
honored, and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  next  moiningi 

But  God  had  not  forsaken  me  I  He  had  again  heard  my 
cries,  and  was,  once  more,  to  show  me  His  infinite  mercy! 

At  three  o'clock  A.  m.  I  heard  three  knocks  at  my  door,  and 
I  quickly  went  to  open  it.  "  Who  was  there?  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, with  a  face  beaming  with  joy  t" 

I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes.  But  I  was  not  mistaken. 
It  was  my  noble-hearted  friend,  the  most  honest  lawyer  of  Illi. 
noisi— one  of  the  noblest  men  Heaven  had  ever  given  to  earth! 
It  was  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  had  been  given  me  as  my  Saviour! 
On  seeing  me  bathed  with  tears,  he  exclaimed,  «' Cheer  up, 
Mr.  Chiniquy,  I  have  the  perjured  priests  in  my  hands.  Their 
diabolical  plot  is  all  known,  and  if  they  do  not  fly  away  before 
the  dawn  of  day,  they  will  surely  be  lynched.  Bless  the  Lord, 
you  are  saved ! " 

The  sudden  passage  of  extreme  desolation  to  an  extreme  joy 
came  near  killing  me.  I  felt  as  suffocated,  and  unable  to  utter 
a  single  word.  I  took  his  hand,  pressed  it  to  my  lips,  and  bathed 
it  with  tears  of  joy.  I  said :  «  May  God  forever  bless  you,  dear 
Mr.  Lincoln.  But  please  tell  me  how  you  can  bring  me  such 
glorious  news ! " 

Here  is  the  simple  but  marvellous  story,  as  told  me  by  that 
great  and  good  man,  whom  God  had  made  the  messenger  of  his 
mercies  towards  me : 

**  As  soon  as  LeBelle  had  given  his  perjured  testimony  against 
you  yesterday,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  «*  one  of  the  agents  of  the 
Chicago  press  telegraphed  to  some  of  the  principal  papers  of 
Chicago:  '  It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Chiniquy  will  be  condemned; 
for  the  testimony  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  LeBelle  seems  to  leave  no 
doubt  that  he  is  guilty.*  And  the  little  Irish  boys,  to  sell  their 
papers,  filled  the  streets  with  the  cries:  '  Chiniquy  will  be  hung! 
Chiniquy  will  be  hung ! '  The  Roman  Catholics  were  so  glad 
to  hear  that,  that  ten  thousand  extra  copies  have  been  sold. 
Among  those  who  bought  those  papers  was  a  friend  of  yours, 
called  Terrien,  who  went  to  his  wife  and  told  her  that  you  were 


liPNiPPPP9P""¥*" 


V'l'W^^w 


iiilippvniuii  mmm  mnmit^M 


OMB. 

ony  of  spirit  I 
be  forever  dia- 
ling I 
again  heard  my 

lite  mercy! 

at  my  doo'»  '^^^ 
Abraham  Lin- 

ras  not  mistaken. 
•St  lawyer  of  lUi- 
rer  given  to  earth! 
me  as  my  Saviour! 
imed,  "Cheer  up, 
my  hands.    Their 
ot  fly  away  before 
I.    Bless  the  Lord, 

n  to  an  extreme  joy 

and  unable  to  utter 

,  my  lips*  and  bathed 

ever  bless  you,  dear 
u  can  bring  me  such 

r,  as  told  me  by  that 
the  messenger  of  his 

red  testimony  against 

yl  the  agents  of  the 
e  principal  papers  of 
/  will  be  condemned; 
[le  seems  to  leave  no 
ish  boys,  to  sell  their 
,iniquy  will  be  hung 
■atholics  were  so  glad 
pies   have  been  sold, 
las  a  friend  of  yours, 
old  her  that  you  were 


MV    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


«59 


to  be  condemned,  and  when  the  woman  heard  that,  she  said, '  It 
is  too  bad,  for  I   know  Mr.  Chiniquy  is  not  guilty.' 

" '  How  do  you  know  that  ? '  said  the  husband.  She  answered: 
« I  was  there  when  the  priest  LeBelle  made  the  plot,  and  promised 
to  give  his  sister  two  eighties  of  good  land  if  she  would  swear  a 
false  oath — and  accuse  him  of  n  crime  which  that  woman  said 
he  had  not  even  thought  of  with  her.' 

"  *  If  it  be  so,'  said  Terrien,  *  we  cannot  allow  Mr.  Chiniquy 
to  be  condemned.     Come  with  me  to  Urbana.' 

« But  that  woman  being  quite  unwell,  said  to  her  husband, 
«« You  know  well  I  cannot  go;  but  Miss  Philomene  MofTat  was 
with  me  then.  She  knows  every  particular  of  that  wicked  plot 
as  well  as  I  do.  She  is  well :  go  and  take  her  to  Ui  Inna.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  her  testimony  will  preventthc  condemnation  of 
Mr.  Chiniquy.' 

" Narcisse  Terrien  started  immediately :  ar  when  you  wore 
praying  God  to  come  to  your  help.  He  was  sendinp  your  de- 
liverer af  i!ie  full  speed  of  the  railroad  cars.  Miss  Moffat  has 
just  given  me  the  dr'tails  of  that  diabolical  plot.  I  have  advised 
iur  not  to  show  herself  before  the  Court  is  opened.  I  vvill,  then, 
send  for  her,  and  when  she  will  have  given,  under  oath,  before 
the  Court,  the  details  she  has  just  given  me,  I  pity  Spink  with 
his  perjured  priests.  As  I  told  you,  I  would  not  be  surprised  if 
they  were  lynched :  for  there  is  a  terrible  excitement  in  town 
among  many  people,  who  from  the  beginning,  suspect  that  the 
priests  have  perjured  themselves  to  destroy  you. 

"  Now  your  suit  is  gained,  and,  to-morrow,  you  will  have 
the  greatest  triumph  a  man  ever  got  over  his  confounded  foes. 
But  you  are  in  need  of  rest  as  well  as  myself.     Goodb-bye." 

After  thanking  God  for  that  marvellous  deliverance,  I  went 
to  bed  and  took  the  needed  rest. 

But  what  was  the  priest  LeBelle  doing  in  that  very  moment.^ 
Unable  to  sleep  after  the  awful  perjury  he  had  just  made,  he  had 
watched  the  arrival  of  the  trains  from  Chicago  with  an  anxious 
mind,  for  he  was  aware,  through  the  confessions  he  had  heard, 
that  there  were  two  persons  in  that  city  who  knew  his  plot  and 
his  false  oath;  and  though  he  had  the  promises  from  them  that 


66o 


FIFTY    YFARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


they  would  nc/er  reveal  it  to  anybody,  he  was  not  without  some 
fearful  apprehension  that  I  might,  by  some  way  or  other,  become 
acquainted  with  his  abominable  conspiracy.  Not  long  after  the 
arrival  of  the  trains  from  Chicago,  he  came  down  from  his 
.room  to  see  in  the  book  where  travelers  register  their  names,  if 
there  were  any  newcomers  from  Chicago,and  what  was  his  dismay 
when  he  saw  the  first  name  entered  was  *■'•  Philomene  Moffat!'''' 
That  very  name,  Philomene  Moffat,  who  some  time  before,  had 
gone  to  confess  to  him  that  she  had  heard  the  whole  plot  from 
his  own  lips,  when  he  had  promised  i6o  acres  of  land  to  per- 
suade his  sister  to  perjure  herself  in  order  to  destroy  me.  A 
deadly  presentiment  chilled  the  blood  in  his  veins!  "Would  it 
be  possible  that  this  girl  is  here  to  reveal  and  prove  my  perjury 
before  the  world  ?  " 

He  immediately  sent  for  her,  when  she  was  just  coming  from 
meeting  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Miss  Philomene  Moffat  here !  "  he  exclaimed,  when  he  saw 
her.    "  What  are  you  coming  here  for,  this  night?  "  he  said. 

"  You  will  know  it,  sir,  to-morrow  morning,"  she  answered. 

"  Ah  1  wretched  girl  1  you  come  to  destroy  me  ? "  he  ex- 
claimed. 

She  replied :  •'  I  do  not  come  to  destroy  you,  for  you  are 
already  destroyed.     Mr.  Lincoln  knows  everything. " 

"  Oh  I  my  God !  my  God  I "  he  exclaimed,  striking  his  fore- 
head with  his  hands.  Then  taking  a  big  bundle  of  bank  notes 
from  his  pocket-book,  he  said :  "  Here  are  one  hundred  dollars 
for  you,  if  you  take  the  morning  train  and  go  back  to  Chicago." 

"  If  you  would  offer  me  as  much  gold  as  this  house  could 
contain,  I  would  not  go,"  she  replied. 

He  then  left  her  abruptly,  ran  to  the  sleeping-room  of  Spink, 
and  told  him :  "  Withdraw  your  suit  against  Chiniquy ;  we  are 
lost;  he  knows  all." 

Without  losing  a  moment,  he  went  to  the  sleeping-room  of 
his  co-priest,  and  told  him :  "  Make  haste — dress  yourself  and 
let  us  take  the  morning  train ;  we  have  no  business  here,  Chini- 
quy knows  all  our  secrets." 

When  the  hour  of  opening  the  court  came,  there  was  an  im- 


NY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


66 1 


mense  crowd,  not  only  inside,  but  outside  its  walls.  Mr.  Spink, 
pale  as  a  man  condemned  to  death,  rose  before  the  Judge  and 
said!  "Please  the  court,  allow  me  to  withdraw  my  prosecution 
against  Mr.  Chiniquy.  I  am  \iow  persuaded  that  he  is  not  guilty 
of  the  faults  brought  against  him  before  this  tribunal." 

Abraham  Lincoln,  having  accepted  that  reparation  in  my 
name,  made  a  short,  but  one  of  the  most  admirable  speeches  I 
have  ever  heard,  on  the  cruel  injustices  I  had  suffered  from  my 
merciless  persecutors,  and  denounced  the  rascality  of  the  priests 
who  had  perjured  themselves,  with  such  terrible  colors,  that  it 
had  been  very  wise  on  their  part  to  fly  away  and  disappear 
before  the  opening  of  the  court.  For  the  whole  city  was  ran- 
sacked for  them  by  hundreds,  who  blamed  me  for  forgiving  them 
and  refusing  to  have  my  revenge  for  the  wrong  they  had  done 
me.  But  I  really  thought  that  my  enemyss  were  sufficiently 
punished  by  the  awful  public  disclosures  of  their  infernal  plot. 
It  seemed  that  the  dear  Saviour  who  had  so  visibly  protected  me, 
was  to  be  obeyed,  when  he  was  whispering  in  my  soul,  "  For- 
give them  and  love  them  as  thyself." 

Was  not  Spink  sufficiently  punished  by  the  complete  ruin 
which  was  brought  upon  him  by  the  loss  of  the  suit?  For 
having  gone  to  Bishop  O'Regan  to  be  indemnified  for  the  enor- 
mous expenses  of  such  a  long  prosecution,  at  such  a  distance, 
the  bishop  coldly  answered  him :  "  I  had  promised  to  indemnify 
if  you  would  put  Chiniquy  down,  as  you  promised  me.  But  as 
it  is  Chiniquy  who  has  put  you  down,  I  have  not  a  cent  to  give 
you." 

Abraham  Lincoln  had  not  only  defended  me  with  the  zeal 
and  talent  of  the  ablest  lawyer  I  have  ever  known,  but  as  the 
most  devoted  and  noblest  friend  I  ever  had.  After  giving  more 
than  a  year  of  his  precious  time  to  my  defense,  when  he  had 
pleaded,  during  two  long  sessions  of  the  Court  of  Urbana,  with- 
out receiving  a  cent  from  me,  I  considered  that  I  was  owing  him 
a  great  sum  of  money.  My  two  other  lawyers,  who  had  not 
done  the  half  of  his  work,  asked  me  a  thousand  dollars 
each,  and  I  had  not  thought  that  too  much.  After  thanking  him 
for  the  inappreciable  services  he  had  rendered  me,  I  requested  him 


there  was  an  im- 


662 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


to  show  me  his  bill,  assuring  him  that,  though  I  would  not  be 
able  to  pay  the  whole  cash,  I  would  pay  him  to  the  last  cent,  if 
he  had  the  kindness  to  wait  a  little  for  the  balance. 

He  answered  me  with  a  smile  and  an  air  of  inimitable  kind- 
•ness,  which  was  peculiar  to  him :  "  My  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy,  I 
feel  proud  and  honored  to  have  been  called  to  defend  you.     But 
I  have  done  it  less  as  a  lawyer  than  as  a  friend.     The  money  I 
should  receive  from  you  would  take  away  the  pleasure  I  feel  at 
having  fought  your  battle.  Your  case  is  unique  in  my  whole  prac- 
tice.    I  have  never  met  a  man  so  cruelly  persecuted  as  you  have 
been,  and  who  deserves  it  so  little.  Your  enemies  are  devils  incar- 
nate. The  plot  they  had  concocted  against  you  is  the  most  hellish 
one  I  ever  knew.     But  the  way  you  have  been  saved  from  their 
hands,  the  appearance  of  that  young  and  intelligent  Miss  Moffat, 
who  was  really  sent  by  God  in  the  very  hour  of  need,  when,  I 
confess  it  again,  I  thought  everything  was  nearly  lost,  is  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  occurrences  I  ever  saw.     It  makes  me 
remember  what  I  have  too  often  forgotten,  and  what  my  mother 
often  told  me  when  young — that  our  God  is  a  prayer-hearing 
God.     This  good  thought,  sown  into  my  young  heart  by  that 
dear  mother's  hand,  was  just  in  my  mind  when  I  told  you,    '  Go 
and  pray,  God  alone  can  save  you.'     But  I  confess  to  you  that  I 
had  not  faith  enough  to  believe  that  your  prayer  would  be  so 
quickly  and  so  marvellously  answered  by  the  sudden  appearance 
of  that  interesting  young  lady,  last  night.     Now  let  us  speak  of 
what  you  owe  me.     Well! — Well! — how  much  do  you  owe  me? 
You  owe  me  nothing  1  for  I  suppose  you  are  quite  ruined.     The 
expenses  of  such  a  suit,  I  know,  must  be  enormous.    Your  ene- 
mies want  to  ruin  you.     Will  I  help  them  to  finish  your  ruin, 
when  I  hope  I  have  the  right  to  be  put  among  the  most  sincere 
and  devoted  of  your  friends?" 

"You  are  right,"  I  answered  him;  "  you  are  the  most  devo- 
ted and  noblest  friend  God  ever  gave  me,  and  I  am  nearly 
ruined  by  my  enemies.  But  you  are  the  father  of  a  pretty  large 
family ;  you  must  support  them.  Your  traveling  expenses  in 
coming,  twice,  here  for  me  from  Springfield ;  your  hotel  bills 
two  terms  you  have  defended  me,  must 


during 


very 


IWfWi^f 


^'''fP! 


PI|P!il!i'«'i'PW^*PiP^ 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


€6$ 


Qiderable.  It  is  not  just  that  you  should  receive  nothing  in  re- 
turn  of  such  work  and  expenses." 

«*  Weill  well!"  he  answered,  "I  will  give  you  a  promissory 
note  which  you  will  sign. "  Taking  then  a  small  piece  of  paper, 
he  wrote: 

He  handed  me  the  note,  saying,  "  Can  you  sign  that  ?  " 


•^   ^C^ 


After  reading  it,  I  said,  "  Dear  Mr.  Lincoln,  this  is  a  joke. 
It  is  not  possible  that  you  ask  only  fifty  dollars  for  services  which 
are  worth  at  least  two  thousand  dollars." 

He  then  tapped  me  with  the  right  hand  on  the  shoulders  and 
said:  *'Sign  that;  it  is  enough.  I  will  pinch  some  rich  men  for 
that  and  make  them  pay  the  rest  of  the  bill,"  and  he  laughed 
outright. 

When  Abraham  Lincoln  was  writing  the  due>bill,  the  relax- 
ation of  tlie  great  strain  upon  my  mind,  and  the  great  kindness 
of  my  benefactor  and  defender  in  charging  me  so  little  for 
such  a  service,  and  the  terrible  presentiment  that  he  would  pay 


664 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROMS. 


with  his  life  what  he  had  done  for  me,  caused  me  to  break  into 
sobs  and  tears. 

As  Mr.  Lincoln  had  finished  writing  the  due-bill,  he  turned 
round  to  me,  and  said,  "  Father  Chiniquy,  what  are  you  crying 
for?  ought  you  not  to  be  the  most  happy  man  alive?  you  have 
beaten  your  enemies  and  gained  the  most  glorious  victory,  and 
you  will  come  out  of  all  your  troubles  in  triumph." 

"  Dear  Mr.  Lincoln,"  I  answered,  "  allow  me  to  tell  you  that 
the  joy  I  should  naturally  feel  for  such  a  victory  is  destroyed  in 
my  mind  by  the  fear  of  what  it  may  cost  you.  There  were, 
then,  in  the  crowd,  not  less  than  ten  or  twelve  Jesuits  from 
Chicago  and  St.  Louis,  who  came  to  hear  my  sentence  of  condem- 
nation  to  the  penitentiary.  But  it  was  on  their  heads  that  you 
have  brought  the  thunders  of  heaven  and  earth!  nothing  can 
be  compared  to  the  expression  of  their  rage  against  you,  when 
you  not  only  wrenched  me  from  their  cruel  hands,  but  you  were 
making  the  walls  of  the  court-house  tremble  under  the  awful 
and  superhumanly  eloquent  denunciation  of  their  infamy,  dia- 
bolical malice,  and  total  want  of  Christian  and  human  principle, 
in  the  plot  they  had  formed  for  my  destruction.  What  troubles 
my  soul,  just  now,  and  draws  my  tears,  is  that  it  seems  to  me  that 
I  have  read  your  sentence  of  death  in  their  bloody  eyes.  How 
many  other  noble  victims  have  already  fallen  at  their  feet ! 

He  tried  to  divert  my  mind,  at  first,  with  a  joke,  "  Sign  this," 
said  he,  « It  will  be  my  warrant  of  death." 

But  after  I  had  signed,  he  became  more  solemn,  and  said,  "  I 
know  that  Jesuits  never  forget  nor  forsake.  But  man  must  not 
care  how  and  where  he  dies,  provided  he  dies  at  the  post  of 
honor  and  duty,"  and  he  left  me. 

Here  is  the  sworn  declaration  of  Miss  Philomene  Mof&t, 
now  Mrs.  Philomene  Schwartz. 


"  State  of  Illinois,         ) 
Cook  County,  \ 


ss. 


'*  Philomene  Schwartz,  being  first  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says:  That 
she  is  of  the  age  of  forty-three  years,  and  resides  at  484  Milwaukee 
Avenue,  Chicago ;  that  her  maiden  name  was  Philomene  Moffat ;  that  she 


MY    INNOCENCE    ACKNOWLEDGED. 


665 


e  to  break  into 


Philomene  Moffet, 


knew  Father  LeBelle,  the  Roman  Catholic  priest  of  the  French  Catholics 
of  Chicago  during  his  lifetime,  and  knows  Rev.  Father  Chiniquy;  that 
about  the  month  of  May,  A.  D.  1854,  in  company  with  Miss  Eugenia 
Bossey,  the  housekeeper  of  her  uncle,  the  Rev'd  Mr.  LeBelle,  who  was 
then  living  at  the  parsonage  on  Clark  street,  Chicago,  while  we  were  sitting 
in  the  room  of  Miss  Bossey,  the  Rev.  Mr.  LeBelle  was  talking  with  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Bossey,  in  the  adjoining  room,  not  suspecting  that  we  were 
there  hearing  his  conversation,  through  the  door,  which  was  partly  opened; 
though  we  could  neither  see  him  nor  his  sister,  we  heard  every  word  of 
what  they  said  together,  the  substance  of  which  is  as  follows — Rev.  Mr. 
LeBelle  said  in  substance,  to  Mrs.  Bossey,  his  sister: 

" « You  know  that  Mr.  Chiniquy  is  a  dangerous  man,  and  he  is  my 
enemy,  having  already  persuaded  several  of  my  congregation  to  settle  in 
his  colony.  You  must  help  me  to  put  him  down,  by  accusing  him  of  having 
tried  to  do  a  criminal  action  with  you.' 

"  Madame  Bossey  answered :  *  I  cannot  say  such  a  thing  against  Mr. 
Chiniquy,  when  I  know  it  is  absolutely  false.' 

"  Rev.  Mr.  LeBelle  replied :  *  If  you  refuse  to  comply  with  my  request, 
I  will  not  give  you  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  o{  land  I  intended  to 
give  you;  you  will  live  and  die  poor.' 

"  Madame  Bossey  answered :  « I  prefer  never  to  have  that  land,  and  I 
like  better  to  live  and  die  poor,  than  to  perjure  myself  to  please  you.' 

«« The  Rev.  Mr.  LeBelle,  several  times,  urged  his  sister,  Mrs.  Bossey,  to 
comply  with  his  desires,  but  she  refused.  At  last,  weeping  and  crying,  she 
said :  '  I  prefer  never  to  have  an  inch  of  land  than  to  damn  my  soul  for 
swearing  to  a  falsehood.' 

"  The  Rev.  Mr.  LeBelle  then  said: 

"  *  Mr.  Chiniquy  will  destroy  our  holy  religion  and  our  people  if  we  do 
not  destroy  him.  If  you  think  that  the  swearing  I  ask  you  to  do  is  a  sin, 
you  will  come  to  confess  to  me,  and  I  will  pardon  it  in  the  absolution  I  will 
give  you.' 

" « Have  you  the  power  to  forgive  a  false  oath.' '  replied  Mrs.  Bossey  to 
her  brother,  the  priest. 

"  •  Yes,'  he  answered, '  I  have  that  power ;  for  Christ  has  said  to  all  his 
priests, "  What  you  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven,  and  what 
you  shall  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." ' 

"  Mrs.  Bossey  then  said :  '  If  you  promise  that  you  will  forgive  that 
false  oath,  and  if  you  give  me  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  you 
promised,  I  will  do  what  you  want' 

"  The  Rev'd  Mr.  LeBelle  then  said:  '  All  right! '  I  could  not  hear  any 
more  of  that  conversation,  for  in  that  instant  Miss  Eugenia  Bossey, 
who  had  kept  still  and  silent  with  us,  made  some  noise  and  shut  the 
door. 


'^^m^ 


wmmmm 


"v. 


666 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


"  Affiant  further  states:  That,  some  time  Inter,  I  went  to  confess  to  Rev. 
Mr.  LeBelle,  and  I  told  him  that  I  had  lost  confidence  in  him.  He  asked  me 
why?  I  answered:  '  I  lost  my  confidence  in  you  since  I  heard  your  con- 
versation with  your  sister,  when  you  tried  to  persuade  her  to  perjure  herself 
in  order  to  destroy  Father  Chiniquy.' 

"  Affiant  further  says:  That  in  the  month  of  October,  A.  D.  1856,  the 
Rev'd  Mr.  Chiniquy  had  to  defend  himself,  before  the  civil  and  criminal 
court  of  Urbana,  Illinois,  in.  an  action  brought  against  him  by  Peter 
Spink;  some  one  wrote  from  Urbana  to  a  paper  of  Chicago,  that  Father 
Chiniquy  was  probably  to  be  condemned.  The  paper  which  published  that 
letter  was  much  read  by  the  Roman  Catholics,  who  were  glad  to  hear  that 
that  priest  was  to  be  punished.  Among  those  who  read  that  paper  was 
Narcisse  Terrien.  He  had  lately  been  married  to  Miss  Sara  Chaussey,  who 
told  him  that  Father  Chiniquy  was  innocent ;  that  she  was  present  with  me 
when  Rev'd  LeBelle  prepared  the  plot  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Bossey,  had 
promised  her  a  large  piece  of  land  if  she  would  swear  falsely  against 
Father  Chiniquy.  Mr.  Narcisse  Terrien  wanted  to  go  with  his  wife  to  the 
help  of  Father  Chiniquy,  but  she  was  unwell  and  could  not  go.  He 
came  to  ask  me  if  I  remembered  well  the  conversation  of  Rev'd  Mr.  LeBelle, 
and  if  I  would  consent  to  go  to  Urbana  to  expose  the  whole  plot  before  the 
court,  and  I  consented. 

"  We  started  that  same  evening  for  Urbana,  where  we  arrived  late  at 
night.  I  immediately  met  Mr.  Abraham  Lincoln,  one  of  the  lawyers  of 
Father  Chiniquy,  and  told  him  all  that  I  knew  about  the  plot. 

"  That  very  ^ame  night  the  Rev'd  Mr.  LeBelle,  having  seen  my  name 
on  the  hotel  register,  came  to  me  much  excited  and  troubled,  and  said, 
Philomene,  what  are  you  here  for.' ' 

"  I  answered  him :  '  I  cannot  exactly  tell  you  that;  but  you  will  probably 
know  it  to-morrow  at  the  court-house! ' 

" '  Oh,  wretched  girl ! '  he  exclaimed, '  you  have  come  to  destroy  me.' 

" '  I  do  not  come  to  destroy  you,'  I  replied,  '  for  you  are  already  des- 
troyed!' 

"  Then  drawing  from  his,portmonnaie-book  a  big  bundle  of  bank-notes, 
which  he  said  was  worth  one  hundred  dollars,  he  said :  '  I  will  give  you  all 
this  money  if  you  will  leave  by  the  morning  train  and  go  back  to  Chicago.' 

"  I  answered  him :  *  Though  you  would  offer  me  as  much  gold  as  this 
room  can  contain,  I  cannot  do  what  you  ask.' 

**  He  then  seemed  exceedingly  distressed,  and  he  disappeared.  The  next 
morning  Peter  Spink  requested  the  court  to  allow  him  to  withdraw  his 
accusations  against  Father  Chiniquy,  and  to  stop  his  prosecutions,  having, 
he  said,  found  out  that  he.  Father  Chiniquy,  was  innocent  of  the  things 
brought  against  him,  and  his  request  was  granted.  Then  the  innocence 
and  honesty  of  Father  Chiniquy  was  acknowledged  by  the  court  after  it 


butyou  will  probably 


MY   INNOCENCE   ACKNOWLEDGED. 


667 


had  been  proclaimed  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was  afterwards  elected 
President  of  the  United  States. 

"(Signed)  PHILOMENE  SCHWARTZ. 

"  I,  Stephen  R.  Moore,  a  Notary  Public  in  the  County  of  Kankakee, 
in  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  duly  authorized  by  law  to  administer  oaths,  do 
hereby  certify  that,  on  this  21st  day  of  October,  A.  D.  1881,  Philomene 
Schwartz  personally  appeared  before  me,  and  made  oath  that  the  above 
affidavit  by  her  subscribed  Is  true,  as  therein  stated.  In  witness  whereto,  I 
have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  notarial  seal. 

"STEPHEN  R.  MOORE, 

"  Notary  Public." 


Chapter  LIX. 

A  KOICBNT  OF  INTBBBXTPTION  IN  THK  THBBAD  OV  XT 
"FXFTTTBABS  IN  THB  OHTTBOH  07  BOMB,"  TO  SBB  HOW 
UT  SAB  PBBVZSXONS  ABOTTT  U7  DBFBNDBB,  ABBAHAU 
LINCOLN,  WBBB  TO  BB  BBALIZBD-BOKB  THB  IMPLAOABLE 
ENBmr  OV  THB  T7NITBD  BTATBB-SHB  WANTS  TO  CONQXTEB 
AND  BUIiB  THEK,  IN  OBDEB  TO  DESTBOT  AIA  THBIB 
BIGHTS,  PBIVII.BOB8,  AND  lilBEBTIBS. 

WHEN  it  became  evident,  in  1851,  that  my  plan  of  forming 
a  grand  colony  of  Roman  Catholic  French-speaking  people 
on  the  prairies  of  Illinois  was  to  be  a  success,  D'Arcy  McGee, 
then  editor  of  TAe  Freeman'' s  yournal^  official  journal  of  the 
Bishop  of  New  York,  wrote  me  to  know  my  views,  and  imme- 
diately determined  to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  similar 
enterprise  in  behalf  of  the  Irish  Roman  Catholics.  He  pub- 
lished several  able  articles  to  show  that  the  Irish  people,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  were  demoralized,  degraded  and  kept  poor, 
around  their  groggeries,  and  showed  how  they  would  thrive, 
become  respectable  and  rich,  if  they  could  be  induced  to  ex- 
change their  grog  shops  for  the  fertile  lands  of  the  west.  Through 
his  influence,  a  large  assembly,  principally  composed  of  priests, 
to  which  I  was  invited,  met  at  Buffalo,  in  the  spring  of  1852. 
But  what  was  his  disappointment,  when  he  saw  that  the  greatest 
part  of  those  priests  were  sent  by  the  Bishops  of  the  United 
States  to  oppose  and  defeat  his  plans! 

He  vainly  spoke  with  a  burning  eloquence  for  his  pet 
scheme.  The  majoiity  coldly  answered  him :  "  We  are  deter- 
mined like,  you,  to  take  possession,  of  the  United  States  and  rule 
them ;  but  we  cannot  do  that  without  acting  secretly  and  with 
the  utmost  wisdom.  If  our  plans  are  known,  they  will  surely 
be  defeated.  What  does  a  skillful  general  do  when  he  wants  to 
conquer  a  country  ?  Does  he  scatter  his  soldiers  over  the  farm 
lands,  and  spend  their  time  and  energy  in  ploughing  the  fields 

«8 


■v^j^Atmemm^iiM 


ROME,   THE    ENEMY   OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


669 


and  sowing  grain?  No!  He  keeps  them  well  united  around  his 
banners,  and  marches  at  their  head,  to  the  conquest  of  the 
strongholds,  the  rich  and  powerful  cities.  The  farming  coun- 
tries then  submit  and  become  the  price  of  his  victory  without 
moving  a  finger  to  subdue  them.  So  it  is  with  us.  Silently  and 
patiently,  we  must  mass  our  Roman  Catholics  in  the  great  cities 
of  the  United  States,  remembering  that  the  vote  of  a  poor  jour- 
neyman, though  he  be  covered  with  rags,  has  as  much  weight 
in  the  scale  of  power  as  the  millionaire  Astor,  and  that  if  we 
have  two  votes  against  his  one,  he  will  become  as  powerless  as 
an  oyster.  Let  us,  then,  multiply  our  votes ;  let  us  call  our  poor 
but  faithful  Irish  Catholics  from  every  corner  of  the  world,  and 
gather  them  into  the  very  hearts  of  those  proud  citadels  which 
the  Yankees  are  so  rapidly  building  under  the  jiames  of  Wash- 
ington, New  York,  Boston,  Chicago,  Buffalo,  Albany,  Troy, 
Cincinnati,  &c.  Under  the  shadows  of  those  great  cities,  the 
Americans  consider  themselves  as  a  giant  and  unconquerable 
race.  They  look  upon  the  poor  Irish  Catholic  people  with  su- 
preme contempt,  as  only  fit  to  dig  their  canals,  sweep  their 
streets  and  work  in  their  kitchens.  Let  no  one  awake  those 
sleeping  lions,  to-day.  Let  us  pray  God  that  they  may  sleep 
and  dream  their  sweet  dreams,  a  few  years  more.  How  sad  will 
their  awakening  be,  when  with  our  outnumbering  votes,  we  will 
turn  them,  forever,  from  every  position  of  honor,  power  and  profit! 
What  will  those  hypocritical  and  godless  sons  and  daughters  of 
the  fanatical  Pilgrim  Fathers  say,  when  not  a  single  judge,  not 
a  single  teacher,  not  a  single  policeman,  will  be  elected  if  he  be 
not  a  devoted  Irish  Roman  Catholic?  What  will  those  so- 
called  giants  think  of  their  matchless  shrewdness  and  ability, 
when  not  a  single  Senator  or  member  of  Congress  will  be  chosen, 
if  he  be  not  submitted  to  our  holy  father  the  Popel  What  a 
sad  figure  those  Protestant  Yankees  will  cut  when  we  will  not 
only  elect  the  President,  but  fill  and  command  the  armies,  man 
the  navies  and  hold  the  keys  of  the  public  treasury?  It  will 
then  be  time  for  our  faithful  Irish  people  to  give  up  their  grog 
shops,  in  order  to  become  the  judges  and  governors  of  the  land. 
Then,  our  poor  and  humble  mechanics,  will  leave  their  damp 


670 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


ditches  and  muddy  streets,  to  rule  the  cities  in  all  their  depart- 
ments, from  thr  stately  mansion  of  Mayor  tq  the  more  humble, 
though  not  less  noble  position  of  teacher. 

"Then,  yes!  then,  we  will  rule  the  United  States,  and  lay 
them  at  the  feet  of  the  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  .he  may  put 
an  end  to  their  godless  system  of  education,  and  sweep  away 
those  impious  laws  of  liberty  of  conscience  which  are  an  insult 
to  God  and  man!" 

D'Arcy  MeGee  was  left  almost  alone  when  the  votes  were 
taken.  From  that  time,  the  Catholic  priests,  with  the  most  ad- 
mirable ability  and  success,  have  gathered  their  Irish  legions  into 
the  great  cities  of  the  United  States,  and  the  American  people 
must  be  very  blind  indeed,  if  they  do  not  see  that  if  they  do 
nothing  to  prevent  it,  the  day  is  very  near  when  the  Jesuits  will 
rule  their  country,  from  the  magnificent  White  House  at  Wash- 
ington, to  the  humblest  civil  and  military  department  of  this  vast 
Republic.  They  are  already  the  masters  of  New  York,  Balti- 
more, Chicago,  St.  Paul,  New  Orleans,  Mobile,  Savannah, 
Cincinnati,  Albany,  Troy,  Milwaukee,  St.  Louis,  San  Francisco, 
etc.  Yes!  San  Francisco, the  rich,  the  great  queen  of  the  Pacific, 
is  in  the  hands  of  the  Jesuits  I 

From  the  very  first  days  of  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines 
of  California,  the  Jesuits  had  the  hopes  of  becoming  masters  of 
those  inexhaustible  treasures,  and  they  secretly  laid  their  plans, 
with  the  most  profound  ability  and  success.  They  saw,  at  once, 
that  the  great  majority  of  the  lucky  miners,  of  every  creed  and 
nation,  were  going  back  home,  as  soon  as  they  had  enough  to  se- 
cure an  honorable  competence  to  their  families.  It  became  then 
evident,  that  of  those  multitudes  which  the  thirst  of  gold  had 
brought  from  every  corner  of  the  world,  not  one  out  of  fifty 
would  fix  their  homes  in  San  Francisco.  The  Jesuits  saw  at  a 
glance,  that  if  they  could  persuade  the  Irish  Catholics  to  settle 
and  remain  there,  they  would  soon  be  the  masters  and  rulers  of 
that  golden  city  whose  future  is  so  bright  and  so  great!  And 
that  scheme,  worked  day  and  night,  with  the  utmost  perseverance, 
has  been  crowned  with  perfect  success. 

The  consequence  is,  that  while  you  find  only  a  few  Americans, 


w? 


ROME,   THE    ENEMY   OF   THE    UNITED    STATES. 


671 


ily  a  few  Americans, 


Germans,  Scotch  and  English  milllionaires  in  San  Francisco, 
you  find  more  than  fifty  Catholic  Irish  millionaires  in  that  city. 
Its  richest  bank  (Nevada  Bank)  is  in  their  hands,  and  so  are  all 
the  street  railways.  The  principal  offices  of  the  city  are  filled 
with  Irish  Roman  Catholics.  Almost  all  the  police  are  com- 
posed of  the  same  class,  as  well  as  the  volunteer  military  asso- 
ciations. Their  compact  unity,  in  the  hands  of  the  Jesuits,  with 
their  enormous  wealth,  make  them  almost  supreme  masters  of 
the  mines  of  California  and  Nevada. 

When  one  knows  the  absolute,  abject  submission  of  the  Irish 
Roman  Catholics,  rich  or  poor,  to  their  priests ;  how  the  mind, 
the  soul,  the  will,  the  conscience  are  firmly  and  irrevocably  tied 
to  the  feet  of  their  priestf>,  he  can  easily  understand  that  the  Jesuits 
of  the  United  States  form  one  of  the  richest  and  most  powerful 
corporations  the  world  ever  saw. 

It  is  well  known  that  those  fifty  Catholic  millionaires,  with 
their  myriads  of  employees,  are,  through  their  wives,  and  by 
themselves,  continually  at  the  feet  of  the  Jesuits,  who  swim  in  a 
golden  sea. 

No  one,  if  he  be  not  a  Roman  Catholic,  or  one  of  those  so- 
called  Protestants  who  give  their  daughters  to  the  nuns,  and 
their  sons  to  the  Jesuits  to  be  educated,  has  much  hopes,  where 
the  Jesuits  rule,  of  having  a  lucrative  office  in  the  United  States, 
to-day. 

The  Americans,  with  few  exceptions,  do  not  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  the  dark  cloud  which  is  rising  at  their  horizon,  from 
Rome.  Though  that  cloud  is  filled  with  rivers  of  tears  and 
blood,  they  let  it  grow  and  rise  without  even  caring  how  they 
will  escape  from  the  impending  hurricane. 

It  is  to  San  Francisco  that  you  must  go  to  have  an  idea  of 
the  number  of  secret  and  powerful  organizations  with  which 
the  Church  of  Rome  prepares  herself  for  the  impending  con- 
flict, through  which  she  hopes  to  destroy  the  schools,  and  every 
vestige  of  human  rights  and  liberties,  in  the  United  States. 

In  order  to  more  easily  drill  the  Roman  Catholics  and  pre- 
pare them  for  the  irrepressible  struggle,  the  Jesuits  have  organ- 
ized them  into  a  great  number  of  secret  societies,  the  principal 


¥  1 


t,i 


^ 


mm 


ijj  ..Jii  1. 4.|)Wlipiili|piPIPii 


liPIJWW 


67a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROMS. 


of  which  are:  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  Irish  American 
Society,  Knights  of  St.  Patriclc,  St.  Patrick's  Cadets,  St.  Patriclc 
Mutual  Alliance,  Apostles  of  Liberty,  Benevolent  Sons  of  the 
Emerald  Isle,  Knights  of  St.  Peter,  Knights  of  the  Red 
Branch,  Knights  of  the  Columskill,  The  Secret  Heart,  &c.,  &c. 

Almost  all  these  secret  associations  are  military  ones.  They 
have  their  headquarters  at  San  Francisco;  but  their  rank  and 
file  are  scattered  all  over  the  United  States.  They  number 
700,000  soldiers,  who,  under  the  name  of  U.  S.  Volunteer  Mili- 
tia, are  officered  by  some  of  the  most  skillful  generals  and 
ofllicers  of  this  Republic. 

Another  fact,  to  which  the  American  Protestants  do  not 
suflliciently  pay  attention,  is  that  the  Jesuits  have  been  shrewd 
enough  to  have  a  vast  majority  of  Roman  Catholic  generals  and 
oflicers,  to  command  the  army  and  man  the  navy  of  the  United 
States. 

Rome  is  in  constant  conspiracy  against  the  rights  and  liber- 
ties of  man  all  over  the  worl  i;  but  she  is  particularly  so  in  the 
United  States. 

Long  before  I  was  ordained  a  priest,  I  knew  that  my  church 
was  the  most  implacable  enemy  of  this  Republic.  My  profess- 
ors of  philosophy,  history  and  theology  had  been  unanimous 
in  telling  me  that  the  principles  and  laws  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  were  absolutely  antagonistic  to  the  laws  and  principles 
which  are  the  foundation-stones  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

1st.  The  most  sacred  principle  of  the  United  States  Consti- 
tution is  the  equality  of  every  citizen  before  the  law.  But  the 
fundamental  principle  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  is  the  denial  of 
that  equality. 

2nd.  Liberty  of  conscience  is  proclaimed  by  the  United 
States,  a  most  sacred  principle  which  e^'ery  citizen  must  uphold, 
even  at  the  price  of  his  blood.  But  liberty  of  conscience  is  de- 
clared by  all  the  Popes  and  Councils  of  Rome,  a  most  godless, 
unholy  and  diabolical  thing,  which  every  good  Catholic  must 
abhor  and  destroy,  at  any  cost. 

3rd.     The  American  Constitution  assures  the  absolute  inde- 


wmm 


mmm 


ROME.  THE  ENEMY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


<573 


the  absolute  inde- 


pendence of  the  civil  from  the  ecclesiastical  or  church  power; 
but  the  Church  of  Rome  declares,  through  all  her  Pontiffs  and 
Councils,  that  such  independence  is  an  impiety  and  a  revolt 
against  God. 

4th.  The  American  Consitution  leaves  every  man  free  to 
icrve  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience;  but  the 
Church  of  Rome  declares  that  no  man  has  ever  had  such  a 
right,  and  that  the  Pope  alone  can  l<now  and  say  what  man 
must  believe  and  do. 

5th.  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  denies  the  right 
in  any  body  to  punish  any  other  for  differing  from  him  in  reli- 
gion. But  the  Church  of  Rome  says  that  she  has  a  right  to 
punish  with  the  confiscation  of  their  goods,  or  the  penalty  of 
death,  those  who  differ  in  faith  from  the  Pope. 

6th.  The  United  States  have  established  schools  all  over 
their  immen.-  nritories,  where  they  invite  the  people  to  send 
their  cliiUlren,  that  tliey  may, cultivate  their  intelligence  and  be- 
come good  and  useful  citizens.  But  the  Church  of  Rome  has 
publicly  cursed  all  those  schools,  and  forbidden  their  children  to 
attend  them,  under  pain  of  excommunication  in  this  world  and 
damnation  in  the  next. 

7th.  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  is  based  on  the 
principle  that  the  people  are  the  primary  source  of  all  civil 
power.  But  hundreds  of  times,  the  Church  of  Rome  has  pro- 
claimed that  this  principle  is  impious  and  heretical.  She  says 
that  "  all  government  must  rest  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
Catholic  faith ;  with  the  Pope  alone  as  the  legitimate  and  infalli- 
ble source  and  interpreter  of  the  law." 

I  could  cite  many  other  things,  proving  that  the  Church  of 
Rome  is  an  absolute  and  irreconcilable  enemy  of  the  United 
States;  but  it  would  be  too  long.  These  are  sufficient  to  show 
to  the  American  people  that  Rome  is  a  viper,  wliich  they  feed 
and  press  upon  their  bosom.  Sooner  or  later  that  viper  will  bite 
to  death  and  kill  this  Republic. 

This  was  foretold  by  Lafayette  and  is  now  promulgated  by 
the  greatest  thinkers  of  our  time. 

The  greatest  inventor,  or  rather  the  immortal  father  of  el- 


674 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


idm 


tiy-' 


ectric  telegraphy,  Samuel  Morse,  found  it  out  when  in  Ron 
and  puhlished  it  in  1834,  in  his  remarkable  work  "  Conspirac 
against  the  Liberties  of  the  United  States."  The  learned  Dr. 
Ireneus  Prime,  in  his  life  of  Prof.  Morse,  says:  "When  ^ 
Morse  was  in  Italy,  he  became  acquainted  with  several  ecclcsi; 
tics  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  he  was  led  to  believe,  frc 
what  he  learned  from  them,  that  a  political  conspiracy,  unc 
the  cloak  of  a  religious  mission,  was  formed  against  the  Unit 
States.  When  he  came  to  Paris  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  a 
friendship  of  Lafayette,  he  stated  his  convictions  to  the  Gener 
who  fully  concurred  with  him  in  the  reality  of  such  a  consp 
acy." 

That  great  statesman  and  patriot,  the  late  Richard  A 
Thompson,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  in  his  admirable  work,  "T 
Papacy  and  the  Civil  power,"  says :  "  Nothing  is  plainer  th 
that,  if  the  principles  of  the  Church  of  Rome  prevail  here,  0 
constitution  would  necessarily  fall.  The  two  cannot  exist  togethi 
They  are  in  open  and  direct  antagonism  with  the  fundament 
theory  of  our  government  and  of  all  popular  government  ever 
where." 

The  eloquent  Spanish  orator,  Castelar,  speaking  of  his  o\ 
Church  of  Rome,  said,  in  1869,  "  There  is  not  a  single  prog 
sive  principle  that  has  not  been  cursed  by  the  Catholic  Chu 
This  is  true  of  England  and  Germany,  as  well  as  all  Cath 
countries.  The  Church  cursed  the  French  Revolution,  the 
gian  Constitution  and  the  Italian  Independence.  Not  a  Con 
tution  has  been  born,  not  a  step  of  progress  made,  not  a  solit 
reform  effected,  which  has  not  been  under  the  terrific  anathei 
of  the  Church." 

But  why  ask  the  testimony  of  Protestants  or  Liberals  to  w 
the  American  people  against  that  conspiracy,  when  we  have 
public  testimony  of  all  the  bishops  and  priests  to  prove  it?  \^ 
the  most  daring  impudence,  the  Church  of  Rome,  through 
leading  men,  is  boasting  of  her  stern  determination  to  destro^ 
the  rights  and  privileges  which  have  cost'  so  much  blood  to 
American  people.  Let  the  Americans,  who  have  eyes  to 
and  intelligence  to  understand,  read  the  following  unimpci 


.4  t-  ' :  t*^' 


-'    «    r 


il— _ 


'Mm'^!'irf'>m^^Wfmi7f*-^^^^^W 


W'-F-W- 


■mm 


■    OF    ROMB. 

out  when  in  Rome, 

J  work  "  Conspiracies 

The  learned  Dr.  S. 

,e,  says:  "When  Mr. 

with  several  ecclesias- 
^s  led  to  believe,  from 
tical  conspiracy,  under 
led  against  the  United 
,yed  the  confidence  and 
evictions  to  the  General, 
ality  of  such  a  consp.r- 

the   late  Richard  W. 

s  admirable  work,  "The 

Nothing  is  plainer  than 

Rome  prevail  here,  our 

twocannotexisttogether. 

n  with  the  fundamental 
Dpular  government  cvery- 

lar,  speaking  of  his  own 
re  is  not  a  single  progres- 
by  the  Catholic  Church. 
,,  L  well  as  all  Cathohc 
ench  Revolution,  the  Bel- 
^,endence.     Not  a  Const.- 
t>.,ress  made,  not  a  solitary 
fder  the  terrific  anathemas 

iestants  or  Liberals  to  warn 

piracy,  when  we  have  t_l.e 

[{priests  to  prove  tt?  W.th 

tchof   Rome,  through  her 

determination  to  destroy  all 

cost-so  much  blood  to  this 

Ins,  who  have  eyes  to  see 
the  following  unimpcacha- 


ROME,   THE    ENEMY    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


675 


ble  documents,  and  judge  for  themselves  of  what  will  become  of 
this  country,  if  Rome  is  allowed  to  grow  strong  enough  to  exe- 
cute her  threats. 

"  The  church  is  of  necessity  intolerant.  Heresy,  she  endures 
when  and  where  she  must,  but  she  hates  it,  and  directs  all  her 
energies  to  destroy  it. 

"  If  Catholics  ever  gain  a  sufficient  numerical  majorit;^  in  this 
country;  religious  fredom  is  at  an  end.  So  our  enemies  say,  so 
we  believe." — The  She f  herd  of  the  Valley^  official  journal  of  the 
Bishop  of  St.  Louis,  Nov.  23,  1851. 

"  No  man  has  a  right  to  choose  his  religion.  Catholicism  is 
the  most  intolerant  of  creeds.  It  is  intolerance  itself.  We 
might  as  rationally  maintain  that  two  and  two  does  not  make 
four  as  the  theory  of  Religious  Liberty.  Its  impiety  is  only 
equalled  by  its  absurdity." — New  York  Freeman^  oflScial  journal 
of  Bishop  Hughes,  Jan.  26,  1852. 

"  The  church  is  instituted,  as  every  Catholic  wno  understands 
his  religion  believes,  to  guard  and  defend  the  right  of  God, 
against  any  and  every  enemy,  at  all  times,  in  all  places.  She, 
therefore,  does  not,  and  cannot  accept,  or  in  any  degree,  favor 
liberty,  in  the  Protestant  sense  of  liberty." — Catholic  Worlds 
April,  1870. 

"  The  Catholic  Church  is  the  medium  and  channel  through 
which  the  will  of  God  is  expressed.  While  the  state  has  t  ights, 
she  has  them  only  in  virtue  and  by  permission  of  the  Superior 
Authority,  and  that  authority  can  be  expressed  only  through  the 
church."— CaMo//c  World,  July,  1870. 

"  Protestantism  has  not,  and  never  can  have,  any  right,  where 
Catholicity  has  triumphed.  Therefore  we  lose  the  breath  we 
expend  in  declaiming  against  bigotry  and  intolerance  and  in 
favor  of  Religious  Liberty,  or  the  right  of  any  man  to  be  of  any 
religion  as  best  pleases  him." — Catholic  Jicview,June,  1865. 

"  Religious  Liberty  is  merely  endured  until  the  opposite  can 
be  carried  into  effect  without  peril  to  the  Catholic  Church.'' 
— Rt.  Rev.  O'Connor,  Bishop  of  Pittsburgh. 

"The  Catholic  Church  numbers  one-third  the  American  pop- 
ulation ;  and  if  its  membership  shall  increase,  for  the  next  thirty 


i:;aiii.$t^iJi«&ti^ 


676 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


years,  as  it  has  the  thirty  years  past,  in  1900,  Rome  will  have  a 
majority  and  be  bound  to  take  this  country  and  keep  it.  There 
is,  ere  long,  to  be  a  state  religion  in  this  country,  and  that  state 
religion  is  to  be  the  Roman  Catholic. 

"  ist.  The  Roman  Catholic  is  to  wield  his  vote  for  the  pur- 
pose of  securing  Catholic  ascendency  in  this  country. 

"  2nd.  All  legislation  must  be  governed  by  the  will  of  God, 
unerringly  indicated  by  the  Pope." 

«  3rd.  Education  must  be  controlled  by  Catholic  authorities, 
and  under  education,  the  opinions  of  the  individual,  and  the  utter- 
ances  of  the  press  are  included,  and  many  opinions  are  to  be  for- 
bidden by  the  secular  arm,  under  the  authority  of  the  church, 
even  to  war  and  bloodshed." — Father  Hecker,  Catholic  Worlds 
July,  1870. 

"  It  was  proposed  that  all  religious  persuasions  should  be  free 
and  their  worship  publicly  exercised.  But  we  have  ;  ?te(i 
this    article    as   contrary    to   the  cannons  and  councils  the 

Catholic  church." — Pope  Pius  VII.,  Encyclical^  1808. 

Every  one  knows  that  one  of  the  first  and  most  solemn  acts 
of  the  present  Pope  Leo  XIII.,  was  to  order  that  the  theology 
of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  should  be  taught  in  all  the  colleges, 
seminaries  and  universities  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  throughout 
the  whole  world,  as  the  most  accurate  teaching  of  the  doctrines 
of  his  church.  Well,  on  the  30th  Dec,  1880,  I  forced  the  Rt. 
Rev.  Foley,  Bishop  of  Chicago,  to  translate  from  Latin  into 
English,  before  the  court  of  Kankakee,  and  to  swear  that  the 
following  law  was  among  those  promulgated  by  St.  Thomas  as 
one  of  the  present  and  unchangeable  laws  of  the  Church  of  Rome: 

♦*  Though  heretics  must  not  be  tolerated  because  they  de- 
serve it,  we  must  bear  with  them,  till,  by  a  second  admonition, 
they  may  be  brought  back  to  the  faith  of  the  church.  But 
those  who,  after  a  second  admonition,  remain  obstinate  in  their 
errors,  must  not  only  be  excommunicated,  but  they  must  be 
delivered  to  the  secular  power  to  be  exterminated." — St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  Summa  Theologia^  vol.  4,  p.  90. 

After  the  bishop  had  sworn  that  this  was  the  true  doctrine 
of  the  Church  of  Rome,  expressed  by  St.  Thomas,  and  taught 


mmmwm^. 


pwj^* 


wmm 


wmm. 


ROME,   THE    ENBMY   OF    THE   UNITED    STATES. 


677 


in  all  the  colleges,  seminaries  and  universities  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  I  forced  him  to  declare,  under  oath,  that  he,  and  every 
priest  of  Rome,  once  a  year,  under  pain  of  eternal  damnation, 
is  obliged  to  say,  in  the  presence  of  God,  in  his  Breviarum  (his 
official  prayer  book)  that  that  doctrine  was  so  good  and  holy, 
that  every  word  of  it  has  been  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
St.  Thomas. 

The  same  Bishop  Foley  was  again  forced  by  me,  before  the 
same  court  of  Kankakee,  to  translate  from  Latin  into  English, 
the  following  decree  of  the  council  of  Lateran,  and  to  acknowl- 
edge, under  oa^h,  that  it  was  as  much  the  law  of  the  Church  of 
Rome  to-day,  as  on  the  day  it  was  passed  in  the  year  1 2 1 5. 

"  We  excommunicate  and  anathematize  every  heresy  thai 
exalts  itself  against  the  holy  orthodox  and  Catholic  faith,  con- 
demning all  heretics,  by  w^hatever  name  they  may  be  known, 
for  though  their  faces  differ,  they  are  tied  together,  by 
their  tails.  Such  as  are  condemned  are  to  be  delivered  over 
to  the  existing  secular  powers,  to  receive  due  punishment.  If 
laymen,  their  goods  must  be  confiscated.  If  priests,  they  shall 
be  degraded  from  their  respective  orders,  and  their  property  ap- 
plied to  the  church  in  which  they  officiated.  Secular  powers  of 
all  ranks  and  degrees  are  to  be  warned,  induced,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, compelled  by  ecclesiastical  censure,  to  swear  that  they  will 
exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  in  the  defence  of  the  faith,  and 
extirpate  all  heretics  denounced  by  the  church,  who  shall  be 
found  in  their  territories.  And  whenever  any  person  shall 
assume  government,  whether  it  be  spiritual  or  temporal,  he  shall 
be  bound  to  abide  by  this  decree. 

"  If  any  temporal  lord,  after  having  been  admonished  and 
required  by  the  church,  shall  neglect  to  clear  his  territory  of 
heretical  depravity,  the  Metropolitan  and  Bishop  of  the  Province, 
shall  unite  in  excommunicating  him.  Should  he  remain  contuma- 
cious a  whole  year,  the  fact  shall  be  signified  to  the  Supreme 
Pontifl,  who  will  declare  his  vassals  released  from  their  allegionce 
from  that  time,  and  will  bestow  his  territory  on  Catholics,  to  be 
occupied  by  them,  on  condition  of  exterminating  the  heretics  and 
preserving  the  said  territory  in  the  faith." 


678 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


"  Catholics  who  shall  assume  the  cross  for  the  extermina- 
tion  of  heretics,  shall  enjoy  the  same  indulgence,  and  be 
protected  by  the  same  privileges  as  are  granted  to  those  who 
go  to  the  help  of  the  Holy  Land.  We  decree  further  that  all 
those  who  have  dealings  with  heretics,  and  especially  such  as 
receive,  defend  and  encourage  them,  shall  be  excommunicated. 
He  shall  not  be  eligible  to  any  public  office.  He  shall  not  be 
admitted  as  a  witness.  He  shall  neither  have  the  power  to 
bequeath  his  property  by  will,  nor  succeed  to  an}'  inheri- 
tance.  He  shall  not  bring  any  action  against  any  person,  but 
any  one  can  bring  action  against  him.  Should  he  be  a  judge, 
his  decision  shall  have  no  force,  nor  shall  any  cause  be  brought 
before  him.  Should  he  be  an  advocate,  he  shall  not  be  allowed 
to  plead..  Should  he  be  a  lawyer,  no  instruments  made  by 
him  shall  be  held  valid,  but  shall  be  condemned  with  their 
authors." 

Cardinal  Manning,  speaking  in  the  name  of  the  Pope,  said: 
"I  acknowledge  no  civil  power ;  I  am  the  subject  of  no  prince ;  and 
I  claim  more  than  this.  I  claim  to  be  the  supreme  judge  and 
director  of  the  consciences  of  men.  Of  the  peasants  that  till 
the  fields,  and  of  the  prince  that  sits  upon  the  throne;  of  the 
household  that  lives  in  the  shade  of  privacy,  and  the  legislator 
that  makes  laws  for  kingdoms.  I  am  sole,  last,  supreme 
judge  of  what  is  right  and  wrong.  Moreover  we  declare, 
aflRrm,  define  and  pronounce  it  to  be  necessary  to  salvation  to 
every  human  creature,  to  be  subject  to  the  Roman  Pontiff  !!" — 
Tablet^  Oct.  9,  1864. 

"  Undoubtedly  it  is  the  intention  of  tne  Pope  to  possess  this 
country.  In  this  intention  he  is  aided  by  the  Jesuits,  and  all  the 
Catholic  prelates  and  priests." — Brownsori's  Review^  May, 
1864. 

"  For  our  own  part,  we  take  this  opportunity  to  express  our 
hearty  delight  at  the  suppression  of  the  Protestant  Chapel  in 
Rome.  This  may  be  thought  intolerant;  but  when,  we  ask, did 
we  profess  to  be  tolerant  of  Protestantism,  or  to  favor  the 
question  that  Protestantism  ought  to  be  tolerated.  On  the  con- 
trary, we  hate  Protestantism.     We   detest   it   with   our  whole 


ROME,  THE  ENEMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


679 


heart  and  soul,  and  we  pray  our  aversion  for  it.  may  never  de- 
crease."— Pittsburg  Catholic  FmVor,  July,  1848,  official  jour- 
nal of  the  Bishop. 

"No  good  government  can- exist  without  religion,  and  there 
can  be  no  religion  without  an  inquisition,  which  is  wisely  de- 
signed for  the  promotion  and  protection  of  the  true  faith." — Bos- 
ton Pilots   official  journal  of  the  Bishop. 

«  The  Pope  has  the  right  to  pronounce  sentence  of  deposition 
against  any  sovereign  when  required  by  the  good  of  the  Spiri- 
tual Order." — Brownson' s  Review,,  1849. 

«  The  power  of  the  church  exercised  over  sovereigns  in  the 
middle  ages  was  not  a  usurpation,  was  not  derived  from  the  con- 
cessions of  princes  or  the  consent  of  the  people,  but  was  and  is 
held  by  divine  right,  and  whoso  resists  it,  .rebels  against  the 
King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords." — Brownson's  Reviewt 
June  1 85 1.  I 

The  council  of  Constance,  held  in  141 4,  declared:  "  That  any 
person  who  has  promised  security  to  heretics  shall  not  be  obliged 
to  keep  his  promise,  by  whatever  he  may  be  engaged. 

"  It  is,  in  consequence  of  that  principle  that  no  faith  must  be 
kept  with  heretics,,  that  John  Huss  was  publicly  burned  on  the 
scaffold,  the  6th  July,  1415,  in  the  city  of  Constance,  though  he 
had  a  safe  passport  from  the  Emperor." 

"  Negroes  have  no  rights  which  the  white  man  is  bound  to  re- 
spect."— Roman  Catholic  Chief-  jfustice  Tany,,  in  hi^  Dred  Scot 
Decision. 

"If  the  liberties  of  the  American  people  are  ever  destroyed, 
they  will  fall  by  the  hands  of  th'i  Catholic  clergy." — Lafayette 

"  If  your  son  or  daughter  is  attending  a  State  School,  you 
are  violating  your  duty  as  a  Catholic  parent,  and  conducing  to 
the  everlasting  anguish  and  despair  of  your  child.  Take  him 
away.  Take  him  away  if  you  do  not  wish  your  deathbed  to  be 
tormented  with  the  spectre  of  a  soul  which  God  has  given  you 
as  a  sacred  trust,  surrendered  to  the  great  enemy  of  mankind. 
Take  him  away,  rather  than  incur  the  wrath  of  his  God,  and  the 
loss  of  his  soul." —  Western  Tablet,,  official  paper  of  the  Bishop 
of  Chicago.  ^  ' 


68o 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


.  •    ■■■;  •" 


All  the  echoes  of  the  United  States,  are  still  repeating  the 
same  denunciations  against  our  public  schools  made  by  Mgr. 
Capel,  a  prelate  attached  to  the  household  of  the  Pope.  That 
Roman  Catholic  dignitary  has  not  only  passed  again  the  sen- 
tence of  death  against  the  schools  of  the  United  States;  but  he 
has  warned  the  Americans  that  the  time  is  not  far  away  when  the 
Roman  Catholics,  at  the  order  of  the  Pope,  will  refuse  to  pay 
their  school  tax,  and  will  send  bullets  to  the  breasts  of  the  gov- 
ernment agents,  rather  than  pay  it.  "The  order  can  come  any  day 
from  Rome,"  said  the  prelate.  "  It  will  come  as  quickly  as  the 
click  of  the  trigger,  and  it  will  be  obeyed,  of  course,  as  coming 
from  God  Almighty  himself  !" 

The  Catholic  Columbian,  edited  under  the  immediate  super- 
vision of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  says :  "  Secu- 
lar (government)  schools,  are  unfit  for  Catholic  children. 
Catholic  parents  cannot  be  allowed  the  sacraments,  who  choose  to 
send  their  children  to  them,  when  they  could  make  use  of  the 
Catholic  schools." 

"  The  absurd  and  erroneons  doctrines,  or  Savings,  in  defence 
of  liberty  of  conscience,  are  a  most  pestilential  error,  a  pest  of 
allothers,  to  be  dreaded  in  the  State." — Encyclical  Letters  of  Pope 
Pius  IX.,  Aug.  15,  1854. 

"  You  should  do  all  in  your  power  to  carry  out  the  intentions 
of  his  holiness  the  Pope.  Where  you  have  the  electoral  franchise, 
give  your  votes  to  none  but  those  who  assist  you  in  so  holy  a 
struggle." — Daniel  O'  Connell. 

"Catholic  votes  should  be  cast   solidly  for  the  democracy  at 
the  next  election.     It  is  the  only  possible  hope  to  break  down 
'  the  school  system." — Toledo  Catholic  Review., 

"  It  is  of  faith  tha;t  the  Pope  has  the  right  of  deposing  here- 
tical and  rebel  kings.  Monarchs,  so  deposed  by  the  Pope,  are 
converted  into  notorious  tyrants,  and  may  be  killed  by  the  first 
who  can  reach  them. 

"If  the  public  cause  cannot  meet  with  its  defence  in  the 
death  of  a  tyrant,  it  is  lawful  for  the  first  who  arrives,  to  ass- 
assinate him." — Suarez,  Defensio  Fidei\  Book  VI.,  c.  4.  Nos. 
13-14. 


!15P!'SP%»;-WP'WW|!!*«*W»PW!^'  .'t^ifMiPP 


^^WPiPlii 


ROME,    THE    ENEMY    OF    THE    UNITED   STATES. 


68l 


«  See,  sir,  from  this  chamber,  I  govern,  not  only  to  Paris, 
but  to  China;  not  only  to  China,  but  to  all  the  world,  without 
any  one  knowing  how  I  do  it." — Tambriorini;  General  of  the 
Jesuits. 

"A  man  who  has  been  excommunicated  by  the  Pope,  may 
be  killed  anywhere,  as  Escobar  and  Deaux  teach,  because  the 
Pope  has  an  indirect  jurisdiction  over  the  whole  world,  even  in 
temporal  things,  as  all  the  Catholics  maintain,  and  as  Suarez 
proves  against  the  King  of  England." — Bussambaum, — Lacroi, 
Theologica  Moralis^  1757- 

The  Roman  Catholic  historian  of  the  Jesuits,  Cratineau 
Joly,  in  his  Vol.,  11.  page  435,  approvingly  says :  "  Father  Gui- 
vard,  writing  about  Henry  IV.,  King  of  France,  says:  *  If 
he  cannot  be  deposed,  let  us  make  war ;  and  \%  we  cannot  make 
war,  let  him  be  killed.'  " 

The  great  Roman  Catholic  theologian,  Dens,  puts  to  him- 
self,  the  question:  "Are  heretics  justly  punished  with  death? 
He  answers:  'St.  Thomas  says:  Yes!  22.  question  11,  Art.  3. 
Because  forgers  of  money,  or  other  disturbers  of  the  State,  are 
justly  punished  with  death ;  therefore,  all  heretics  who  are  for- 
gers of  faith  and,  as  experience  testifies,  grievously  disturb  the 
State.' 

« This  is  confirmed,  because  God,  in  the  Old  Testament, 
ordered  the  false  prophets  to  be  slain,  and  in  Deuteronomy  it  is 
decreed  that  if  any  one  will  act  proudly,  and  will  noc  obey 
the  commands  of  the  priests,  let  him  be  put  to  death. 

"  The  same  is  proved  from  the  condemnation  of  the  14th 
article  of  John  Huss  in  the  Council  of  Constance." — Dens,  p. 
88.,  Tome  II.,  Dublin,  1834. 

"  That  we  may,  in  all  things,  attain  the  truth.  That  we 
may  not  err  in  anything,  we  ought  ever  to  hold,  as  a  fixed  prm- 
ciple,  that  what  I  see  white,  I  believe  to  be  black,  if  the  supe- 
rior authorities  of  the  church  define  it  to  be  so." — Spiritual 
Exercise^  by  Ignatius  Loyola,  founder  of  the  Jesuits. 

"  As  for  holy  obedience,  this  virtue  must  be  perfect  In  every 
point,  in  execution,  in  will,  in  intellect,  doing  which  is  enjoined 
with   all   celerity,  spiritual  joy,  and  perseverance;   persuading 


■^iS^^Xxi-. 


WiWI#l'|Pipi|PPPfl!iPPi|^^^ 


68a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROMB. 


ourselves  that  everything  is  just,  suppressing  every  repugnant 
thought  and  judgment  of  one's  own,  in  a  certain  obedience, 
should  be  moved  and  directed  under  Divine  Providence,  b}-  his 
superior,  just  as  if  he  were  a  corpse  (^Perindi  acsi  cadaver  essef) 
which  allows  itself  to  be  moved  and  led  in  every  direction." — 
Ignatius  Loyola,  Spiritual  Exercise. 

"  If  the  Holy  Cht  rch  oo  requires,  let  us  sacrifice  our  own 
opinions,  our  knowledge,  our  intelligence,  the  splendid  dreams 
of  our  imagination  and  ti^e  sublime  attainments  of  human  un- 
derstanding."— Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  Encyclical,  Aug.  15th, 
1832. 

"  No  more  cunning  plot  was  ever  devised  against  the  intelli- 
gence, the  freedom,  the  happiness  and  virtue  of  mankind,  than 
Romanism." — Gladstone,  Letter  to  Aberdeen. 

"  The  principal  and  most  efllcacious  means  of  practicing 
obedience  due  to  superiors,  and  of  rendering  it  meritorious 
before  God,  is  to  consider  that,  in  obeying  them,  we  obey  God 
Himself,  and  that  by  despising  their  commands,  we  despise  the 
authority  of  the  Divine  Master. 

"  When,  thus,  a  Religious  receives  a  precept  from  her  pre- 
late, superior,  or  confessor,  she  should  immediately  execute  it,  not 
only  to  please  them,  but  principally  to  please  God,  whose  will 
is  known  by  their  command. 

"  If,  then,  you  receive  a  command  from  one  who  holds  tile 
place  of  God,  you  should  observe  it  as  if  it  came  from  God 
Himself.  It  may  be  added  that  there  is  more  certainty  of  doing 
the  will  of  God  by  obedience  to  our  superiors  than  by  obedience 
to  Jesus  Christ,  should  He  appear  in  person  and  give  His  com- 
mand. 

"  St.  Philip  used  to  say  that  the  Religious  shall  be  most  cer- 
tain of  not  having  to  render  an  account  of  the  actions  performed 
through  obedience,  for  these,  the  superiors  only,  who  command 
them  shall  be  accountable." — Saint  Ligouri,   The  Nun  Sandi- 
Jicd. 

"  In  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
plentitude  of  which  resides  in  His  Vicar,  the  Pope,  we  declare 
that  the  earth  is  not  the  centre  of  the  world,  and  that  it  moves 


wm 


mm> 


i 


ROME,  THE  ENEMY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


683 


with  a  diurnal  motion,  is  absurd,  philosophically  false,  and  er- 
roneous in  faith." — Decree  of  Pope  Urbain  XIII.  (signed)  by 
Cardinals  Felia,  Guido,  Desiderio,  Antonio,  Belligero,  and  Fabri- 
cius. 

In  consequence  of  that  infallible  decree  of  the  infallible  Pope, 
Galileo,  in  order  to  escape  death,  was  obliged  to  fall  on  his  knees 
and  perjure  himself,  by  signing  the  following  declaration  on  the 
22nd  of  June,  1663: 

"  I  abjure,  curse  and  detest  the  error  and  heresy  of  the  motion 
of  the  earth  around  the  sun." 

In  obedience  to  that  decree,  the  two  learned  Jesuit  astrono- 
mers, Lesueur  and  Jacquier,  in  Rome,  only  a  few  years  ago, 
made  the  following  declaration:  "Newton  assumes,  in  his  third 
book,  the  hypothesis  of  the  earth  moving  around  the  sun.  The 
proposition  of  that  author  could  not  be  exj^lained,  except  through 
the  same  hypothesis;  we  have,  therefore,  been  forced  to  act  a 
character  not  our  own.  But  we  declare  our  entire  submission  to 
the  decrees  of  the  supreme  Pontiff  of  Rome  against  the  motion 
of  the  earth." — Nevjtoti's  Principia^  by  Fathers  Lesueur  and 
Jacquier,  vol.  iii.,   page  450. 

"  A  Catholic  should  never  attach  himself  to  any  political  party 
composed  of  heretics.  No  one  who  is  truly,  at  heart,  a  thorough 
and  complete  Catholic,  can  give  his  entire  adhesion  to  a  Pro- 
testant leader;  for  in  so  doing,  he  divides  his  allegiance,  which 
he  owes  entirely  to  the  chui'ch." — Univers^  the  official  Catholic 
paper  of  the  Bishops  of  France,  Mar.  28th,  1868. 

"  Would  he  (the  priest)  be  warranted  in  withholding  any 
sacrament  of  the  church  from  a  man  by  reason  of  his  prefer- 
ring one  candidate  to  the  other!  Absolutely  speaking,  he  would; 
because  a  priest  is  not  only  warranted,  but  bound  to  withhold, 
the  sacraments  from  a  man  who  is  disposed  to  commit  a  mortal 
sin ! ! " — Bishop  Vaughan's  address  to  the  Catholic  Club  at  Sal- 
ford,  England,  Jan.  2nd,  1873. 

"  Our  business  is  to  contrive: 

"  1st.  That  the  Catholics  be  imbued  with  hatred  for  the 
heretics,  whoever  they  may  be,  and  that  this  hatred  shall  con- 
stantly increase,  and  bind  them  closely  to  each  other. 


^Sifi'V^'-'.^'  \ 


ESS-0S33SEffi^S*^:.. 


684 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


"2nd.  That  it  be,  nevertheless,  dissembled^  so  as  not  to 
transpire  until  the  day  when  it  shall  be  appointed  to  break 
forth, 

"  3rd.  That  this  secret  hate  be  combined  with  great  activity 
in  endeavoring  to  detach  the  faithful  from  every  government 
inimical  to  us,  and  employ  them,  when  they  shall  form  a  de- 
tached body,  to  strike  deadly  blows  at  heresy." — Secret  Plans 
of  the  yesuits,  revealed  by  Albate  Leon^  p.  127. 

Henry  IV.,  King  of  France,  after  being  wounded  by  an 
assassin  sent  by  the  Jesuits,  said:  "I  am  compelled  to  do  one  of 
these  two  things:  Either  recall  the  Jesuits,  free  them  from  the  in- 
famy and  disgrace  with  which  they  are  covered,  or  to  expel 
them  in  a  rrvore  absolute  manner,  and  prevent  them  from  ap- 
preaching  either  my  person  or  my  kingdom. 

«  But,  then,  we  will  drive  them  to  despair  and  to  the  resolu- 
tion  of  attempting  my  life  again,  which  would  render  it  so  mis- 
erable to  me,  being  always  under  the  apprehension  of  being 
murdered,  or  jioisoned.  For  these  people  have  correspondence 
everywhere,  and  are  so  very  skillful  in  disposing  the  minds  of  men 
to  whatever  they  wish,  that  I  think  it  would  be  better  that  I 
should  be  already  dead." — Sully's  Memoirs^  tome  ii.,  chap.  iii. 
"Let  us  bring  all  our  skill  to  bear  upon  this  part  of  our 
plan.  Our  chief  concern  must  be  to  mould  the  people  to  our 
purposes.  Doubtless,  the  first  generation  will  not  be  wholly 
ours ;  but  the  second  will  nearly  belong  to  us :  and  the  third  en- 
tirely.''—  7 he  Secret  Plan^  P'»ge  127-128. 

"  The  state  is,  therefore,  only  an  inferior  court,  bound  to  re- 
ceive the  law  from  the  superior  court  (the  church)  and  liable  to 
have  its  decrees  reversed  on  appeall." — Broivnson' s  Essays^  pages 
282-284. 

"  The  Jesuits  are  a  military  organization^  not  a  religious  or- 
der. Their  chief  is  a  general  of  an  army,  not  the  mere  father 
abbot  of  a  monastery.  And  the  aim  of  this  organization  is: 
Power.  Power  in  its  most  despotic  exercise.  Absolute 
power,  universal  power,  power  to  control  the  world  by  the  voli- 
tion of  a  single  man.  Jesuitism  is  the  most  absolute  of  despot- 
isms ;  and  at  the  same  time  the  greatest  and  the  most  enormous 


ROME,   THK    BNBMY    OF   THE    UNITED    STATES.  685 

of  abuses." — Memorial  of  the   Captivity  of  Napoleon  at  St. 
Helena^  by  General  Montholon,  vol.  ii.,  p.  62. 

"  The  general  of  the  Jesuits  insists  on  being  master,  sover- 
eign, over  the  sovereign.  Wherever  the  Jesuits  are  admitted 
they  will  be  masters,  cost  what  it  may.  Their  society  is  by 
nature  dictatorial,  and  therefore  it  is  the  irreconcilable  enemy  of 
all  constituted  authority.  Every  act,  every  crime,  however 
atrocious,  is  a  meritorious  work,  if  committed  for  the  interest  of 

the  Society  of  the  Jesuits,  or  by  the  order  of  its  general." 

Memorial  of  the    Captivity   of  Napoleon   at  St.   Helena^  vol. 
ii.,  p.  174. 

In  the  allocution  of  Sept.  1851,  Pope  Pius  IX.  said: 

«  That  he  had  taken  that  principle  for  basis:  That  the  Cath- 
olic religion,  with  all  its  votes,  »)ught  to  be  exclusively  dominant  in 
such  sort  that  every  other  worship  shall  be  banished  and  inter- 
dicted I 

"  You  ask  if  the  Pope  were  lord  of  this  land  and  you  were 
in  a  minority,  what  he  would  do  to  you  ?  That,  we  say,  would 
entirely  depend  on  circumstances.  If  it  would  benefit  the  cause 
of  Catholicism,  he  would  tolerate  you ;  if  expedient,  he  would 
imprison,  banish  you,  probably  he  rtiight  even  hang  you.  But 
be  assured  of  one  thing,  he  would  never  tolerate  you  for  the 
sake  of  your  glorious  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty." 
— Rambler^  one  of  the  most  prominent  Catholic  papers  of 
England,  Sept.,  1851. 

Lord  Acton,  one  of  the  Roman  Catholic  peers  of  England, 
reproaching  her  bloody  and  anti-social  laws  to  his  own  church, 
wrote:  "Pope  Gregory  VII.  decided  it  was  no  murder  to  kill 
excommunicated  persons.  This  rule  was  incorporated  in  the 
canon  law.  During  the  revision  of  the  code,  which  took 
place  in  the  i6th  century,  and  which  produced  a  whole  volume 
of  corrections,  the  passage  was  allowed  to  stand.  It  appears  in 
every  reprint  of  the  Corpus  yuris.  It  has  been  for  700  years, 
and  continues  to  be,  part  of  the  ecclesiastical  law.  Far  from 
being  a  dead  letter,  it  obtained  a  new  .ipplication  in  the  days  of 
the  Ijiquisition ;  and  one  of  the  later  Popes  has  declared  that  the 
murder  of  a  Protestant  is  so  good  a  deed  that  it  atones,  and  more 


m 


ippiPipviimMiipiiiii 


mm 


mm 


686 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OK    ROME. 


than  atones,  for  the  murder  of  a  Catholic." — 7 he  London  Timcs^ 
July  20th,  1872. 

In  the  last  council  of  the  Vatican,  has  the  Church  of  Rome 
expresscil  any  rcjjrct  for  having  promulgated  and  executed  such 
bloody  laws?  No!  On  the  contrary,  she  has  anathematized  all 
those  who  think  or  say  that  she  was  wrong  when  she  deluged 
the  world  with  the  blood  of  the  millions  she  ordered  to  be 
slaughtered  to  .quench  her  thirst  for  blood;  she  positively  said  that 
she  had  the  right  to  punish  those  heretics  by  tortures  and  death. 

Those  bloody  and  anti-social  laws,  were  written  on  the  ban- 
ners of  the  Roman  Catholics,  when  slaughtering  100,000  Wal- 
denses  in  the  mountains  of  Piedmont,  and  more  than  50,000 
defenceless  men,  vv^omen  and  children  in  the  city  of  Bezieres.  It 
is  under  the  inspiration  of  those  diabolical  laws  of  Rome,  that 
75,000  Protestants  were  massacred,  the  night  and  following 
week  of  St.  Bartholomew. 

It  was  to  obey  those  bloody  laws  that  Louis  XIV.  revoked 
the  Edict  of  Nantes,  caused  the  death  of  half  a  million  of  men, 
women  and  children,  who  perished  in  all  the  highways  of  France, 
and  caused  twice  that  number  to  die  in  the  land  of  exile,  where 
they  had  found  a  refuge. 

Those  anti-social  laws,  to-day,  are  written  on  her  banners 
with  the  blood  of  ten  millions  of  martyrs.  It  is  under  those 
bloody  banners  that  6,000  Roman  Catholic  priests,  Jesuits  and 
bishops,  in  the  United  States,  are  marching  to  the  conquest  of 
this  Republic,  backed  by  their  seven  millions  of  blind  and 
obedient  slaves. 

Those  laws,  which  are  still  the  ruling  laws  of  Rome,  were 
the  main  cause  of  the  last  rebellion  of  the  Southern  States. 

Yes!  without  Romanism,  the  last  awful  civil  war  would 
have  been  impossible.  Jeff  Davis  would  never  have  dared  to 
attack  the  North,  had  he  not  hue'  assurance  from  the  Pope,  that 
the  Jesuits,  the  bishops,  the  i>rif'ats  and  the  whole  people  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  under  the  name  and  mask  of  Democracy, 
would  help  him. 

These  diabolical  and  anti-social  laws  of  Rome  caused  a 
Roman  Catholic  (Beauregard)  to  be  the  man  chosen  to  fire  the  first 


^fjpii^iMM|m^'i^M«iil,pi^'  9mmm 


ROME,   THE    ENEMY    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES. 


687 


gun  at  Fort  Sumter,  ngainst  the  flag  of  Liberty,  on  the  12th  of 
April,  1861.  Those  antichristiun  and  anti-social  laws  caused  the 
Pope  of  Rome  to  be  the  only  crowned  prince  in  the  whole 
world,  so  depraved  as  to  publicly  shake  hands  with  Jeff  Davis, 
and  proclaim  him  President  of  a  legitimate  government. 

These  are  the  laws  which  led  the  assassins  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  to  the  house  of  a  rabid  Roman  Catholic  woman,  Mary 
Surratt,  which  was  nol  only  the  rendezvous  of  the  priests  of 
Washington,  but  the  very  dwelling-house  of  some  of  them. 

That  woman,  gifted  by  God  to  be  an  angel  of  peace  and 
mercy  on  earth,  was  changed  by  those  laws  into  a  bloodthirsty 
tigress;  for  she  had  smelt  the  blood  which,  everywhere,  comes 
from  the  robe,  the  hands  and  the  lips  of  the  priest  of  Rome. 

Those  blootly  and  infernal  laws  of  Rome  nerved  the  arm  of 
the  Roman  Catholic,  Booth,  when  he  slaughtered  one  of  the 
noblest  men  God  has  ever  given  to  the  world. 

Those  bloody  and  anti-social  laws  of  Rome,  after  having 
covered  Europe  with  ruins,  tears  and  blood,  for  ten  centuries, 
have  crossed  the  oceans  to  continue  their  work  of  slavery  and 
desolation,  blood  and  tears,  ignorance  and  demoralization,  on 
this  continent.  Under  the  mjisk  and  name  of  Democracy, 
they  have  raised  the  standard  of  rebellion  of  the  South  against 
the  North,  and  caused  more  than  half  a  million  of  the  most 
heroic  sons  of  America  to  fall  on  the  fields  of  carnage. 

In  a  very  near  future,  if  God  does  not  miraculously  prevent  it» 
those  laws  of  dark  deeds  and  blood  will  cause  the  prosperity,  the 
rights,  the  education,  and  the  liberties  of  this  too  confident  nation, 
to  he  buried  under  a  mountain  of  smoking  and  bloody  ruins. 
On  the  top  of  that  mountain,  Rome  will  raise  her  throne  and 
plant  her  victorious  banners. 

Then  she  will  sing  her  Te  Deums  and  shout  her  shouts  of 
joy,  as  she  did,  when  she  heard  the  lamentations  and  cries  of 
desolation  of  the  millions  of  martyrs  burning  in  the  five  thous- 
and auto-da-fes  she  had  raised  in  all  the  capitals  and  great  cities 
of  Europe. 


Chapter    LX. 


SBB  TUlTOAMIiNTAL  FBINOIFIiF.S  OF  THB  OONSTITtTTION  OF 
THE  X7KITED  STATES  DRAWN  FBOM  THB  OOSPEIi  OFCHBIST 
-BOMB  CANNOT  THBIVE  AND  STAI7D  IN  THE  T7NITES 
STATES  WITHOUT  DESTBOTING  THEIB  FBINCIPLES  OF 
FBATEBNIT7,  EaVALITT  AND  lilBEBT-Z-,  WHICH  ABE  THB 
FOXTNDATION  OF  THIS  BEPTTBLIC-MY  FIBST  VISIT  TO 
ABBAHAM  LINOOIiN  TO  WABN  HIM  OF  THE  PLOTS  I  KNEW 
AaAINST  HIS  lilFE-THE  PBIESTS  CIRCTTIiATE  THE  NEWS 
THAT  lilNCOLN  WAS  BOBN  IN  THE  CHTTBCH  OF  BOME- 
IiETTEB  OF  THE  POPE  TO  JEFF  DAVIS-MT  LAST  VISIT  TO 
THE  PBESIDENT-HIS  ADMIBABIjE  BEFEBENOE  TO  UOSES 
-HIS  WTIiLINGNESS  TO  DIE  FOB  HIS  NATION'S  SAKE. 


EQUALITY    AND    FRATERNITY    OF    MEN   PRO. 
CLAIMED  BY  CHRIST. 

"  Be  ye  not  called  Rabbi.  For  one  is  your  Master,  even  Christ.  And 
all  ye  are  brethren."  (Math.  23  :  8.) 

"  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  But  in  every  nation,  he  that  feareth 
Him  and  worketh  righteousness  is  accepted  with  Him."  (Acts.  10  ;  34-35.) 

"Jesus  called  them  unto  him  and  said:  Ye  know  that  the  princes  of  the 
Gentiles  exercise  dominion  over  them,  and  they  that  are  great  exercilse  au- 
thority upon  them: 

"  But  it  shall  not  be  so  among  you:  But  whosoever  will  be  great  among 
you,  let  him  be  your  minister:  And  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you, 
let  him  be  your  servant. 

"Even  as  the  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minis- 
ter, and  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many."  (Math.    20  :  25-28.) 

PRINCIPLES     OF     LIBERTY     PROCLAIMED    BY 

CHRIST. 

"  If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed,  and  ye 
shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free.  If  the  Son  shall 
make  you  free,  you  shall  be  free  indeed."  (John  8  :  32.) 

"  The  spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed  me  to 
preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor ;  he  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted, 


MY    FIRST    VISIT    TO    ABRAHAM    LINCOLM. 


689 


OF    MEN   PRO- 


OCLAIMED    BY 


io  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind, 
to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised."  (Luke  4  :  18.) 

"  Where  the  Spirit  of  God  is,  there  is  liberty."  (2  Cor.  3  :  ij.) 

TOLERANCE    AND    LIBERTY    OF     CONSCIENCE 
PROCLAIMED   BY   CHRIST. 

"  And  they  did  not  receive  him  (Christ)  because  his  face  was  as  though 
he  would  go  to  Jerusalem.  And  when  his  disciples  James,  and  John,  saw 
this,  they  said:  Wilt  thou  that  we  command  fire  to  come  down  from 
heaven  and  consume  them,  even  as  Elias  did? 

»  But  he  turned  and  rebuked  them,  and  said :  Ye  know  not  what  spirit 
ye  are  of. 

"  For  the  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy  man's  life,  but  to  save 
them."  (Luke  9  :  53-56) 

"  Then  Simon  Peter,  having  a  sword,  drew  it,  and  smote  the  high  priest's 
servant,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear.    The  servant's  name  was  Malchus. 

"  Then  said  Jesus  unto  Peter,  put  up  thy  sword  into  the  sheath:  the  cup 
which  my  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drink, it?  For  all  they  that 
take  the  sword,  shall  perish  with  the  sword."  (Matt.  26  :  52.  John  18  :  10.) 

It  is  no  wonder  that  the  people  of  Judea,  filled  with  admira- 
tion at  these  sublime  doctrines  of  equality,  fraternity,  liberty 
and  tolerance,  should  exclaim,  "Never  man  spake  like  this 
man!" 

Is  it  on  those  admirable  principles  that  the  Church  of  Rome 
Is  founded?  No!  for  she  has,  thousands  of  times,  proclaimed 
that  her  mission  was  to  destroy  them  all,  even  if  she  had  to 
wade  in  the  blood  of  those  who  support  them. 

But  just  as  the  Catholic  Church  is  not  only  the  very  antipodes 
and  the  most  implacable  enemy  of  those  admirable  doctrines  and 
principles,  so  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  is  the  ripe  fruit 
of  this  divine  seed,  sown  by  the  Son  of  God  himself  in  the  bosom 
of  humanity,  eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  to  save  the  world. 

Yes,  in  reference  to  those  principles  of  fraternity,  equality, 
liberty  and  tolerance,  the  constitution   of  the  United  State  is  to 
the  Gospel  of    Christ  what  the  fruit  is  to  the  tree  which  has 
{jiven  it.     And   this  is  the  verdict  given  by  the  whole  world, 
the  Churcii  of  Rome  excepted. 

Why  is  it  that  the  poor,  the  bruised,  the  wounded  and -the 
oppressed  from  every  land,  turn  their  eyes,  their  hearts  and  their 
Steps,  towards  this  country?     It  is  because  all  the  echoes  of 


C90 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


heaven  and  earth  have  told  them  that  the  United  States  Repub- 
lie  isy  par  excellence,  the  land  of  fraternity,  fair-play,  equality 
and  liberty,  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world   has  revealed  them. 

The  Pope  of  Rome  and  his  Jesuits  know  this  better  than 
any  one.  Hence,  their  constant  and  supreme  efforts  to  destroy 
this  Republic.  Believing  and  preaching  that  it  is  their  duty  to 
exterminate  the  individuals  who  differ  from  them  in  religion, 
they  assume  that  it  is  their  duty  to  destroy  the  governments  and 
the  nations  who  refuse  to  submit  to  their  yoke,  when  they  can 
do  it  safely. 

The  mission  of  Rome  being,  to  teach  that  the  inferior,  the  pco- 
pie,  must  obey  his  superior,  just  as  the  corpse  obeys  the  hand 
which  moves  it,  or  as  the  stick  obeys  the  arm  whicli  directs  it,  she 
knows  well  that  she  cannot  fulfill  her  mission,  and  attain  her  object 
so  long  as  this  government  of  a  free,  sovereign  people,  stands ;  she 
is,  then,  bound  to  oppose,  paralyze  and  destroy  that  government 
when  she  finds  her  opportunity. 

With  lynx's  eye,  she  watched  that  opportunity:  and  with 
anxiety  and  rage  she  spied  from  her  cradle  the  onward  march 
of  this  young  giant  Republic.  She  knew  that  it  was  in  the 
bosom  of  every  true  citizen  of  the  United  States  to  propagate 
those  accursed  (by  her)  principles  of  equality,  fraternity  and 
liberty,  all  over  the  world.  She  saw  that  the  irresistible  influ- 
ence of  those  principles  were  felt  on  the  most  distant  nations, 
as  well  as  on  the  poor,  miserable,  Irish  people,  she  was  keeping 
under  her  heavy  and  ignominious  yoke;  she  understocvl  that 
there  was  a  real  danger  for  her  very  existence,  if  those  princi- 
ples would  continue  to  spread;  that  her  slavery  star  would  go 
down  as  the  liberty  star  would  rise  on  the  horizon.  In  a  word, 
Rome  saw  at  once  that  the  very  existence  of  the  United  States 
was  a  formidable  menace  to  her  own  life.  Already  she  had 
seen  the  chains  of  two  millions  of  her  Irish  slaves  melted  at  the 
simple  touch  of  the  warm  rays  of  liberty  which  had  fallen  from 
the  stars  and  stripes  banners.  From  the  very  beginning,  she 
perfidiously  sowed  the  germs  of  division  and  hatred  between 
the  two  great  sections  of  this  country,  and  she  felt  an  unspeaka- 
ble joy   when  she  saw   that  she  had  succeeded  in  dividing  its 


iplpp 


muf^-m'm^^m^ 


■w^PPPSJHP!'^ 


KOME. 

;d  States  Repxib- 
lii-.play,  equality 
evealed  them. 

this  better   than 
efforts  to  destroy 

it  is  their  duty  to 
them  in  religion, 

governments  and 
2,  when  they   can 

le  inferior,  the  peo- 
le  obeys  the  hand 
vhicn  directs  it,  she 
nd  attain  her  object 
I  people,  stands; she 
oy  that  government 

)ortunity:  and   with 
the  onward   march 
r  that  it  was  in  the 
States  to  propagate 
ality,  fraternity  and 
the  irresistible  influ- 
aost  distant  nations, 
,\e,  she  was  keeping 
^shc  understood   that 
pee,  if  those  princi- 
[lavery  star  would  go 
horizon.    In  a  word, 
,f  the  United   States 
Already  she  had 
slaves  melted  at  the 
[vhich  had  fallen  from 
very  beginning,  she 
and  hatred  between 
she  felt  an  unspcaka- 
:eeded  in  dividing  its 


MY   FIRST   VISIT   TO    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


691 


South  from  the  North,  on  the  burning  question  of  slavery.  She 
looked  upon  that  division  as  her  golden  opportunity.  To  crush 
one  party  by  the  other,  and  reign  over  the  bloody  ruins  of  both, 
has  mvariably  been  her  policy.  She  hoped  that  the  hour  of 
her  supreme  triumph  over  this  continent  was  come.  She  ordered 
her  elder  son,  the  Emperor  of  France,  to  keep  himself  ready  to 
help  her  to  crush  the  North,  by  having  an  army  in  Mexico  ready 
to  suppoit  the  South,  and  she  bade  all  the  Roman  Catholic 
bishops,  priests  and  people,  to  enroll  themselves  under  the  ban- 
ners of  slavery,  by  joining  themselves  to  the  party  of  Democra- 
cy. And  everybody  knows  how  the  Roman  Catholic  bishops 
and  priests,  almost  to  a  man,  obeyed  that  order.  Only  one 
bishop  dared  to  disobey.  Above  everything,  it  was  ordered  to 
oppose  the  election  of  Lincoln  at  any  cost.  For,  from  the  very 
first  day  his  eloquent  voice  had  been  heard,  a  shrill  of  terror  had 
gone  through  the  hearts  of  the  partizans  of  slavery.  The 
Democratic  press,  which  was  then,  as  it  is  still  now,  almost  en- 
tirely under  the  control  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  and  the  devoted 
tool  of  the  Jesuits,  deluged  the  country  with  the  most  fearful 
denunciations  against  him.  They  called  him  an  ape;  a  stupid 
brute,  a  most  dangerous  lunatic,  a  bloody  monster,  a  merciless 
tyrant,  etc.  etc.  In  a  word,  Rome  exhausted  all  her  resources  of 
language,  she  ransacked  the  English- dictionary  to  find  the  most 
suitable  expressions  to  fill  the  people  with  contempt,  hatred  and 
horror  against  him.  But  it  was  written  in  the  decrees  of  God 
that  the  honest  Abraham  Lincoln  should  be  proclaimed  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  the  4th  of  March,  1861. 

At  the  end  of  August,  having  known  from  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic priest,  whom,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  I  had  persuaded  to  leave 
the  errors  of  Popery,  that  there  was  a  plot  among  them  to  assas- 
sinate the  President,  I  thought  it  was  my  duty  to  go  and  tell 
him  what  I  knew,  at  the  same  time  giving  him  a  new  assurance 
of  gratitude  for  what  he  had  done  for  me.  ' 

Knowing  that  I  was  among  those  who  were  waiting  in  the 
ante-chamber,  he  sent  immediately  for  me,  and  received  me  with 
greater  cordiality  and  marks  of  kindness  than  I  could  expect. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  meet  you  again,"  he  said :    "  you  see  that 


j4t*^«te«ijS^t»i(» 


69a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


your  friends,  the  Jesuits,  have  not  yet  killed  me.  But  they 
would  have,  surel}-,  done  it,  when  I  passed  through  their  most 
devoted  city,  Baltimore,  had  I  not  defeated  their  plans,  by  pass- 
ing  incognito,  a  few  hours  before  they  expected  me.  We  have 
the  proof  that  the  company  which  had  been  selected  and  organ- 
ized  to  murder  me,  was  led  by  a  rabid  Roman  Catholic,  called 
Byrne;  it  was  almost  entirely  composed  of  Roman  Catholics* 
more  than  that,  there  were  two  disguised  priests  among  them,  to 
lead  and  encourage  them.  I  am  sorry  to  have  so  little  time  to 
see  you :  but  I  will  not  let  you  go  before  telling  you  that,  a  few 
days  ago,  I  saw  Mr.  Morse,  the  learned  inventor  of  electric  tele- 
graphy: he  told  me  that,  when  he  was  in  Rome,  not  loii"- 
ago,  he  found  out  the  proofs  of  a  most  formidable  conspiracy 
against  this  country  and  all  its  institutions.  It  is  evident  that  it 
is  to  the  intrigues  and  emissaries  of  the  Pope,  that  we  owe,  in 
great  part,  the  horrible  civil  war  which  is  threatening  to  cover 
the  country  with  blood  and  ruins. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  Prof.  Morse  had  to  leave  Rome  before  he 
could  know  more  about  the  secret  plans  of  the  Jesuits  against  the 
liberties  and   the  very  existence  of  this  country.     But  do  you 
know  that  1  want  you  to  take  his  place  and  continue  that  investi- 
gation ?     My  plan  is  to  attach  you  to  my  ambassador  of  France, 
as  one  of  the  secretaries.     In  that  honorable  position,  you  would 
go  from  Paris  to  Rome,  where  you  might  find,  through  the  di- 
rections of  Mr.  Morse,  an  opportunity  of   reuniting  the  broken 
threads  of  his  researches.  '  It  takes  a  Greek  to  fight  a  Greek.'  As  I 
you  have  been  twenty- five  years  a  priest  of   Rome,  I  do  not 
know  any  man  in  the  United  States  so  well  acquainted  as  j'oul 
are  with  the  tricks  of  the  Jesuits,   and   on   the  devotedness  of  I 
whom  I  could  better  rely.     And,  when,  once  in  the  staff  of  myl 
ambassador,  even  as  one  of  the  secretaries,  might  you  not  soonj 
youihclf   become    the    ambassador?     I  am  in  need  of  ChristianI 
men  in  every  department  of  the  public  service,  but  more  in  the 
high  positions.     What  do  you  think  of  that?" 

"  My  dear  President,"  I  answered,  "  I  feel  overwhelmed  b)j 
your  kirftlness.  Surely  nothing  could  be  more  pleasant  to  ma 
than  to  grant  your  request.    The  honor  you  want  to  confer  upon 


murm 


?f!lip!l|W'>*tf?r^  ■■' 


•wTfTvpr'^^m^H^i^mmm^^ 


w^Tfim 


MY    FIRST    VISIT    TO    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


693 


me  is  much  above  my  merit:  but  my  conscience  tells  me  that  I 
cannot  give  up  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  my  poor  French 
Canadian  countrymen,  who  are  still  in  the  errors  of  Popery.  For 
I  am  about  the  only  one  who,  by  the  Providence  of  God,  has 
any  real  influence  over  them.  I  am,  surely,  the  only  one  the 
bishops  and  priests  seem  to  fear  in  that  M'ork.  The  many 
attempts  they  have  made  to  take  away  my  life  are  a  proof 
of  it.  Besides  that,  though  I  consider  the  present  President  of 
the  United  States  much  above  the  Emperors  of  France  Russia 
and  Austria,  much  above  the  greatest  kings  of  the  world,  I 
feel  that  I  am  the  servant,  the  ambassador  of  One  who  is  as  much 
above  even  the  good  and  great  President  of  the  United  States 
as  the  heavens  are  above  the  earth.  I  appeal  to  your  own  Chris- 
tian and  honorable  feelings  to  know  if  I  can  forsake  the  one  for 
the  other." 

The  President  became  very  solemn,  and  replied : 
"You  are  right!  you  are  right!     There  is  nothing  so  great 
under  heaven,  as  to  be  the  ambassador  of  Christ." 

But,  then,  coming  back  to  himself,  with  one  of  his  fine 
jokes,  which  he  had  always  ready,  he  added : 

"Yes!  yes!  You  are  the  ambassador  of  a  greater  Prince  than 
I  am :  but  he  does  not  pay  you  with  so  good  cash  as  I  would 
do." 

He  then  added :  « I  am  excredingly  pleased  to  see  you.  How- 
ever  I  am  so  pressed  just  now,  by  most  important  afFairs,  that  you 
must  excuse  me,  if  I  ask  you  to  give  your  place  to  one  of  my 
generals  who  is,  there,  waiting  for  me.  Please  come  again, 
to-morrow,  at  ten  o'clock,  I  have  a  very  important  question  to 
ask  you,  on  a  matter  which  has  been  constantly  before  my  mind, 
these  last  few  weeks." 

The  next  day,  I  was,  at  the  .ippointed  hour,  with  my  noble 
friend,  who  said : 

"  I  couid  not  give  you  more  than  ten  minutes,  yesterday,  but 
I  will  give  you  twenty,  to-day;  I  want  your  views  about  a  thing 
which  is  exceedingly  puzzling  to  me,  and  you  are  the  only  one 
to  whom  I  like  to  speak  on  that  subject.  A  great  number  of 
Democratic  papers  have  been  sent  to  me,  lately,  evidently  writ- 


694 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


ten  by  Roman  Catholics,  publishing  that  I  was  born  a  Roman 
Catholic,  and  baptized  by  a  priest.  They  call  me  a  renegade,  an 
apostate,  on  account  of  that;  and  they  heap  upon  my  head  mouii- 
tains  of  abuses.  At  first,  I  laughed  at  that,  for  it  is  a  lie.  Thanks 
be  to  God,  I  have  never  been  a  Roman  Catholic.  No  priest  of 
Rome  has  ever  laid  his  hand  on  my  head.  But  the  persistency 
of  the  Romish  press  to  present  this  falsehood  fo  their  readers,  as 
a  gospel  truth,  must  have  a  meaning.  Please  tell  me,  as  briefly  as 
possible,  what  you  think  about  tiiat." 

"  My  (liir  President,"  I  answered,  "it  was  just  this  stranc^e 
story  published  about  you,  which  brought  me  here,  yesterday.  1 
wanted  to  say  a  word  about  it;  but  you  were  too  busy. 

"Let  me  tell  you  that  I  wept  as  a  child  when  I  read  that 
story,  for  the  fij-st  time.  For,  not  only  my  impression  is,  that  it 
is  your  sentence  of  death ;  but  I  have  from  the  lips  of  a  con- 
verted priest,  that  it  is  in  order  to  excite  the  fanaticism  of  the 
^oir  Catholic  murderers,  whom  they  hope  to  find  sooner  or 
later,  lo  strike  you  down;  they  have  invented  that  false  story  of 
vour  being  born  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  of  your  being  bap- 
tized '  V  a  ]  ■  '  ^  They  want,  by  that,  to  brand  your  face  with  the 
ignominious  mark  of  apostacy.  Do  not  forget  that,  in  the 
Church  of  Rome,  an  apostate  is  an  outcast,  who  has  no  place  in 
society,  and  who  has  no  right  to  live. 

"  The  Jesuits  want  the  Roman  Catholics  to  believe  that  you 
are  a  monster,  an  open  enemy  of  God  and  of  his  Church,  that 
you  are  an  excommunicated  man.  For,  every  apostate  is,  ipso 
facto  (by  that  very  fact)  excommunicated.  I  have  brought  to 
you  the  theology  of  one  of  the  most  learned  and  approved  of  the 
Jesuits  of  his  time,  Bussambaum,  who,  with  many  others,  say 
that  the  man  who  will  kill  you  will  do  a  good  and  holy  work. 
More  than  that,  here  is  a  copy  of  a  decree  of  Gregory  VII., 
proclaiming  that  the  killing  of  an  apostate,  or  an  heretic  and  an 
excommunicated  man,  as  you  are  declared  to  be,  is  not  murder; 
nay,  that  it  is  a  good,  a  Christian  action.  That  decreeis  in  cor- 
porated  in  the  canon  law,  which  every  priest  must  study,  and 
which  every  good  Catholic  must  follow 

"  My  dear  President,  I  must  repeat  to  you  here   what  I  said 


3F    ROME. 


MY    FIRST    VISIT    TO   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


695 


was  born  a  Roman 
11  me  a  renegade,  an 
ipon  my  head  moun- 
or  it  is  a  lie.  Thanks 
holic.  No  priest  of 
But  the  persistency 
k1  fo  their  readers,  as 
;  tell  me,  as  briefly  as 

was  just  this  strange 
ne  here,  yesterday.     1 
•e  too  busy. 
Id  when  I   read  that 
J  impression  is,  that  it 
rom  the  lips  of  a  con- 
the  fanaticism  of  the 
ope  to  find  sooner  or 
ted  that  false  story  of 
and  of  your  being  bap- 
rand  your  face  with  the 
It   forget   that,   in  the 
st,  who  has  no  place  in 

ics  to  believe  that  you 
d  of  his  Church,  that 
very  apostate  is,  ipso 
I  have  brought  to 
ed  and  approved  of  the 
^^ith  many  others,  say 
good  and  holy  work. 
;ree  of  Gregory  VII., 
;,  or  an  heretic  and  an 

to  be,  is  not  miudev; 
That  decreeis  in  cor- 

iriest  must  study,  and 


\. 


you  here   what  I  s 


aid 


when  at  Urbana,  in  1856.  My  fear  is  that  you  will  fall  under 
the  blows  of  a  Jesuit  assassin,  if  you  do  not  pay  more  at- 
tention than  you  have  done,  till  now,  to  protect  yourself. 
Remember  that  because  Coligny  was  an  heretic,  as  you  are,  he 
was  brutally  murdered  in  the  St.  Bartholemew  night:  that 
Henry  IV.  was  stabbed  by  the  Jesuit  assassin,  Revaillac,  the  14th 
of  May,  1 6 10,  for  having  given  liberty  of  conscience  to  his  peo- 
ple, and  that  William  the  Taciturn,  was  shot  dead  by  another 
Jesuit  murderer,  called  Girard,  for  having  broken  the  yoke  of 
the  Pope.  The  Church  of  Rome  is  absolutely  the  same,  to-day^ 
as  she  was  then ;  she  does  believe  and  teach,  to-day,  as  then,  that 
she  has  the  right  and  that  it  is  her  duty  to  punish  by  death  any 
heretic  who  is  in  her  way  as  an  obstacle  to  her  designs.  The 
unanimity  with  which  the  Catholic  hierarchy  of  the  United 
States  IS  on  the  side  of  the  rebels,  is  an  incontrovertible  evidence 
that  Rome  wants  to  destroy  this  republic,  iind  as  you  are,  by 
your  personal  virtues,  your  popularity,  your  love  for  liberty, 
your  position,  the  greatest  obstacle  to  their  diabolical  schemes, 
their  hatred  is  concentrated  upon  you ;  you  are  the  daily  object  of 
their  maledictions:  it  is  at  your  breast  they  will  direct  their 
blows.  My  blood  chills  in  my  veins,  when  I  contemplate  the 
day  which  may  come,  sooner  or  later,  when  Rome  will  add  to 
all  her  other  iniquities,  the  murder  of  Abraham  Lincoln." 

When  saying  these  thiitgs  to  the  President,  I  was  exceedingly 
moved,  my  voice  was  as  choked,  and  I  could  hardly  retain  my 
tears.  But  the  President  was  perfectly  calm.  When  I  had 
finished  speaking,  he  took  the  volume  of  Bussamhaum  from  my 
hand,  read  the  lines  which  I  had  marked  with  red  ink,  and  I 
helped  him  to  translate  them  into  English.  He,  then,  gave  me 
back  the  book,  and  said: 

"  I  will  repeat  to  you  what  I  said  at  Urbana,  when  for  the 
first  time  you  told  me  your  fears  lest  I  would  be  assassin- 
ated by  the  Jesuits.  *  Man  must  not  care  where  and  when  he 
will  die,  provided  he  dies  at  the  post  of  honor  and  duty.'  But 
I  may  add,  to-day,  that  I  have  a  presentiment  that  God  will  call 
me  to  him  through  the  hand  of  an  assassin.  Let  his  will,  and, 
not  mine  be  done! "  He,  then,  looked  at  his  watch  and  said:     "  I 


696 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


am  sorry,  that  the  twenty  minutes  I  had  consecrated  to  our  in- 
terview have  almost  passed  away ;  I  will  be  for  ever  grateful  for 
the  warning  words  you  have  addressed  to  me  about  the  dangers 
ahead  to  my  life,  from  Rome.  I  know  that  they  are  not  imag. 
inary  dangers.  If  I  were  fighting  against  a  Protestant  South,  as  a 
nation,  there  would  be  no  danger  of  assassination.  The  nations 
who  read  the  Bible,  fight  bravely  on  the  battle-fields,  but  they 
do  not  assassinate  their  enemies.  The  Pope  and  the  Jesuits,  with 
their  infernal  Inquisition,  are  the  only  organized  power  in  the 
world  which  have  recourse  to  the  dagger  of  the  assassin  to  murder 
those  whom  they  cannot  convince  with  their  arguments,  or  con- 
quer with  the  svvord. 

"  Unfortunately,  I  feel  more  and  more,  every  day,  that  it  is 
not  against  the  Americans  of  the  South,  alone,  I  am  fighting,  it 
is  more  against  the  Pope  of  Rome,  his  perfidious  Jesuits  and 
their  blind  and  blood-thirsty  slaves,  than  against  the  real  Amer- 
ican Protestants,  that  we  have  to  defend  ourselves.  Here,  Is  the 
real  danger  of  our  position.  So  long  as  they  will  hope  to  con- 
quer the  North,  they  will  spare  me ;  but  the  day  we  will  rout  their 
armies  (and  that  day  will  surely  come,  with  the  help  of  God,) 
take  their  cities,  and  force  them  to  submit,  then,  it  is  my  im- 
pression that  the  Jesuits,  who  are  the  principal  rulers  of  the 
South,  will  do  what  they  have  almost  invariably  done  in  the 
past.  The  dagger,  or  the  pistol  of  one  of  their  adepts,  will  do 
what  the  strong  hands  of  the  warriors  could  not  achieve. 
This  civil  war  seems  to  be  nothing  but  a  political  affair 
to  those  who  do  not  see,  as  I  do,  the  secret  springs  of  that  terri- 
ble drama.  But  it  is  more  a  religious  than  a  civil  war.  It  is 
Rome  who  wants  to  rule  and  degrade  the  North,  as  she  has 
ruled  and  degraded  the  South,  from  the  very  day  of  its' discovery. 
There  are  only  very  few  of  the  Southern  leaders  who  arc  not 
more  or  less  under  the  influence  of  the  Jesuits,  through  their  wives, 
family  relations,  and  their  friends.  Several  members  of  the  family 
of  Jeff  Davis  belong  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  Even  the  Protest- 
ant ministers  are  under  the  influence  of  the  Jesuits  without  sus- 
pecting it.  To  keep  her  ascendency  in  the  North,  as  she  does 
in  the  South,  Rome  is  doing  here  what  she  has  done  in  Mexico, 


ROMK.    -^ 

:rated  to  our  in- 
ever  grateful  for 
bout  the  dangers 
ey  are  not  imag- 
estant  South,  as  a 
on.     The  nations 
le-fields,  hut  they 
d  the  Jesuits,  with 
ted  power  in  the 
assassin  to  murder 
rguments,  or  con- 

ery  day,  that  it  is 
:,  I  am  fighting,  it 
fidious  Jesuits  and 
inst  the  real  Amer- 
jlves.     Here,  Is  the 
r  will  hope  to  con- 
ly  we  will  rout  their 
h  the  help  of  God,) 
then,  it  is  my  im- 
ncipal  rulers  of  the 
riably  done  in  the 
leir  adepts,  will  do 
could    not   achieve, 
a    political    affair 
.rings  of  that  terri- 
a  civil  war.     It  is 
North,  as  she  has 
day  of  its  discovery. 
;aders  who  are  not 
through  their  wives, 
ipnibers  of  the  family 
..  Even  the  Protest- 
Jesuits  without  sus- 
,e  North,  as  she  does 
has  done  in  Mexico, 


MY    FIRST    VISIT    TO    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


697 


and  in  all  the  Soutli  American  Republics;  she  is  paralyzing,  by  a 
civil  war,  the  arms  of  the  soldiers  of  Liberty.  She  divides  our 
nation,  in  order  to  weaken,  subdue  and  rule  it. 

"Surely  we  have  some  brave  and   reliable   Roman   Catholic 
officers  and  soldiers  in  our  armies,  but  they  form  an  insignificant 
minority    when    compared    with    the    Roman    Catholic  traitors 
against  whom  we  have  to  guard  ourselves,  day  and  night.     The 
fact  is,  that  the  inmiense  majority  of  Roman  Catholic  bishops, 
priests  and  laymen,  are  rebels  in  heart,  when  they  cannot  be  in 
fact;  with  very  few  exceptions,  they  are  publicly  in  favor  of  sla- 
very.    I  understand,  now,  why  the  patriots  of  France,  who  de- 
termined to  see  the  colors  of  Liberty  floating  over  their  great  and 
beautiful  country,  were  forced  to  hang  or  shoot  almost  all  the 
priests  and  the  monks  as  the  irreconcilable  enemies  of  Liberty. 
For  it  is  a  fact,  which  is  now  evident  to  me,  that,  with  very  few 
exceptions,  every  priest  and  every  true  RomaiT  Catholic  is  a  de- 
termined enemy  of  Liberty.    Their  extermination,  in  France,  was 
one  of  those  terrible  necessities  which  no  human  wisdom  could 
avoid;  it   looks  to  me   now   as  an  order  from  heaven  to  save 
France.     May  God   grant  that  the   same  terrible  necessity  be 
never  felt  in  the  United  States !     But  there  is  a  thing  which  is 
very  certain;  it  is,  that  if  the  American  people  could  learn  what 
I  know  of  the  fierce  hatred  of  the  generalty  of  the  priests  of 
Rome   against    our   institutions,    our  schools,   our   most    sacred 
rights,  and  our  so  dearly  bought  liberties,  they  would  drive  them 
away,  to-morrow,  from  among  us,  or  they  would  shoot  them  as 
traitors.     But  I  keep  those  sad  secrets  in  my  h^art;  you  are  the 
only  one  to  whom  I  reveal  them,  for  I  know  that  you  learned 
them  before  me.     The  history  of  these  last  thousand  years  tells 
us  that  wherever  the  Church  of  Rome  is  not  a  dagger  to  pierce 
the  bosom  of  a  free  nation,  she  is  a  stone  to  her  neck,  and  a  ball 
to  her  feet,  to  paralyze  her,  and  prevent  her  advance  in  the  ways 
of  civilization,  science,  intelligence,  happiness  and  liberty.      But 
T  forget  that  my  twenty   minutes  are  gone  long   ago. 

"Please  accept  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  new  lights  you 
have  given  me  on  the  dangers  of  my  position,  and  come  again. 
I  will  always  see  you  with  a  new  pleasure." 


698 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    TIIK    CHURCH    OK    ROME. 


My  second  visit  to  Abraham  Lincoln  was  at  the  beginning  of 
June,  1862.  The  grand  victory  of  the  Monitor  over  the  Merri- 
mac,  and  the  conquest  of  New  Orleans,  by  the  brave  and  Chris- 
tian Farragut  had  filled  every  heart  with  joy ;  I  wanted  to  unite 
my  feeble  voice  to  that  of  the  whole  country  to  tell  him  how  I 
blessed  God  for  that  glorious  success.  But  I  found  him  so  busy 
that  I  could  only  shake  hands  with  him. 

The  third  and  last  time  I  went  to  pay  my  respects  to  the 
doomed  President,  and  warn  him  against  the  impending  dangers 
which  I  knew  were  threatening  him,  was  on  the  morning  of 
June  8th,  1S64,  when  he  was  absolutely  besieged  by  people  who 
wanted  to  see  him.  After  a  kind  and  warm  shaking  of  hands,  he 
said: 

"  I  am  much  pleased  to  see  you  again.  But  it  is  impossible 
to-day,  to  say  anything  more  than  this :  To-morrow  afternoon, 
I  will  receive  the  delegation  of  the  deputies  of  all  the  loyal 
states,  sent  to  officially  announce  the  desire  of  the  country  that 
I  should  remain  the  President  four  years  more.  I  invite  you  to 
be  present  with  them  at  that  interesting  meeting.  You  will  see 
some  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  our  Republic,  and  I  will  be 
glad  to  introduce  you  to  them.  You  will  not  present  yourself  as 
a  delegate  of  the  people,  but  only  as  the  guest  of  the  President: 
and  that  there  may  be  no  trouble,  I  will  give  you  this  card,  with 
a  permit  to  enter  with  the  delegation.  But  do  not  leave  Wash- 
ington before  I  see  you  again ;  I  have  some  important  matters  on 
which  I  want  to  know  your  mind." 

The  next  day,  it  was  my  privilege  to  have  the  greatest  honor 
ever  received  by  me.  The  good  President  wanted  me  to  stand 
at  his  right  hand,  when  he  received  the  delegation,  and  hear  the 
address  presented  by  Govenor  Dennison,  the  President  of  the 
convention,  to  which  he  replied  in  his  own  admirable  simplicity 
and  eloquence;  finishing  by  one  of  his  most  witty  anecdotes. 
"I  am  reminded  in  this  convention  of  a  story  of  an  old  Dutch 
farmer,  who  remarked  to  a  companion,  wisely,  *  that  it  was  not 
best  to  swap  horses  when  crossing  a  stream.' " 

The  next  day,  he  kindly  took  me  with  him  in  his  carriage, 
when  visiting  the   30,000  wounded  soldiers  picked  up  on  the 


tOME. 


MY    FIRST    VISIT    TO    AUKAIIAM    LINCOLN. 


699 


the  beginning  of 
nvcr  the  Merri- 
^rave  and  Chris- 
wanted  to  unite 

0  tell  him  how  I 
)und  him  so  busy 

jr  respects  to  the 
npending  dangers 
\  the  morning  of 
;ed  by  people  who 
iaking  of  hands,  he 

it  it  is  impossible, 
morrow  afternoon, 
ies  of  all  the  loyal 

1  the  country  that 
re.     I  invite  you  to 
:ing.     You  will  see 
.ublic,  and  I  will  be 
)t  present  yourself  as 
:st  of  the  President: 

you  this  card,  with 
Jo  not  leave  Wash- 
important  matters  on 

,e  the  greatest  honor 
[wanted  me  to  stand 
•gation,  and  hear  the 
the  President  of  the 
admirable  simplicity 
lost  witty  anecdotes, 
.ry  of  an  old  Dutch 
[ely, '  that  it  was  not 

him  in  his  carriage, 
prs  picked  up  on  the 


battle-fields  of  the  seven  days  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  and 
the  thirty  days  battle  around  Richmond,  where  Grant  was  just 
breaking  the  backbone  of  the  rebellion.  On  the  way  to  and 
from  the  hospitals,  I  could  not  talk  much.  The  noise  of  the  car- 
riage rapidly  drawn  on  the  pavement  was  too  great.  Besides 
that,  my  soul  was  so  much  distressed,  and  my  heart  so  much 
broken  by  the  sight  of  the  horrors  of  that  fratricidal  war,  that 
my  voice  was  as  stifled.  The  only  thought  which  seemed 
to  occupy  the  mind  of  the  President  was  the  part  which  Rome 
had  in  that  horrible  struggle.  Many  times  he  repeated: 

•*  This  war  wouid  never  have  been  possible  without  the 
sinister  influence  of  the  Jesuits.  We  owe  it  to  Popery  that  we 
now  see  our  land  reddened  with  the  blood  of  her  noblest  sons. 
Though  there  were  great  differences  of  opinion  between  the 
South  and  the  North,  on  the  question  of  slavery;  neitlier  Jeff 
Davis  nor  any  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  Confederacy  would 
have  dared  to  attack  the  North,  had  they  not  relied  on  the  prom- 
ises of  the  Jesuits,  that,  under  the  mask  of  Democracy,  the 
money  and  the  arms  of  the  Roman  Catholics,  even  tiie  arms  of 
France,  were  at  their  disposal,  if  they  would  attack  us.  I  pity 
the  priests,  the  bishops  and  the  monks  of  Rome  in  the 
United  States,  when  the  people  reaiize  that  they  are,  in  great 
part,  responsible  for  the  tears  and  the  blood  shed  in  this  war; 
the  later  the  more  terrible  will  the  retribution  be.  T  conceal 
what  I  know,  on  that  subject,  from  the  knowledge  of  the  nation ; 
for  if  the  people  knew  the  whole  truth,  this  war  would  turn  into  a 
religious  war,  and  it  would,  at  once,  take  a  tenfold  more  savage 
and  bloody  character.  It  would  become  merciless  as  all  reli- 
gious wars  are.  It  would  become  a  war  of  extermination  on 
both  sides.  The  Protestants  of  both  the  North  and  the  South 
would  surely  unite  to  exterminate  the  priests  and  the  Jesuits,  if 
they  conld  hear  what  Professor  Morse  has  said  to  me  of  the  plots 
made  in  the  very  city  of  Rome  to  destroy  this  Republic,  and  if 
they  could  learn  how  the  priests,  the  nuns,  and  the  monks,  whi.;l' 
daily  land  on  our  shores,  under  the  pretext  of  preaching  their  re- 
ligion, instructing  the  people  in  their  schools,  taking  care  of  the 
sick  in  the  hospitals,  are  nothing  else  but  the  emissaries  of  the 


70O 


FIFTY    YKARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Pope,  of  Napoleon,  ami  the  other  despots  of  Europe,  to  un- 
dermine our  institutions,  alienate  the  hearts  of  our  people  from 
our  constitution,  and  our  laws,  destroy  our  schools,  and  prepare 
a  reign  of  anarchy  here  as  they  have  done  in  Ireland,  in  Mexico,  in 
Spain  and  wherever  there  are  any  people  who  want  to  be  free,  etc." 

When  the  President  was  speaking  thus,  we  arrived  at  the 
door  of  his  mansion.  He  invited  me  to  go  with  him  to  his  study, 
and  said: 

"  Though  I  am  very  busy.  I  must  rest  an  hour  with  you. 
am  in  need  of  that  rest.  My  head  is  aching,  I  feel  as  crushed 
under  the  burden  of  afTairs  which  are  on  my  shoulders.  There 
are  many  important  things  about  the  plots  of  the  Jesuits  that  I 
can  learn  only  from  you.  Please  wait  just  a  moment,  I  have  just 
received  some  despatches  from  General  Grant,  to  which  I  must 
give  an  answer.  My  secretary  is  waiting  for  mc.  I  go  to  him. 
Please  amuse  yourself  with  those  books,  during  my  short  ah- 
sence." 

Twenty-five  minutes  later,  the  President  had  returned,  with 
his  face  flushed  with  joy. 

"  Glorious  news !   General  Grant  has  again  beaten  Lee,  and 
forced  him  to  retreat  towards  Richmond,  where  he  will  have  t- 
surrender,  before  long.     Grant  is  a  real  hero.     But  let  us  cr 
to  the  question  1  want  to  put  to  you.     Have  you  read  the  It 
of  the  Pope  to  Jeff  Davis,  and  what  do  you  think  of  it?" 

"  My  dear  President,"  I  answered,  "  it  is  just  that  letter 
which  brought  me  to  your  presence  again,  day  before  yesterday. 
I  wanted  to  come  and  see  you,  from  the  very  day  I  read  it.  But 
I  knew  you  were  so  overwhelmed  with  the  affairs  of  your  gov- 
ernment, that  I  would  not  be  able  to  see  you.  However,  the  anxie- 
ties of  my  mind  were  so,  that  I  determined  to  go  over  every  barrier 
to  warn  you  again  against  the  new  dangers  and  plots  which  I 
knew  would  come  out  from  that  perfidious  letter,  against  vour 
life. 

"  That  letter  is  a  poisoned  arrow  thrown  by  the  Pope,  at  you 
personally;  and  it  will  be  more  than  a  miracle  if  it  be  not  your 
irrevocable  warrant  of  death.  Before  reading  it,  it  is  true  that 
every  Catholic  coidd  see  by  the  unanimity  of  the  bishops  siding 


MY    FIRST    VISIT    TO    AHRAIIAM    LINCOLN. 


701 


had  returned,  with 


with  the  rehel  cause,  that  their  church,  as  a  whole,  was  against 
this  free  Republican  government.  However,  a  good  niinihcr  of 
liberty-loving  Irish,  German  and  French  Catiiolics,  followinjj 
more  the  instincts  of  their  noble  nature,  than  the  degrading  prin- 
ciples of  their  church,  enrolled  themselves  under  the  banners  of 
Liberty,  and  they  have  fought  like  heroes.  To  detach  these  men 
from  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Northern  armies,  and  force  them 
to  help  the  cause  of  the  rebellion,  became  the  object  of  the  in- 
trigues of  the  Jesuits.  Secret  and  pressing  letters  were  addressed 
from  Rome  to  the  bishops,  ordering  them  to  weaken  your  armies 
by  detaching  those  men  from  you.  The  bishops  answered, 
that  they  could  not  do  that  without  exposing  themselves 
to  be  shot.  But  they  advised  the  Pope  to  acknowledge,  at  once, 
the  legitimacy  of  the  Southern  Republic,  and  to  take  Jeff  Davis 
under  his  supreme  protection,  by  a  letter,  which  would  be  read 
everywhere. 

"That  letter,  then,  tells  logically  the  Roman  Catholics  that  you 
arc  a  bloody  tyrant!  a  most  execrable  being  when  fighting  against 
a  government  which  the  infallible  and  holy  Pope  of  Rome  recog- 
nizes as  legitimate.  The  Pope,  by  this  K  tter,  tells  his  blind 
slaves  that  you  are  an  infamous  usurper,  when  considering  your- 
self  the  President  of  the  Southern  States;  that  you  are  outraging 
the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  by  continuing  such  a  bloody  war 
to  subdue  a  nation  over  whom  God  Almighty  has  declared, 
through  his  infallible  pontiff,  the  Pope,  that  you  have  not  the 
least  right;  that  letter  means  that  you  will  give  an  account  to 
God  and  man  for  the  blood  and  tears  you  cause  to  flow  in  order 
to  satisfy  your  ambition. 

"  By  this  letter  of  the  Pope  to  Jeff  Davis  you  are  not  only  an 
apostate,  as  you  were  thought  before,  whom  every  man  had  the 
right  to  kill,  according  to  the  canonical  laws  of  Rome;  but  you 
are  more  vile,  criminal  and  cruel  than  tht:  horse  thief,  the  public 
bandit  ',  and  the  lawless  brigand,  robber  and  murderer,  whom  it 
is  a  duty  *"o  stop  and  kill,  when  we  take  them  in  their  acts  of 
blood,  and  thai  there  is  no  other  way  to  put  an  end  to  their 
plunders  and  murders. 

"  And,  my  dear  President,  the  meanmg  I  give  you  of  this 


702 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


perfidious  letter  of  the  Pope  to  Jeff  Davis,  is  not  a  fancy  imagin- 
ation on  my  part,  it  is  the  unanimous  explanation  given  me  by  a 
great  number  of  the  priests  of  Rome,  with  whom  I  have  had  occa- 
sion to  speak  on  that  subject.  In  the  name  of  God,  and  in  the 
name  of  our  ilear  country,  which  is  so  much  in  need  of  your 
services,  I  conjure  you  to  pay  more  attention  to  protect  your 
precious  life,  and  not  continue  to  expose  it  as  you  have  done  till 
now." 

The  President  listened  to  my  words  with  breathless  attention. 
He  replied: 

"  You  confirm  me  in  the  views  I  had  taken  of  the  letter  of 
the  Pope.  Professor  Morse  is  of  the  same  mind  with  you.  It 
is,  indeed,  the  most  perfidious  act  which  could  occur  under  present 
circumstances.  You  are  perfectly  correct  when  you  say  that  it 
was  to  detach  the  Roman  Catholics  who  had  enrolled  them- 
selves in  our  armies.  Since  the  publication  of  that  letter,  a  great 
number  of  them  have  deserted  their  banners  and  turned  traitors; 
very  few,  comparatively,  have  remained  true  to  their  oath  of 
fidelity.  It  is,  however,  very  lucky  that  one  of  those  few,  Sheridan, 
is  worth  a  whole  army  by  his  ability,  his  patriotism  and  his  heroic 
coui-age.  It  is  true,  also,  that  Meade  has  remained  with  us,  and 
gained  the  bloody  battle  of  Gettysburgh.  But  how  could  he 
lose  it,  when  he  was  surrounded  by  such  heroes  as  Howard, 
Reynolds,  Buford,  Wadsworth,  Cutler,  Slocum,  Sickles,  Han- 
cock, Barnes,  etc.  But  it  is  evident  that  his  Romanism  superse- 
ded his  patriotism  after  the  battle.  He  let  the  army  of  Lee  es- 
cape, when  it  was  fo  easy  to  cut  his  retreat  and  force  him  to 
surrender,  after  having  lost  nearly  the  half  of  his  soldiers  in  the 
last  three  days'  carnage. 

"  When  Meade  was  to  order  the  pursuit,  after  the  battle,  a 
stranger  came,  in  haste,  to  the  headquarters,  and  that  stranger 
was  a  disguised  Jesuit.  After  a  ten  minutes'  conversation  with 
him,  Meade  made  such  arrangements  for  the  pursuit  of  the 
enemy,  that  he  escaped  almost  tmtouched,  with  the  loss  of  only 
two  guns! 

"  You  are  right,"  continued  the  President,  "  when  you  say 
that  this  letter  of  the  Pope  has  entirely  changed  the  nature  and 


MY    FIRST   VISIT    TO    ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


703 


rcathless  attention. 


the  ground  of  the  war.  Before  they  read  it,  the  Roman  Catho- 
lics could  see  that  I  was  fighting  against  Jeff  Davis  and  his 
Southern  Confederacy.  But  now,  they  must  believe  th.it  it  is 
against  Christ  and  his  holy  vicar,  the  Pope,  that  I  am  raising  my 
sacrilegious  hands;  we  have  the  daily  proofs  that  their  indigna- 
tion, their  hatred,  their  malice,  against  me,  are  an  hundredfold 
intensified.  New  projects  of  .assassination  are  detected  almost 
every  day,  accompanied  with  such  savage  circumsta  )ces,  that  they 
bring  to  my  memory  the  massacres  of  the  St.  Bartholomew  and 
the  gunpowder  plot.  We  feel,  at  their  investigation,  that  they 
come  from  the  same  masters  in  the  art  of  murder,  the  Jesuits. 

*'  The  New  York  riots  were  evidently  a  Romish  plot  from 
beginning  to  end.  We  have  the  proofs  in  hand,  that  they  were 
the  work  of  Bishop  Hughes  and  his  emissaries.  No  doubt  can 
remain  in  the  minds  of  the  mosi  incredulous  about  that  bloody 
attempt  of  Rome  to  destroy  New  York,  when  we  know  the  easy 
way  it  was  stopped.  I  wrote  to  Bishop  Hughes,  telling  him  that  the 
whole  country  would  hold  him  responsible  for  it,  if  he  would 
not  stop  it,  at  once.  He,  then,  gathered  the  rioters  around  his 
palace,  called  them  his  '  dear  friends,'  invited  them  to  go  bacx 
home  peacefully,  and  all  was  finished!  so  Jupiter  of  old  used  to 
raise  a  storm,  and  stop  it  with  a  nod  of  his  head ! 

"  From  the  beginning  of  our  civil  war,  there  lias  been,  not 
a  secret,  but  a  public  alliance,  between  the  Pope  of  Rome  and 
Jeff  Davis ;  and  that  alliance  has  followed  the  common  laws  of  this 
world  affairs.  The  greater  has  led  the  smaller,  the  stronger 
has  guided  the  weaker.  T1t»  Pope  and  his  Jesuits,  have  advised, 
supported,  and  directed  Jeff  Davis  on  the  land,  from  the  first  gun 
shot,  at  Fort  Sumter,  by  the  rabid  Roman  Catholic,  Beauregard. 
They  are  helping  him  on  the  sea,  by  guiding  and  supporting  the 
other  rabid  Roman  Catholic  pirate,  Semmes,  on  the  ocean.  And 
they  will  help  the  rebellion  when  firing  their  last  gun  to  shed 
the  blood  xjf  the  last  soldier  t»f  Liberty,  who  will  fall  in  this  fra- 
tricidal war.  In  my  interview  with  Bishop  Hughes,  I  told  him, 
'  that  every  stranger  who  had  sworn  allegiance  to  our  govern- 
ment by  becoming  a  United  States  citizen,  as  himself,  was  liable 
to  be  shot  or  hung  as  a  perjured  traitor,  and  an  armed  spy,  as 


mmi^'f'^^mmmimimimfiif^m 


704 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


the  sentence  of  the  court  marshal  may  direct.      And  he  will  be 
so  shot  and  hanged  accordingly,  as  there  will  be  no  exchange  of 
such  prisoners.'     After  I  had  put  this  flea  in  the  ears  of  the 
Romish  bishop,  I   requested  him  to  go  and  report  my  words  to 
the  Pope.     Seeing  the  dangerous  position  of  his  bishops  and 
priests  when  siding  with  the  rebels,  my  hope  was  that  he  would 
advise  them,  for  their  own  interests,  to  become  loyal  and  true  to 
their  allegiance  and  help  us  through  the  remaining  part  of  the 
war.  But  the  result  has  been   the  very  contrary.    The  Pope  has 
thrown  away  the  mask,  and  shown  himself  the  public  partizan 
and  the  protector  of  the  rebellion,  by  taking  Jeff  Davis  by  the 
hand,  and  impudently  recognizing  the  South^^  -•'  States  as  a  legit- 
imate    government.      Now,    I    have  the  ^     <of  in   hand   that 
that  very  Bishop  Hughes,  whom  I  had  sent  to  Rome  that  he 
might  induce  the  Pope  to  urge  the   Roman  Catholics  of  the 
North  at  least,  to  be  true  to  their  oath  of  allegiance,  and  whom 
I  thanked  publicly,  when,  under  the  impression  that  he  had  acted 
honestly,  according  to  the  promise  he  had  given  me,  is  the  very 
man    who    advised    the    Pope    to    recognize    the    legitimacy 
of    the   Southern  Republic,  and  put  the  whole  weight  of  his 
tiara  in  the  balance  against  us,  in  favor  of  our  enemies!     Such 
is  the  perfidy  of  those  Jesuits.    Two  cankers  are  biting  the  very 
entrails  of  the  United  States,  to  day :  the  Romish  and  the  Mor- 
mon  priests.      Both  are  equally  at  work  to  form  a  people  of 
the  most  abject,  ignorant  and  fanatical  slaves,  who  will  recognize 
no  other  authority  but  their  supreme  pontiffs.    Both  are  aiming  at 
the  destruction  of  our  schools,  to  raise  themselves  upon  our  ruins. 
Both  shelter  themselves  under  our  grand  and  holy  principles  of 
liberty  of  conscience,  to  destroy  that  very  liberty  of  conscience, 
and  bind  the  world  before  their  heavy  and  ignominious  yoke. 
The  Mormon  and  the  Jesuit  priests  are   equally  the  unconpro- 
mising  enemies  of  our  constitution  and  our  laws;  but  the  more 
dangerous  of  the  two  is  the  Jesuit — the  Romish  priest,  for  he 
knows  better  how  to  conceal  his  hatred  under  the  mask  of  friend- 
ship and  public  good:  he  is  better  trained  to  commit  the  most 
cruel  and  diabolical  deeds  for  the  glory  of  God. 

Till  lately,  I  was  in  favor  of  the  unlimited   liberty  of  con- 


wm^ 


IMI 


MY   FIKST   VISIT    TO   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


705 


science,  as  our  constitution  gives  it  to  the  Roman  Catholics.  But 
now,  it  seems  to  me  that,  sooner  or  later,  the  people  will 
be  forced  to  put  a  restriction  to  that  clause  towards  the  Pa- 
pists. Is  it  not  an  act  of  folly  to  give  absolute  liberty  of 
conscience  to  a  set  of  men  who  are  publicly  sworn  to  cut  our 
throats  the  very  day  they  have  their  opportunity  for  doing  it? 
Is  it  right  to  give  the  privilege  of  citizenship  to  men  who  are 
the  sworn  and  public  enemies  of  our  constitution,  our  laws,  our 
liberties,  and  our  lives? 

"  The  very  moment  that  Popery  assumed  the  right  of  life 
and  death  on  a  citizen  of  France,  Spain,  Germany,  England,  or 
the  United  States,  it  assumed  to  be  the  power,  the  government 
of  France,  Spain,  England,  Germany,  and  the  United  States. 
Those  states  then  committed  a  suiridal  act  by  allowing  Popery 
to  put  a  foot  on  their  territory  with  the  privilege  of  citizen- 
ship. The  power  of  life  and  death  is  the  supreme  fotver^ 
and  two  supreme  power  ^cannot  exist  on  the  same  terri- 
ritory  without  anarchy,^  riots,  blood  shed  and  civil  wars  without 
end.  When  Popery  will  give  up  the  power  of  life  and  death 
which  it  proclaims  as  its  own  divine  power,  in  all  its  the- 
ological books  and  canon  laws,  then,  and  then  alone,  it  can 
be  tolerated  and  can  receive  the  privileges  of  citizenship,  in  a 
free  country. 

"  Is  it  not  an  absurdity  to  give  to  a  man  a  thing  which  he  is 
sworn  to  hate,  curse  and  destroy?  And  does  not  the  Church  of 
Rome  hate,  curse  and  destroy  liberty  of  conscience,  whenever 
she  can  do  it  safely  ? 

"  I  am  for  liberty  of  conscience  in  its  noblest,  broadest,  high- 
est sense.  But  I  cannot  give  liberty  of  conscience  to  the  Pope 
and  to  his  followers,  the  Papists,  so  long  as  they  tell  me,  through 
all  their  councils,  theologians  and  canon  laws,  that  their  con- 
science orders  them  to  burn  my  wife,  strangle  my  children,  and 
cut  my  throat  when  they  find  their  opportunity  I 

"  This  does  not  seem  to  be  understood  by  the  people,  to-day. 
But  sooner  or  later,  the  light  of  common  sense  will  make  it  clear 
to  every  one,  that  no  liberty  of  conscience  can  be  granted  to 
men  who  are  sworn  to  obey  a  Pope,  who  pretends  to  have. 


7o6 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


the  right  to  put  to  death  those  who  differ  from  him  in  reli- 
gion. 

Yqu  are  not  the  first  to  warn  me  against  the  dangers  of 
assassination.  My  ambassadors  in  Italy,  France  and  Eng- 
land, as  well  as  Professor  Morse,  have,  many  times,  warned 
me  against  the  plots  of  the  murderers  whom  they  have  de- 
tected in  those  different  countries.  But  I  see  no  other  safe- 
guard aguinst  those  murderers,  but  to  be  always  ready  to  die,  as 
Christ  advises  it.  As  we  must  all  die  sooner  or  later,  it  makes 
very  little  difference  to  me  whether  I  die  from  a  dagger  plunged 
through  the  heart  or  from  an  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  Let 
me  tell  you  that  I  have,  lately,  read  a  passage  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment which  has  made  a  profound,  and,  I  hope,  a  salutary  im- 
pression on  me.     Here  is  that  passage." 

The  President  took  his  Bible,  opened  it  at  the  third  ^hap- 
Deuteronomy,    and    read   from  the  22nd  to   the   iSth 

Ye  shall  not  fear  them;  for  the  Lord  your  God  shall  fight  for 


ter    of 
verse. 

"23 

you. 


"  23.    And  I  besought  the  Lord  at  that  time,  saying: 

"  24.  O  Lord  God,  thou  hast  begun  to  show  thy  servant  thy  great- 
ness, and  thy  mighty  hand ;  for  what  God  is  there,  in  heaven  or  in  earth, 
that  can  do  according  to  thy  works,  and  according  to  thy  might! 

"25.  I  pray  thee,  let  me  go  over  and  see  the  good  land  that  is  be- 
yond Jordan,  that  goodly  mountain,  and  Lebanon. 

"  26.  But  God  was  wroth  with  me  for  your  sakes,  and'  would  not  hear 
me:  and  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  let  it  suffice  thee :  speak  no  more  unto  me  of 
this  matter: 

"  27,  Get  thee  up  unto  the  top  of  Pisgah,  and  lift  up  thine  eyes  west- 
ward and  northward,  and  southward  and  eastward,  and  behold  it  with  thine 
eyes:  for  thou  shalt  not  go  over  this  Jordan." 

After  the  President  had  read  these  words  with  great  solemn- 
ity, he  added: 

"  My  Dear  Father  Chiniquy,  let  me  tell  you  that  I  have  read 
these  strange  and  beautiful  verses  several  times,  these  last 
five  or  six  weeks.  The  more  I  read  them,  the  more,  it  seems  to 
me  that  God  has  written  them  for  me  as  well  as  for  Moses. 

««Has  he  not  taken  me  from  my  poor  log  cabin  by  the 
hand,  as  he  did  of  Moses  in  the  reeds  of  the  Nile,  to  put  me  at 


MY    FIRST    VISIT    TO   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


707 


Erom  him  in  reli- 


your  God  shall  fight  for 


Ids  with  great  solemn- 

111  you  that  I  have  read 
-ral  times,  these  last 
I,  the  more,  it  seems  to 

rell  as  for  Moses. 
toor  log  cabin  by  the 
^he  Nile,  to  put  me  at 


the  head  of  the  greatest  and  the  most  blessed  of  modern  nations, 
just  as  he  put  that  prophet  at  the  head  of  the  most  blessed  nation  of 
ancient  times?  Has  not  God  granted  me  a  privilege,  which  was 
not  granted  to  any  living  man,  when  I  broke  the  fetters  of 
4,000,000  of  men  and  made  them  free?  Has  not  our  God  given 
me  the  most  glorious  victories  over  our  enemies  ?  Are  not  the 
armies  of  the  Confederacy  so  reduced,  to  a  handful  of  men,  when 
compared  to  what  they  were  two  years  ago;  that  the  day  is 
fast  approaching  when  they  will  have  to  surrender. 

Now,  I  see  the  end  of  this  terrible  conflict,  with  the  same 
joy  of  Moses,  when,  at  the  end  of  his  trying  forty  years  in  the 
wilderness;  and  1  pray  my  God  to  grant  me  to  see  the  days  of 
peace,  and  untold  prosperity,  which  will  follow  this  cruel  war, 
as  Moses  asked  God  to  see  the  other  side  of  Jordan  and  enter 
the  Promised  Land.  But,  do  you  know  that  I  hear  in  my  soul,  as 
the  voice  of  God,  giving  me  the  rebuke  which  was  given  to 
Moses  ? 

"Yes!  every  time  that  my  soul  goes  to  God  to  ask  the  favor 
of  seeing  the  other  side  of  Jordan,  and  eating  the  fruits  of  that 
peace,  after  which  I  am  longing  with  such  an  unspeakable  desire, 
do  you  know  that  there  is  a  still,  but  solemn  voice,  which  tells 
me  that  I  will  see  those  things,  only  from  a  long  distance,  and  that 
I  will  be  among  the  dead,  when  the  nation,  which  God  granted 
me  to  lead  through  those  awful  trials,  will  cross  the  Jordan,  and 
dwell  in  that  Land  of  Promise,  where  peace,  industry,  happiness 
and  liberty  will  make  everyone  happy,  and  why  so?  Because  he 
has  already  given  me  favors  vvhich  he  never  gave,  I  dare  say,  to 
any  man,  in  these  latter  days. 

«  Why  did  God  Almighty  refuse  to  Moses  the  favor  of  cross- 
ing the  Jordan,  and  entering  the  Promised  Land  ?  It  was  on  ac- 
count of  his  own  nation's  sins!  That  law  of  divine  retribution 
and  justice,  by  which  one  must  suffer  for  another,  is  surely  a  ter- 
rible mystery.  But  it  is  a  fact  which  no  man  who  has  any  intelli- 
gence and  knowledge  can  deny.  Moses,  who  knew  that  law, 
though  he  probably  did  not  understand  it  better  than  we  do, 
calmly  says  to  his  people :  'God  was  wroth  with  me  for  your  sakes.' 

"  But,  though  we  do  not  understand  that  mysterious  and  ter- 


:W^^ 


708 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


rible  law,  we  find  it  written  in  letters  of  tears  and  blood  wher- 
ever we  go.  We  do  not  read  a  single  page  of  history,  without 
finding  undeniable  traces  of  its  existence. 

«  Where  is  the  mother  who  has  not  shed  tears  and  suffered 
real  tortures,  for  her  children's  sake? 

"Who  is  the  good  king,  the  worthy  emperor,  the  gifted 
chieftain,  who  have  not  suffered  unspeakable  mental  agonies,  or 
even  death,  for  their  people's  sake  ? 

"  Is  not  our  Christian  religion  the  highest  expression  of  the 
wisdom,  mercy  and  love  of  God !  But  what  is  Christianity  if 
not  the  very  incarnation  of  that  eternal  law  of  divine  justice  in 
our  humanity  ?  » 

*'  When  I  look  on  Moses,  alone,  silently  dying  on  the  Mount 
Pisgah,  I  see  that  law,  in  one  of  its  most  sublime  human  man- 
ifestations, and  I  am  filled  with  admiration  and  awe. 

«  But  when  I  consider  that  law  of  justice,  and  expiation  in 
the  death  of  the  Just,  the  divine  Son  of  Mary,  on  the  mountain 
of  Calvary,  I  remain  mute  in  my  adoration.  The  spectacle  of 
that  cr'icified  one  which  is  before  my  eyes,  is  more  than  sublime, 
it  is  divine !  Moses  died  for  his  people's  sake,  but  Christ  died 
for  the  whole  world's  sake !  Both  died  to  fulfill  the  same  eternal 
law  of  the  divine  justice,  though  in  a  different  measure. 

"  Now,  would  it  not  be  the  greatest  of  honors  and  privileges 
bestowed  upon  me,  if  God,  in  his  infinite  love,  mercy  and  wisdom ; 
would  put  me  between  his  faithful  servant,  Moses,  and  his  eter- 
nal Son,  Jesus,  that  I  might  die  as  they  did,  for  my  nation's 
sake! 

"My  God  alone  knows  what  I  have  already  suffered  for  my 
dear  country's  sake.  But  my*  fear  is  that  the  justice  of  God  is 
not  yet  paid :  When  I  look  upon  the  rivers  of  tears  and  blood 
drawn  by  the  lashes  of  the  merciless  masters  from  the  veins  of 
the  very  heart  of  those  millions  of  defenceless  slaves,  these  two 
hundred  years:  When  I  remember  the  agonies,  the  cries,  the  | 
unspeakable  tortures  of  those  unfortunate  people  to  which  I 
have,  to  some  extent,  connived  with  so  many  others,  a  part  of  I 
my  life,  I  fear  that  we  are  still  far  from  the  complete  expiation. 
For  the  judgments  of  God  are  true  and  righteous. 


wmmmm 


mmmmmmmill^ 


p   ROME. 

and  blood  wher- 
i  history,  without 

tears  and  suffered 

mperor,  the  gifted 
i  mental  agonies,  or 

t  expression  of  the 

It  is  Christianity  if 

of  divine  justice  in 

dying  on  the  Mount 
ublime  human  man- 
and  awe. 

ice,  and  expiation  in 
[ary,  on  the  mountain 
,n.      The  spectacle  of 

is  more  than  sublime, 
pake,  but  Christ  died 
fulfill  the  same  eternal 

ent  measure. 

honors  and  privileges 
^re,  mercy  and  wisdom; 

;,  Moses,  and  his  eter- 

'did,  for  my  nation's 

ready  suffered  for  my 
the  justice  of  God  is 
■rs  of  tears   and  blood 
ters  from  the  veins  of 
:eless  slaves,  these  two 
agonies,  the  cries,  the 
ite  people  to  which  I 
many  others,  a  part  of 
the  complete  expiation, 
ighteous. 


MY   FIRST   VISIT   TO   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


709 


« It  seems  to  me  that  the  Lord  wants,  to-day,  as  he  wanted 
in  the  days  of  Moses,  another  victim, — a  victim  which  he  has 
himself  chosen,  anointed  and  prepared  for  the  sacrifice,  by  rais- 
ing it  above  the  rest  of  his  people.  I  cannot  conceal  from  you 
that  my  impression  is  that  I  am  that  victim.  So  many  plots 
have  already  been  made  against  my  life,  that  it  is  a  real  miracle 
that  they  have  all  failed,  when  we  consider  that  the  great  major- 
ity  of  them  were  in  the  hands  of  skillful  Roman  Catholic  mur- 
derers, evidently  trained  by  Jesuits.  But  can  we  expect  that  God 
will  make  a  perpetual  miracle  to  save  my  life?  I  believe  not. 
The  Jesuits  are  so  expert  in  those  deeds  of  blood,  that  Henry  IV. 
said  that  it  was  impossible  to  escape  them,  and  he  became  their 
victim,  though  he  did  all  that  could  be  done  to  protect  himself. 
My  escape  from  their  hands  since  the  letter'of  the  Pope  to  Jeff 
Davis  has  sharpened  a  million  of  daggers  to  pierce  my  breast, 
would  be  more  than  a  miracle. 

«  But  just  as  the  Lord  heard  no  murmur  from  the  lips  of 
Moses  when  he  told  him  that  he  had  to  die,  before  crossing  the 
Jordan,  for  the  sins  of  his  people ;  so  I  hope  and  pray  that  he 
will  hear  no  murmur  from  me  when  I  fall  for  my  nation's 
sake. 

"  The  only  two  favors  I  ask  of  the  Lord,  are,  first,  that  I 
may  die  for  the  sacred  cause  in  which  I  am  engaged,  and  when 
I  am  the  standard  bearer  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  my  coun- 
ty- 

"  The  second  favor  I  ask  from  God,  is  that,  my  dear  son, 

Robert,  when  I  am  gone,  will  be  one  of  those  who  lift  up  that 
flag  of  Liberty  which  will  cover  my  tomb,  and  carry  it  with 
honor  and  fidelity,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  as  his  father  did,  sur- 
rounded by  the  millions  who  will  be  called  with  him  to  fight 
and  die  for  the  defence  and  honor  of  our  country." 

Never  had  I  heard  such  sublime  vvords:  Never  had  I 
seen  a  human  face  so  solemn  and  so  prophet-like  as  the  face  of 
the  President,  when  uttering  these  things.  Every  sentence  had 
come  to  me  as  a  hymn  from  heaven,  reverberated  by  the  echoes  of 
the  mountains  of  Pisgah  and  Calvary.  I  was  beside  myself.  Bathed 
in  tears:  I  tried  to  say  something,  but  I  could  not  utter  a  word. 


710 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


I  knew  the  hour  to  leave  had  come,  I  asked  from  the  Presi- 
dent permission  to  fall  on  my  knees,  and  pray  with  him  that  his 
life  might  be  spared :  and  he  knelt  with  me.  But  I  prayed  more 
with  my  tears  and  sobs,  than  with  my  words. 

Then  I  pressed  his  hand  on  my  lips  and  bathed  it  with  my 
tears,  and  with  a  heart  filled  with  an  unspeakable  desolation,  I 
bade  him  Adieu!  It  was  for  the  last  time! 

For  the  hour  was  fast  approaching  when  he  was  to  fall  by 
the  hand  of  a  Jesuit  assassin,  for  his  nation's  sake. 


Chapter    LXI. 


j^HTlAWAir  I1IKOOI.N  A  TBT7B  KAN  07  <K>D,  AlH)  A  TBTTB  DIS- 
OIPLB  OF  THB  GK)SPBIr-HIS  ASSASSINATION  BT  BOOTH- 
THB  TOOI.  OFTHBFBIBSTS-MABTSUBBATT'SHOUSB-THB 
BBNDEZV0T7S  AND  DWBLLING  PLAOB  OF  THB  PBIBSTS- 
JOHN  ST7BBATT  SEOBBTBD  B7  THB  FBIBSTB  AFTEB  THE 
mratDBB  OF  IJNOOLN-THB  ASSASSINATION  OF  LINCOLN 
BNOWN  AND  PUBLISHED  IN  THE  TOWN  THBEB  HOUB8 
BBFOBE  ITS  O00T7BBBN0E. 

EVERY  time  I  met  President  Lincoln/I  wondered  how  such 
elevation  of  thought  and  such  childish  simplicity  could  be 
found  in  the  same  man.  After  my  interviews  with  him,  many 
times,  I  said  to  myself:  "How  can  this  rail-splitter  have  so 
easily  raised  himself  to  the  highest  range  of  human  thought  and 
philosophy  ? " 

The  secret  of  this  was,  that  Lincoln  had  spent  a  great  part 
of  his  life  at  the  school  of  Christ,  and  that  he  had  meditated  his 
sublime  teachings,  to  an  extent  unsuspected  by  the  world.  I 
found  in  him,  the  most  perfect  type  of  Christianity  I  ever 
met. 

Professedly,  he  was  neither  a  strict  Presbyterian,  nor  a 
Baptist,  or  a  Methodist;  but  he  was  the  embodiment  of  all 
which  is  more  perfect  and  Christian  in  them.  His  religion  was 
the  very  essence  of  what  God  wants  in  man.  It  was  from 
Christ  himself,  he  had  learned  to  love  his  God  and  his  neighbor, 
as  it  was  from  Christ  he  had  learned  the  dignity  and  the  value  of 
man.  "  Ye  are  all  brethren,  the  children  of  God,"  was  his  great 
motto. 

It  was  from  the  Gospel  that  he  had  learned  his  princi- 
ples of  equality,  fraternity,  and  liberty,  as  it  was  from  the 
Gospel  he  had  learned  that  sublime,  childish  simplicity,  which, 
alone,  and  forever,  won  the  admiration  and  affection  of  all  those 

7" 


7ia 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


who  approached  him.  I  could  cite  many  facts  to  illustrate  this, 
but  I  will  give  only  one,  not  to  be  too  long:  It  is  taken  from  the 
Memoirs  of  Mr.  Bateman,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
for  the  State  of  Illinois. 

**  Mr.  Lincoln  paused:  for  long  minutes,  his  features  sur. 
charged  with  emotion.  Thrn,  he  rose  and  walked  up  and  down 
the  reception  room,  in  the  efio  to  retain,  or  regain  his  self-pos- 
session. Stopping,  at  last,  he  said,  with  a  trembling  voice,  and 
his  cheeks  wet  with  tears: 

*<  I  know  there  is 'a  God,  and  that  He  hates  injustice 
and  slavery.  I  see  the  storm  coming,  and  I  know  that 
His  hand  is  in  it.  If  He  has  a  place  and  work  for  me,  and 
I  think  He  has,  I  believe  I  am  ready!  I  am  nothing,  but,  truth 
is  everything  I  I  know  I  am  right,  because  I  know  that  liberty 
is  right:  for  Christ  teaches  it,  and  Christ  is  God.  I  have  told 
them  that  a  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand,  and  Christ 
and  reason  say  the  same  thing,  and  they  will  find  it  so. 

"  Douglas  does  not  care  whether  slavery  is  voted  up  or  down. 
But  God  cares,  and  humanity  cares,  and  I  care.  And  with 
God's  help,  I  will  not  fail.  I  may  not  see  the  end,  but  it  will 
come,  and  I  shall  be  vindicated ;  and  those  men  will  see  that  they 
have  not  read  their  Bible  right! 

"  Does  it  not  appear  strange  that  men  can  ignore  the  moral 
aspect  of  this  contest?  A  revelation  could  not  make  it  plainer  to 
me  that  slavery,  or  the  Government,  must  be  destroyed.  The 
future  would  be  something  awful,  as  I  look  at  it,  but  for  this 
ROCK  on  which  I  stand.  (Alluding  to  the  Gospel  book  he  still 
held  in  his  hand).  It  seems  as  if  God  had  borne  with  slavery 
until  the  very  teachers  of  religion  had  come  to  defend  it  from  the 
Bible,  and  to  clpjm  for  it  a  divine  character  and  sanction.  And 
now  the  cup  of  iniquity  is  full,  and  the  vials  of  wrath  will  be 
poured  out." 

Mr.  Bateman  adds:  "After  this,  the  conversation  was  con- 
tinued for  a  long  time.  Everything  he  said  was  of  a  very  deep, 
tender  and  religious  tone,  and  all  was  tinged  with  a  touching 
melancholy.  He  repeatedly  referred  to  his  conviction  *  that  the 
day  of  wrath  was  at  hand,'  and  that  he  was  tu  be  an  actor  in  the 


fiMii^ 


ROMB. 

to  Ulustrate  this, 
;  19  taken  from  the 
Public  Instruction 

,  his  features  sur- 
liked  up  and  down 
regain  his  self-pos- 
■mbling  voice,  and 

He  hates   injustice 

ind   I    know    that 

work  for  me,  and 

nothing,  but,  truth 

know  that  liberty 

God.    I  have  told 

ot  stand,  and  Christ 

I  find  it  so. 

-is  voted  up  or  down. 

i  I  care.  And  with 
.e  the  end,  but  it  will 
nen  will  see  that  they 

:an  ignore  the  moral 
lot  make  it  plainer  to 
be  destroyed.     The 
ook  at  it,  but  for  this 
Gospel  book  he  still 
borne  with  slavery 
to  defend  it  from  the 
and  sanction.      And 
lis  of  wrath  will  be 

onversation  was  con- 
1  was  of  a  very  deep, 
ged  with  a  touching 
i  conviction  » that  the 
,  tu  be  an  actor  in  the 


THE    ASSASSINATION    OF    LINCOLN. 


7'3 


struggle  which  would  end  in  the  overthrow  of  slavery,  though 
he  might  not  live  to  see  the  end. 

"After  further  reference  to  a  belief  in  Divine  Provide'^—',  and 
the  fact  of  God,  in  history,  the  conversation  turned  upon  prayer. 
He  freely  stated  his  belief  in  the  duty,  privilege  and  efficacy  of 
prayer;  and  he  intimated,  in  no  unmistakable  terms,  that  he  had 
sought,  in  that  way,  the  divine  guidance  and  favor." 

The  effect  of  this  conversation  upon  the  mind  of  Mr.  Bate- 
man,  a  Christian  gentleman,  whom  Mr  Lincoln  profoundly  re- 
spected, was  to  convince  him  that  Mr.  Lincoln  had,  in  his  quiet 
way,  found  a  path  to  the  Christian  stand-point,  that  he  had 
found  God,  and  rested  on  the  eternal  truth  of  God.  As  the 
two  men  were  about  to  separate,  Mr.  Bateman  remarked: 

«'  I  had  not  supposed  that  you  were  accustomed  to  think  so 
much  upon  this  class  of  subjects;  certainly  your  friends,  generally, 
are  ignorant  of  the  sentiments  you  have  expressed  to  me." 

He  quickly  replied :  "  I  know  they  are,  but  I  think  more  on 
these  subjects  than  upon  all  others,  and  I  have  done  so  for  years ; 
and  I  am  willing  you  should  know  it." — The  Inner  Life  of  Liri' 
coln^  by  Carpenter,  page  193-195. 

More  than  once,  I  felt  as  if  I  were  in  the  presence  of  an  old 
prophet,  when  listening  to  his  views  about  the  future  destinies 
of  the  United  States.  In  one  of  my  last  interviews  with  him,  I 
was  filled  with  an  admiration  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  ex- 
press, when  I  heard  the  following  views  and  predictions: 

"  It  is  with  the  southern  leaders  of  this  civil  war,  as  with  the 
big  and  small  wheels  of  our  railroad  cars.  Those  who  ignore 
the  laws  of  mechanics  are  apt  to  think  that  the  large,  strong  and 
noisy  wheels  they  see,  are  the  motive  power,  but  they  are  mis- 
taken. The  real  motive  power  is  not  seen ;  it  is  noiseless  and 
well  concealed  in  the  dark,  behind  its  iron  walls.  The  motive 
power  are  the  few  well  concealed  pails  of  water  heated  into 
steam,  which  is  itself  directed  by  the  noiseless,  small,  but  uner- 
ring engineer's  finger. 

«'  The  common  people  see  and  hear  the  big,  noisy  wheels  of 
the  Southern  confederacy's  cars,  they  call  them  Jeff  Davis,  Lee, 
Toombs,  Beauregard,  Semmes,  etc.,  and  they  honestly  think  that 


7'4 


FIFTY    YEAitS    IN    TUB   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


they  are  the  motive  power,  the  first  cause  of  our  troubles.  But 
it  is  a  mistake.  The  true  motive  power  is  secreted  behind  the 
thick  walls  of  the  Vatican,  the  colleges  and  schools  of  the  Jesuits, 
the  convents  of  the  nuns  and  the  confessional  boxes  of  Rome. 

♦♦  There  is  a  fact  which  is  too  much  ignored  by  the  American 
people,  and  with  which  I  am  acquainted  only  since  I  became 
President;  it  is  that  the  best,  the  leading  families  of  the  South, 
have  received  their  education  in  great  part,  if  not  in  whole,  from  the 
Jesuits  and  the  nuns.  Hence,  those  degrading  principles  of  slavery, 
pride,  cruelty,  which  are  as  a  second  nature  among  so  many  of 
those  people.  Hence  that  strange  want  of  fair  play,  humanity ;  that 
implacable  hatred  against  the  ideas  of  equality  and  liberty,  as 
we  find  them  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  You  do  not  ignore  that 
the  first  settlers  of  Louisiana,  Florida,  New  Mexico,  Texas, 
South  California  and  Missouri,  were  Roman  Catholics,  and  that 
their  first  teachers  were  Jesuits.  It  is  true  that  those  states  have  been 
conquered  or  bought  by  us  since.  But  Rome  had  put  the  deadly 
virus  of  her  anti-social  and  anti-christian  maxims  into  the  veins  of 
the  people  before  they  became  American  citizens.  Unfortunately 
the  Jesuits  and  the  nuns  have  in  great  part  remained  the 
teachers  of  those  people  since.  They  have  continued,  in  a  silent, 
but  most  efficacious  way,  to  spread  their  hatred  against  our  in- 
stitutions, our  laws,  our  schools,  our  rights  and  our  liberties,  in 
such  a  way,  that  this  terrible  conflict  became  unavoidable,  bctwen 
the  North  and  the  South.  As  I  told  you  before,  it  is  to  Popery 
that  we  owe  this  terrible  civil  war. 

*♦  I  would  have  laughed  at  the  man  who  would  have  told  me 
that,  before  I  became  the  President.  But  Professor  Morse  has 
opened  my  eyes  on  that  subject.  And,  now,  I  see  that  mystery ;  I 
understand  that  engineering  of  hell  which,  though  not  seen,  nor 
even  suspected  by  the  country,  is  putting  in  motion  the  large, 
heavy  and  noisy  wheels  of  the  state  cars  of  the  Southern  Con 
federacy. 

"Our  people  is  not  yet   ready  to  learn  am'  o  those 

things,  and  perhaps  it  is  not  the  proper  time  to  i  .iC  them  to 
those  dark  mysteries  of  hell;  it  would  throw  oil  oi.  i  fire  vhich 
is  already  sufficiently  destructive. 


THE   ASSASSINATION   OP    LINCOLN. 


715 


"  You  are  almost  the  only  one  with  whom  I  speak  freely  on 
that  subject.  But  sooner  or  later,  the  nation  will  know  the  real 
origin  of  those  rivers  of  blood  and  tears,  which  are  spreading 
desolation  and  death  everywhere.  And,  then,  those  who  have 
caused  those  desolations  and  disasters  will  be  called  to  give  an 
account  of  them. 

"  I  do  not  pretend  to  be  a  prophet.  But  though  not  a  prophet, 
I  see  a  very  dark  cloud  on  our  horizon.  And  that  dark  cloud 
is  coming  from  Rome.  It  is  filled  with  tears  of  blood.  It  will 
rise  and  increase,  till  its  flanks  will  be  torn  by  a  flash  of  light- 
ning, followed  by  a  fearful  peal  of  thunder.  Then  a  cyclone 
such  as  the  world  has  never  seen,  will  pass  over  this  country, 
spreading  ruin  and  desolation  from  north  to  south.  After  it  is 
over,  there  will  be  long  days  of  peace  and  prosperity :  for  Popery, 
with  its  Jesuits  and  merciless  Inquisition,  will  have  been  forever 
swept  away  from  our  country.  Neither  I  nor  you,  but  our 
children,  will  see  those  things." 

Many  of  those  who  approached  Abraham  Lincoln  felt  that 
there  was  a  prophetic  spirit  in  him,  and  that  he  was  continually 
walking  and  acting  with  the  thought  of  God  in  his  mind,  and 
only  in  view  to  do  his  will  and  work  for  his  glory.  Speaking  of 
the  slaves,  he  said,  one  day,  before  the  members  of  his  cabinet: 

**  I  have  not  decided  against  a  proclamation  of  liberty  to  the 
slaves,  but  I  hold  the  matter  under  advisement.  And  I  can 
assure  you  that  the  subject  is  on  my  mind,  by  day  and  by  night, 
more  than  any  other.  Whatever  shall  appear  to  be  God's  will, 
I  will  do." — Six  Months  in  the  White  House^  bv  Carpenter, 
page  86. 

A  few  days  before  that  proclamation,  he  said,  before  several 
of  his  counselors:  ' 

"  I  made  a  solemn  vow  before  God,  that  if  General  Lee  was 
driven  back  from  Pennsylvania,  I  would  crown  the  result  by  the 
declaration   of  freedom   to   the  slaves." — Six    Months  in  the 
White  House. 

But  I  would  have  volumes  to  write,  instead  of  a  short  chap- 
ter, were  I  to  give  all  the  facts  I  have  collected  of  the  sincere 
and  profound  piety  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


7i6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


I  cannot,  however,  omit  his  admirable  and  solemn  act  of  faith 
in  the  eternal  justice  of  God,  as  expressed  in  the  closing  words 
of  his  last  inaugural  address  of  the  4th  of  March,  1865. 

"  Fondly  do  we  hope,  fervently  do  we  pray,  that  this  mighty 
scourge  of  war  may  spec-dil)-  pass  away.  Yet,  if  God  wills  that 
it  continue  until  all  the  wealth  piled  by  the  bondman's  350 
years  of  unrequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until  every  drop  of 
blood  drawn  by  the  lash,  shall  be  paid  by  another  drawn  by  the 
sword,  as  was  said  3,000  years  ago,  so,  still,  it  must  be  said; 
"  The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether." 

These  sublime  words,  falling  from  the  lips  of  the  greatest 
Christian  whom  God  ever  put  at  the  head  of  a  nation,  only  a 
few  days  before  his  martyrdom,  sent  a  shrill  of  wonder  through 
the  whole  world.  The  God-fearing  people  and  the  upright  of 
every  nation  listened  to  them  as  if  they  had  just  come  from  the 
golden  harp  of  David.  Even  the  infidels  remained  mute  with 
admiration  and  awe.  It  seemed  to  all  that  the  echoes  of  heaven 
and  earth  were  repeating  that  last  hymn,  falling  from  the  heart 
of  the  noblest  and  truest  Gospel  man  of  our  days:  "  The  judg- 
ments of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether." 

The  6th  of  April,  1865,  President  Lincoln  was  invited  by 
General  Grant  to  enter  Richmond,  the  capital  of  the  rebel 
states,  which  he  had  just  captured.  The  ninth,  the  beaten  army 
of  Lee,  surrounded  hy  the  victorious  legions  of  the  soldiers  of 
Liberty,  were  forced  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  their  banners 
at  the  feet  of  the  generals  of  Lincoln.  The  tenth,  the  victorious 
President  addressed  an  immense  multitude  of  the  citizens  of 
Washington,  to  invite  them  to  thank  God  and  the  armies  for  the 
glon  /I'.s  victories  of  the  last  few  days,  and  for  the  blessed  peace 
Wiiich  was  to  ioUow  these  five  years  of  slaughter. 

But  he  was  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  of  Pisgah,  and  though 
he  had  fervently  prayed  that  he  might  cross  the  Jordan,  and 
enter  with  his  people  into  the  Land  of  Promise,  after  which  he 
had  so  often  sighed,  he  was  not  to  see  his  request  granted.  The 
answer  had  come  from  heaven :  "  You  will  not  cross  the  Jordan, 
and  you  will  not  enter  that  Promised  Land,  which  is  there,  so 
near.     You   must  die  for  your  nation's  sake!"    the  lips,  the 


ffPliPPlPPPPHWIPiWPi 


3F    ROME. 


THE    ASSASSINATION    OF    LINCOLN. 


717 


heart  and  the  soul  of  the  New  Moses  were  still  repeating 
the  sublime  words:  "The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true 
and  righteous  altogether,"  when  the  Jesuit  assassin,  Booth, 
murdered  him,  the  14th  of  April,  1865,  »*  1°  o'clock 
P.M. 

Let  us  hear  the  eloquent  historian,  Abbot,  on  that  sad 
event : 

"  In  the  midst  of  unparalleled  success,  and  while  all  the  bells 
of  the  land  were  ringing  with  joy,  a  calamity  fell  upon  us  which 
overwhelmed  the  country  in  consternation  and  awe.  On  Fri- 
day  evening,  April  14th,  President  Lincoln  attended  Ford's 
Theatre,  in  Washington.  He  was  sitting  quietly  in  his  box,  lis- 
tening to  the  drama,  when  a  man  entered  the  door  of  the  lobby 
leading  to  the  box,  closing  the  door  behind  jiim.  Drawing  near 
to  the  President,  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  small  pistol,  and 
shot  him  in  the  back  of  the  head.  As  the  President  fell,  sense- 
less and  mortally  wounded,  and  the  shriek  of  his  wife,  who  was 
seated  at  his  side,  pierced  every  ear,  the  assassin  leaped  from  th(; 
box,  a  perpendicular  height  of  nine  feet,  and,  as  he  rushed  across 
the  stage,  bare-headed,  brandished  a  dagger,  exclaiming,  ^Sic 
semper  tyrannt'sV  and  disappeared  behind  the  side  scenes.  There 
was  a  moment  of  silent  consternation.  Then  ensued  a  scene  of 
confusion  which  it  is  in  vain  to  attempt  to  describe. 

"  The  dying  President  was  taken  into  a  house  near  by,  and 
plac hI  upon  a  bed.  Wnat  a  scene  did  that  room  present!  The 
chief  of  a  mighty  nation  lay,  there,  senseless,  drenched  in  blood, 
his  brains  oozing  from  his  wound!  Sumner,  Farwell  and 
Colfax  and  Stanton,  and  many  others  were  there,  filled  with 
grief  and  consternation. 

"The  surgeon.  General  Barnes,  solemnly  examined  the 
wound.  There  was  silence  as  of  the  grave,  the  life  and  death  of 
the  nation  seemed  dependent  on  the  result.  General  Barnes 
looked  up  sadly  and  said :  '  The  wound  is  mortal ! ' 

"*Oh!  No!  General,  I'l  !  no!'  cried  out  Secretary  Stanton, 
and  sinking  into  a  chair,  he  covered  his  face,  and  wept  like  a 
child.  Senator  Sumner  tenderly  held  the  head  of  the  uncon- 
scious martyr. 


7i8 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


**  Though  all  unused  to  weep,  he  sobs  as  though  his 
great  heart  would  break.  In  his  anguish,  his  head  falls 
upon  the  blood-stained  pillow,  and  his  black  locks  blend  with 
those  of  the  dying  victim,  which  care  and  toil  has  rendered 
gray,  and  which  blood  has  crimsoned.  What  a  scene!  Sumner, 
who  had  lingered  through  months  of  agony,  having  himself 
been  stricken  down  by  the  bludgeon  of  slavery,  now  sobbing 
and  fainting  in  anguish  over  the  prostrate  form  of  his  friend, 
whom  slavery  had  slain !  This  vile  rebellion,  after  deluging  the 
land  in  blood,  has  culminated  in  a  crime  which  appals  all  nations. 

"  Noble  Abraham,  true  descendant  of  the  father  of  the  faith- 
ful ;  honest  in  every  trust,  humble  as  a  child,  tender-hearted  as  a 
woman,  who  could  not  bear  to  injure  even  his  most  envenomed 
foes;  who, in  the  hour  of  triumph,  was  saddened  lest  the  feelings 
of  his  adversaries  should  be  wounded  by  their  defeat,  with 
*  charity  for  all,  malice  towards  none,'  endowed  with  '  common 
sense,'  intelligence  never  surpassed,  and  with  power  of  intellect 
which  enabled  him  to  grapple  with  the  most  gigantic  opponents 
in  debates,  developing  abilities  as  a  statesman,  which  won  the 
gratitude  of  his  country  and  the  admiration  of  the  world,  and 
with  graces  and  amiability  which  drew  to  him  all  generous  hearts; 
dies  by  the  bullet  of  the  assassin !" — History  of  the  Civil  War, 
by  Abbot,  vol.  ii.,  page  594. 

But  who  was  that  assassin  ?  Booth  was  nothing  but  the  tool 
of  the  Jesuits.  It  was  Rome  who  directed  his  arm,  after  corrupt- 
ing his  heart  and  damning  his  soul. 

After  1  had  mixed  my  tears  with  those  of  the  grand  country 
of  my  adoption,  I  fell  on  my  knees  and  asked  my  God  to  grant 
me  to  show  to  the  world  what  I  knew  to  be  the  truth,  viz.:  that 
that  horrible  crime  was  the  work  of  Popery.  And,  after  twenty 
years  of  constant  and  most  difficult  researches,  I  come  fear- 
lessly, to-day,  before  the  American  people,  to  say  and  prove  that 
the  President,  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  assassinated  by  the 
priests  and  the  Jesuits  of  Rome. 

In  the  book  of  the  testimonies  given  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
assassin  of  Lincoln,  published  by  Ben  Pitman,  and  in  the  two 
volumes  of  the  trial  of  John  Surratt  in  1867,  we  have  the  legal 


.;Mai|iiiiajpp|lip|ii 


mm 


THE    ASSASSINATION   OF    LINCOLN. 


719 


and  irrefutable  proof  that  the  plot  of  the  assassins  of  Lincoln 
was  matured,  if  not  started,  in  the  house  of  Mary  Surratt,  No. 
561  H.  street,  Washington  City,  D.  C.  But  who  were  living  in 
that  house,  and  who  were  visiting  that  family  ?  The  legal  ans- 
wer says :  "  The  most  devoted  Catholics  in  the  city ! "  The 
sworn  testimonies  show  more  than  that.  They  show  that  it  was 
the  common  rendezvous  of  the  priests  of  Washington.  Several 
priests  swear  that  they  were  going  there  "  some  times,"  and 
when  pressed  to  answer  what  they  meant  by  "  some  times,"  they 
were  not  sure  if  it  was  not  once  a  week,  or  once  a  month.  One 
of  them,  less  on  his  guard,  swore  that  he  seldom  passed  before 
that  house  without  entering;  and  he  said  he  never  passed  less 
than  once  a  week.  The  devoted  Roman  Catholic  (an  apostate 
from  Protestantism)  called  L.  J.  Weichman,  who  was  himself 
living  in  that  house,  swears  that  Father  Wvget  was  very  often 
in  that  house,  and  Father  Lahiman  swears  that  he  was  living 
with  Mrs.  Surratt,  in  the  same  house!  #        «         # 

What  does  the  presence  of  so  many  p'riests,  in  that  house, 
reveal  to  the  world  ?  No  man  of  common  sense,  who  knows 
anything  about  the  priests  of  Rome,  can  entertain  any  doubt 
that,  not  only,  they  knew  all  that  was  going  on  inside  those 
walls,  but  that  they  were  the  advisers,  the  counselors,  the  very 
soul  of  that  infernal  plot.  Why  did  Rome  keep  one  of  her 
priests,  under  that  roof,  from  morning  till  night,  and  from  night 
till  morning?  Why  did  she  send  many  others,  almost  every  day 
of  the  week,  into  that  dark  nest  of  plotters  against  the  very  exis- 
tence of  the  great  republic,  and  against  the  life  of  her  President, 
her  principal  genei-als  and  leading  men,  if  it  were  not  to  be  the 
advisers,  the  rulers,  the  secret  motive  power  of  the  infernal 
plot. 

No  one,  if  he  is  no  r.  idiot,  will  think  and  say  that  those 
priests,  who  were  the  personal  friends  and  the  father  confessors 
of  Booth,  John  Surratt,  Mrs.  and  Misses  Surratt,  could  be  con- 
stantly there  without  knowing  what  was  going  on,  particularly 
when  we  know  that  every  one  of  those  priests,  was  a  rabid 
rebel  in  heart.  Every  one  of  those  priests,  knowing  that  his 
infallible  Pope  had  called  Jeff  Davis  his  dear  son,  and  had  taken 


720 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


the  Southern  Confederacy  under  his  protection,  was  bound  to 
believe  that  the  most  holy  thing  a  man  could  do,  was  to  fight 
for  the  Southern  cause,  by  destroying  those  who  were  its  ene- 
mies. 

Read  the  history  of  the  assassination  of  Adfniral  Coligny, 
Henry  III.  and  Henry  IV.  and  William  the  Taciturn,  by  the 
hired  assassins  of  the  Jesuits;  compare  them  with  the  assass- 
ination of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  you  will  find  that  v,ne  resem- 
bles the  other  as  one  drop  of  water  resembles  another.  You 
will  understand  that  they  all  come  from  the  same  source,  Rome! 

In  all  those  murders,  you  will  find  that  the  murderers,  selected 
and  trained  by  the  Jesuits,  were  of  the  most  exalted  Roman 
Catholic  piety,  living  in  the  company  of  priests,  going  to  con- 
fess very  often,  receiving  the  communion  the  day  before,  if  not 
the  very  day  of  the  murder.  You  will  see  in  all  those  horrible 
deeds  of  hell,  prepared  behind  the  dark  walls  of  the  holy  inqui- 
sition, that  the  assassins  were  considering  themselves  as  the  chosen 
instruments  of  God,  to  save  the  nation  by  striking  its  tyrant; 
that  they  firmly  believed  that  there  was  no  sin  in  killing  the 
enemy  of  the  people  of  the  holy  church,  and  of  the  infallible 
Pope! 

Compare  the  last  hours  of  the  Jesuit  Ravaillac,  the  assassin 
of  Henry  IV.,  who  absolutely  refuses  to  repent,  though  suffer- 
ing the  most  horrible  torture  on  the  rack,  with  Booth,  who  suf- 
fering also  the  most  horrible  tortures  from  his  broken  leg, 
writes  in  his  daily  memorandum,  the  very  day  before  his  death: 
♦'  I  can  never  repent,  though  we  hated  to  kill.  Our  country 
owed  all  her  troubles  to  him  (Lincoln),  and  God  simply  made 
me  the  instiument  of  his  punishment." — Trial  of  Surratt^ 
vol.  i.,  page  310. 

Yes !  Compare  the  bloody  deeds  of  those  two  assassins,  and 
you  will  see  that  they  had  been  trained  in  the  same  school ;  they 
had  been  taught  by  the  same  teachers.  Evidently  the  Jesuit  Rav- 
aillac, calling  all  the  saints  of  heaven  to  his  help,  at  his  last  hour; 
and  Booth  pressing  the  medal  of  the  Virgin  Mary  on  his  breast, 
when  falling  mortally  wounded,  (  Trial  of  Surratt  p.  310),  are 
both  coming  out  from  the  same  Jesuit  mould. 


m 


'    ROME. 

on,  was  bound  to 
I  do,  was  to  fight 
who  were  its  ene- 

Adftiiral  Coligny, 
le  Taciturn,  by  the 
n   with   the  assass- 
nd  that  one  resem- 
bles another.     You 
same  source,  Rome! 
e  murderers,  selected 
lost  exalted  Roman 
riests,  going  to  con- 
le  day  before,  if  not 
in  all  those  horrible 
lis  of  the  holy  inqui- 
•mselves  as  the  chosen 
y  striking  its  tyrant; 
no  sin  in  killing  the 

and  of  the   infallible 

.availlac,  the  assassin 
•epent,  though  suffer- 

rith  Booth,  who  suf- 
irom   his  broken  leg, 

day  before  his  death: 

to  kill      Our  country 
[nd  God  simply  made 

•_-7V/a/  of   Surratt^ 

ose  two  assassins,  and 
the  same  school;  they 
lidently  the  Jesuit  Rav- 
ps  help,  at  his  last  hour; 
[■gin  Mary  on  his  breast, 
\f  Surratt  p.  310),  are 
luld. 


THE    ASSASSINATION   OP   LINCOLN. 


721 


Who  has  lost  his  common  sense  enough  to  suppose  that  it 
was  Jeff  Davis  who  had  filled  the  mind  and  the  heart  of  Booth 
with  that  religious  and  so  exalted  fanaticism!  Surely  Jeff 
Davis  had  promised  the  money  to  reward  the  assassins  and 
nerve  their  arms,  by  the  hope  of  becoming  rich.  The  testimo- 
nies on  that  account  says  that  he  had  promised  one  million  dol- 
lars.    {Assassination  of  Abraham  Lincoln^  p.  51-52). 

That  arch-rebel  could  give  the  money ;  but  the  Jesuits  alone 
could  select  the  assassins,  train  them,  and  show  them  a  crown  of 
glory  in  heaven,  if  they  would  kill  the  author  of  the  bloodshed, 
the  famous  renegade  and  apostate — the  enemy  of  the  Pope  and 
of  the  Church — Lincoln. 

Who  does  not  see  the  lessons  given  by  the  Jesuits  to  Booth, 
in  their  daily  intercouse  in  Mary  Surratt's  house,  when  he  reads 
those  lines  written  by  Booth  a  few  hours  before  his  death ;  "  I 
can  never  repent,  God  made  me  the  instrument  of  his  punish- 
ment!" Compare  these  words  with  the  doctrines  and  principles 
taught  by  the  councils,  the  decrees  of  the  Pope,  and  the  laws  of 
holy  inquisition,  as  you  find  them  in  chap.  59  of  this  volume,  and 
you  will  find  that  the  sentiments  and  belief  of  Booth  flow  from 
those  principles,  as  the  river  flows  from  its  source. 

And  that  pious  Miss  Surratt  who,  the  very  next  day  after 
the  murder  of  Lincoln,  said,  without  being  rebuked,  in  the 
presence  of  several  other  witnesses:  "The  death  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  is  no  more  than  the  death  of  any  nigger  in  the  army," 
where  did  she  get  that  maxim,  if  not  from  her  church !  Had 
not  that  church  recently  proclaimed,  through  her  highest  legal 
and  civil  authority,  the  devoted  Roman  Catholic,  Judge  Taney, 
in  his  Dred  Scott  decision,  that  negroes  have  no  right,  which  the 
white  is  bound  to  respect!  By  bringing  the  President  on  a  level 
with  the  lowest  nigger,  Rome  was  saying  that  he  had  no  right, 
even  to  his  life ;  for  this  was  the  maxim  of  the  rebel  priests,  who, 
everywhere,  had  made  themselves  the  echoes  of  the  sentence  of 
their  distinguished  co-religionist — Tan.^y. 

It  was  from  the  very  lips  of  the  prissts,  who  were  constantly 
coming  in  and  going  out  of  their  hoi'.se,  that  those  young  ladies 
had  learned  those  anti-soci:il  and  anti-christian  doctrines.     Read 


mmmimmimmmmmm 


723 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


in  the  testimony  concerning  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Surratt,  (p.  122-123,) 
how  the  Jesuits  had  perfectly  drilled  her  in  the  art  of  perjuring 
herself.  In  the  very  moment  when  the  government  officer  orders 
her  to  prepare  herself,  with  her  daughter,  to  follow  him  as  pris- 
oners, at  about  10  P.  M.,  Payne  the  would-be  murderer  of 
Seward,  knocks  at  the  door  and  wants  to  see  Mrs.  Surratt.  But 
instead  of  having  Mrs.  Surratt  to  open  the  door,  he  finds  himself 
confronted,  face  to  face,  with  the  government  detective.  Major 
Smith,  who  swears : 

"  I  questioned  him  in  regard  to  bis  occupation,  and  what  bus- 
iness  he  had  at  the  house,  at  this  late  hour  of  the  night.  He 
stated  that  he  was  a  laborer,  and  had  come  to  dig  a  gutter  at  the 
request  of  Mrs.  Surratt. 

"  I  went  to  the  parlor  door,  and  said :  *  Mrs.  Surratt,  will  you 
step  here  a  minute  ?  '  She  came  out,  and  I  asked  her :  '  Do  you 
know  this  man,  and  did  you  hire  him  to  come  and  dig  a  gutter 
for  you?*  She  answered,  raising  her  right  hand:  'Before  God, 
sir,  I  do  not  know  this  man,  I  have  never  seen  him,  and  I 
did  not  hire  him  to  dig  a  gutter  for  me.'" — Assassination  of  Lin- 
coln^ p.  122. 

But  it  was  proved  after,  by  several  unimpeachable  witnesses, 
that  she  knew  very  well  that  Payne  was  a  personal  fiiend 
of  her  son,  who,  many  times,  had  come  to  her  house,  in  com- 
pany of  his  friend  and  pet.  Booth.  She  had  received  the  com- 
munion just  two  or  three  days  before  that  public  perjury.  Just 
a  moment  after  making  it,  the  officer  ordered  her  to  step  out  into 
the  carriage.  But  before  doing  it,  she  asked  permission  to  kneel 
down  and  pray;  which  was  granted,  (page  123.)  • 

I  ask  it  from  any  man  of  common  sense,  could  Jeff  Davis 
have  imparted  such  a  religious,  calm  and  self-possession  to  that 
woman  when  her  hands  were  just  reddened  with  the  blood  of 
the  President,  and  she  was  on  her  way  to  trial! 

No!  such  sanff froid^suc\\  calm  in  that  soul,  in  such  a  terrible 
and  solemn  hour,  could  come  only  from  the  teachings  of  those 
Jesuits  who,  for  more  than  ?ix  months,  were  in  her  house, 
showing  her  a  crown  of  eterni'l  glory  if  she  could  help  to  kill 
the  monster,  apostate — Lincoln — the  only  cause  of  that  horrible 


m 


iipifi 


r   ROMS* 

rratt,  (p.  I23-I230 
le  art  of  perjuring 
iment  officer  orders 
follow  him  as  pris- 
ild-be  murderer  of 
Mrs.  Surratt.  But 
cor,  he  finds  himself 
nt  detective,  Major 

>ation,  and  what  bus- 
f  of  the  night.  He 
o  dig  a  gutter  at  the 

Virs.  Surratt,  will  you 
asked  her:  'Do  you 
me  and  dig  a  gutter 
thand:  'Before  God, 
ever  seen  him,  and  I 
Assassination  of  Lin- 

mpeachable  witnesses, 
was  a  personal  friend 
o  her  house,  in  com- 
ad  received  the  corn- 
public  perjury.  Just 
•ed  her  to  step  out  into 
:ed  permission  to  kneel 

!  123.)  . 

mse,  could  Jeff  Dav.s 
self-possession  to  that 
lened  with  the  blood  of 

I  trial  1 

|t  soul,  in  such  aternble 

he  teachings  of  those 
s,  were  in  her  house, 
she  could  help  to  kill 
cause  of  that  horrible 


THE    ASSASSINATION   OF    LINCOLN. 


723 


civil  war!  There  is  not  the  least  doubt  that  the  priests  had  per- 
fectly succeeded  in  persuading  Mary  Surratt  and  Booth  that  the 
killing  of  Lincoln  was  a  most  holy  and  deserving  work,  for 
which  God  had  an  eternal  reward  in  store. 

There  is  a  fact  to  which  the  American  people  has  not  yet 
given  a  sufficient  attention.  It  is  that,  without  a  single  excep- 
tion, the  conspirators  were  Roman  Catholics.  The  learned 
and  great  patriot,  General  Baker,  in  his  admirable  report, 
struck  and  bewildered  by  that  strange,  mysterious  and  por- 
tentous fact,  said: 

"  I  mention,  as  an  exceptional  and  remarkable  fact,  that  every 
conspirator,  in  custody,  is  by  education,  a  Catholic." 

But  those  words  which,  if  well  understood  by  the  United 
States,  would  have  thrown  so  much  light  on  the  true  causes  of 
their  untold  and  unspeakable  disasters,  fell  as  if  on  the  ears  of 
deaf  men.     Very  few,  if  any,  paid  attention  to  them.     As  Gen- 
eral Baker  says,   all  the  conspirators  were  attending  Catholic 
Church  services  and  were  educated  Roman  Catholics.    It  is  true 
that  some  of  them,  as  Atzeroth,  Payne  and  Harold,  asked  for  Pro- 
.testant  ministers,  when  they  were  to  be  hung.  But  they  had  been 
considered,  till  then,  as  converts  to  Romanism.     At  page  437,  of 
The    Trial  of  fohn   Surratt,  Louis  Weichman  tells  us  that 
he  was  going  to  St.  Aloysin's  Church  with  Atzeroth,  and  that  it 
was  there,  that   he   introduced   him   to   Mr.   Brothy,  (another 
Roman  Catholic). 

It  is  a  well  authenticated  fact,  that  Booth  and  Weichman, 
who  were  themselves  Protestant  perverts  to  Romanism  had 
proselytized  a  good  number  of  semi- Protestants  and  infidels  who, 
either  from  conviction,  or  from  hope  of  the  fortunes  promised  to 
the  successful  murderers,  were  themselves  very  zealous  for  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Payne,  Atzeroth  and  Harold,  were  among 
those  proselytes.  But  when  those  murderers  were  to  appear 
before  the  country,  and  receive  the  just  punishment  of  their  crime, 
the  Jesuits  were  too  shrewd  to  ignore  that  if  they  were  all 
coming  on  the  scaffold  as  Roman  Catholics,  and  accompanied 
by  their  father  confessors,  it  would,  at  once,  open  the  eyes  of 
the  American  people,  and  clearly  show  that  this  was  a  Roman 


Tf^pi^ro^^ 


1-  f'-"'.Wfvi.Pf'w  •'! 


T^W^ 


V> :  •.  fV  .1^   ■     ■  *>/■'!■]? 


7*4 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROMS. 


Catholic  plot.  They  pernuaded  three  of  their  proselytes  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  theological  principles  of  the  Church  of  Rome, 
that  a  man  is  allowed  to  conceal  his  religion,  nay,  that  he  may 
say  that  he  is  an  heretic,  a  Protestant,  though  he  is  a  Roman 
Catholic,  when  it  is  for  his  own  interest  or  the  best  interests  of 
his  church  to  conceal  the  truth  and  deceive  the  people.  Here 
is  the  doctrine  of  Rome  on  that  subject: 

♦'Soepe  meluis  est  ad  dei  honorem,  et  utilitatem  proximi, 
tegere  fidem  quam  f  ateri,  ut  si  latens  inter  hereticos,  plus  bnni 
f acis ;  vel  si  ex  conf essione  fidei,  plus  mali  sequeretur,  verbi  gratia 
turbatio,neces,exacerbatiotyrannis.*' — Liguori  Theologia^  b.  ii., 
chap  iii.,  p.  6. 

"  It  is  often  more  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  our 
neighbor  to  conceal  our  religious  faith,  as  when  we  live  among 
heretics,  we  can  more  easily  do  them  good  in  that  way ;  or  if,  by 
declaring  our  religion,  we  cause  some  disturbances,  or  deaths,  or 
even  the  wrath  of  the  tyrant." 

It  is  evident  that  the  Jesuits  had  never  had  better  reasons  to 
suspect  that  the  declaration  of  their  religion  would  damage  them 
and  excite  the  wrath  of  their  tyrant,  viz :  the  American  peo- 
ple. 

Lloyds*  in  whose  house.  Mrs.  Surratt  concealed  the  carbine 
which  Booth  wanted  for  protection,  w  hen  just  after  the  murder 
he  was  to  flee  towards  the  Southern  States,  was  a  firm  Roman 
Catholic. 

Dr.  Nudd,  at  whose  place  Booth  stopped,  to  have  his  broken 
leg  dressed,  was  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  so  was  Garrett,  in 
whose  barn  Booth  was  caught  and  killed.  Why  so!  Because, 
as  Jefif  Davis  was  the  only  man  to  pay  one  million  dollars  to 
those  who  would  kill  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  Jesuits  were  the 
only  men  to  select  the  murderers  and  prepare  everything  to  pro- 
tect them  after  ther  diabolical  deed,  and  such  murderers  could  not 
be  found  except  among  their  blind  and  fanatical  slaves. 

The  great,  the  fatal  mistake  of  the  American  Government  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  assassins  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  to  con' 
stantly  keep  out  of  sight  the  religious  element  of  that  terrible 
drama.     Nothing  would  have  been  more  easy,  then,  than  tc 


THE    ASSASSINATION    OF    LINCOLN. 


725 


find  out  the  complicity  of  the  priests,  who  were  not  only  coming 
every  week  and  every  day,  but  who  were  even  living  in  that 
den  of  murderers.  But  this  was  carefully  avoided  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  trial.  When,  not  long  after  the  ex- 
ecution  of  the  murderers,  I  went,  incognito,  to  Washington  to 
be<nn  my  investigation  about  its  true  and  real  authors,  I  was  not 
a  little  surprised  to  see  that  not  a  single  one  of  the  government 
men,  to  whom  I  addressed  myself,  would  consent  to  have  any 
talk  with  me  on  that  matter,  except  after  I  had  given  my  word 
of  honor  that  I  would  never  mention  their  names  in  connection 
with  the  result  of  my  investigation.  I  saw,  with  a  profound 
distress,  that  the  influence  of  Rome  was  almost  supreme  in 
Washington.  I  could  not  find  a  single  statesman  who  would  dare 
to  face  that  nefarious  influence  and  flght  it  down. 

Several  of  the  government  men,  in  whom  I  had  more  confi 
dence,  told  me: 

"  We  had  not  the  least  doubt  that  the  Jesuits  were  at  the 
bottom  of  that  great  iniquity ;  we  even  feared,  sometimes,  that 
this  would  come  out  so  clearly  before  the  military  tribunal,  that 
there  would  be  no  possibility  of  keeping  it  out  of  the  public 
sight.  This  was  not  through  cowardice,  as  you  think,  but 
through  a  wisdom  which  you  ought  to  approve,  if  you  can  not 
admire  it.  Had  we  been  in  days  of  peace,  we  know  that  with  a 
little  more  pressure  on  the  witnesses,  many  priests  would  have 
been  compromised :  for  Mrs.  Surratt's  house  was  their  common 
rendezvous:  it  is  more  than  probable  that  several  of  them  might 
have  been  hung.  But  the  civil  war  was  hardly  over.  The 
Confederacy,  though  broken  down,  was  still  living  in  millions  of 
hearts ;  murderers  and  formidable  elements  of  discord  were  still 
seen  everywhere,  to  which  the  hanging  or  exiling  of  those  priests 
would  have  given  a  new  life.  Riots  after  riots  would  have  accom- 
panied and  followed  their  execution.  We  thought  we  had  had 
enough  of  blood,  fires,  devastations  and  bad  feelings.  We  were 
all  longing  after  days  of  peace:  the  country  was  in  need  of  them. 
We  concluded  that  the  best  interests  of  humanity  was  to  punish 
only  those  who  were  publicly  and  visibly  guilty;  that  the  verdict 
might  receive  the   approbation   of   all,   without    creating    any 


726 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


new  bad  feelings.  Allow  us  also  to  tell  you  that  this  policy  was 
that  of  our  late  President.  For  you  know  it  well,  there  was 
nothing  which  that  good  and  great  man  feared  so  much  as  to 
arm  the  Protestants  against  the  Catholics  and  the  Catholics 
against  the  Protestants." 

But  if  any  one  has  still  any  doubts  of  the  complicity  of  the 
Jesuits,  in  the  murder  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  let  them  give  a 
moment  of  attention  to  the  following  facts,  and  their  doubts  will 
be  forever  removed.  It  is  only  from  the  very  Jesuit  accompli- 
ces' lips  that'!  take  my  sworn  testimonies. 

It  is  evident  that  a  very  elaborate  plan  of  escape  had  been 
prepared  by  the  priests  of  Rome  to  save  the  lives  of  the  assass- 
ins and  the  conspirators.  It  would  be  too  long  to  follow  all  the 
murderers  when,  Cain-like,  they  were  fleeing  in  every  direction, 
to  escape  the  vengeance  of  God  and  man.  Let  us  fix  our  eyes 
on  John  Surratt,  who  was  in  Washington  the  14th  of  April, 
helping  Booth  in  the  perpetration  of  the  assassination.  Who 
will  take  care  of  himr  Who  will  protect  and  conceal  him?  Who 
will  press  him  on  their  bosom,  put  their  mantles  or.  his  shoulders 
to  conceal  him  from  the  just  vengeance  of  the  human  and  divine 
laws?  The  priest,  Charles  Boucher,  (Jlrial  of  yohn  Surratt^ 
vol.  ii.,  page  904-912),  swears  that  only  a  few  days  after  the 
murder,  John  Surratt  was  sent  to  him  by  Father  Lapierre  of 
Montreal ;  that  he  kept  him  concealed  in  his  parsonage  of  St. 
Liboire  from  the  end  of  April  to  the  end  of  July,  then  he  took 
him  back,  secretly,  to  Father  Lapierre,  who  kept  him  secreted 
in  his  own  father's  house,  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  Montreal 
bishop's  palace.  He  swears  (p.  905  to  914)  that  Father  La- 
pierre visited  him  (Surratt)  often,  when  secreted  at  St.  Liboire, 
and  that  he  (Father  Boucher)  visited  him,  at  least,  twice  a 
week,  from  the  end  of  July  to  September,  when  concealed  in 
Father  Lapeirre's  house  in  Montreal. 

That  same  father,  Charles  Boucher,  swears  that  he  accom- 
panied John  Surratt  in  a  carriage,  in  the  company  of  Father 
Lapierre,  to  the  steamer  '*  Montreal,"  when  starting  forQuebeca 
That  Father  Lapierre  kept  him  (John  Surratt)  under  lock,  dur-j 
ing  the  voyage  from  Montreal  to  Quebec  and  that  he  accompan-T 


THE    ASSASSINATIOlSf    OF    LINCOLN. 


727 


ied  him,  disguised  from  the  Montreal  steamc  r  to  the  ocean 
steamer,  "Peruvian." — Trial  of   John  Surratt,  p.  910. 

The  doctor  of  the  steamer  "  Peruvian  "  L.  I.  A.  McMillan, 
swears  (vol.  i.,  p.  460,)  that  Father  Lapicrrc  introducrd  him  to 
John  Surratt,  under  the  false  name  of  McCarthy,  whom  he  was 
keeping  loct-.ed  in  his  state  room,  and  whom  he  conducted  dis- 
guised to  the  ocean  steamer"  Peruvian,"  and  with  whom  he  re- 
mained till  she  left  Quebec  for  Europe,  the  15th  September, 
1865. 

But  who  is  that  Father  Lepierre  who  takes  such  a  tender,  I 
dare  say  a  paterna'  care  of  Surratt?  it  is  not  less  a  personage  than 
the  canon  of  Bishop  Bourget,  of  Montreal.  He  is  the  confiden- 
tial man  of  the  bishop:  He  lives  with  the  bishop,  eats  at  his 
table,  assists  him  with  his  counsel,  and  has  to  receive  his  advice 
in  every  step  of  life.  According  to  the  laws  of  Rome,  the  can- 
ons are  to  the  bishop  what  the  arms  are  tq  the  body. 

Now,  I  ask:  Is  it  not  evident  that  the  bishops  and  the 
priests  of  Washington  have  trusted  this  murderer  to  the  care  of 
the  bishops  and  priests  of  Montreal,  that  they  might  conceal, 
feed  and  protect  him  for  nearly  six  months,  under  the  very 
shadow  of  the  bishop's  palace?  Would  they  have  done  that 
if  they  were  not  his  accomplices?  Why  did  they  so  continually 
remain  with  him  day  and  night,  if  they  were  not  in  fear  that  he 
might  compromise  them,  by  an  indiscreet  word  ?  Why  do  we 
see'  those  priests  ( I  ought  to  say,  those  two  ambassadors,  and 
anointed  representatives  of  the  Pope)  alone  in  the  carriage, 
which  takes  that  great  culprit  from  his  bouse  of  concealment  to 
the  steamer?  Why  do  they  keep  him  there,  under  lock,  till 
they  transfer  him,  under  a  disguisd  name,  to  the  oceanic  steamer, 
the  "  Peruvian,"  the  15th  of  July,  1865?  Why  such  tender  sym- 
pathies, for  that  stranger?  Why  going  through  such  trouble 
and  expense  for  that  young  American,  among  the  bishops  and 
priests  of  Canada  ?  There  is  only  one  answer.  He  was  one  of 
their  tools,  one  of  their  selected  men  to  strike  the  great  Repub- 
lic of  Equality  and  Liberty  to  the  heart.  For  more  than  six 
months  before  the  murder,  the  priests  had  lodged,  eaten,  con- 
versed, slept  with  him  under  the  same  roof   in    Washington. 


798 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


They  had  trained  him  to  his  deed  of  blood,  by  promising  him 
protection  on  earth,  and  a  crown  of  glory  in  heaven,  if  he  would 
only  be  true  to  their  designs  to  the  end.  And  he  had  been  true 
to  the  end. 

Now  the  great  crime  is  accomplished !  Lincoln  is  murdered ! 
Jeff  Davis,  the  dear  son  of  the  Pope,  is  avenged  I  The  great 
republic  has  been  struck  to  the  heart  I  The  soldiers  of  Liberty  all 
over  the  world  are  weeping  over  the  dead  form  of  the  one  who 
had  led  them  to  victory :  a  cry  of  desolation  goes  from  earth  to 
heaven. 

It  seems  as  if  we  heard  the  death-knell  of  the  cause  of 
freedom,  equality  and  fraternity  among  men.  It  was  many  cen- 
turies since  the  implacable  enemies  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of 
men  had  not  struck  such  a  giant  foe:  their  joy  was  as  great  as 
their  victory  complete. 

But  do  you  see  that  man  fleeing  from  Washington  towards  the 
north?  He  has  the  mark  of  Cain  on  his  forehead,  his  hands  arc 
reddened  with  blood,  he  is  pale  and  trembling,  for  he  knows  it; 
a  whole  outraged  nation  is  after  him  for  her  just  vengeance ;  he 
hears  the  thundering  voice  of  God:  "  Where  is  thy  brother?" 
Where  will  he  find  a  refuge?  Where,  outside  of  hell,  will  he  meet 
friends  to  shelter  and  save  him  from  the  ju-st  vengeance  of  God 
and  men? 

Oh!  He  has  sure  refuge  in  the  arms  of  that  church  who, 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years,  is  crying :  "  Death  to  all  the  here- 
tics I  death  to  all  the  soldiers  of  Liberty  I  "  he  has  devoted  friends 
among  the  very  men  who,  after  having  prepared  the  massacre 
of  Admiral  Coligny,and  his  75,000  Protestant  countrymen,  rang 
the  bells  of  Rome  to  express  their  joy  when  they  heard  that,  at 
last,  the  King  of  France  had  slaughtered  them  all. 

But  where  will  those  bishops  and  priests  of  Canada  send 
John  Surratt,  when  they  find  it  impossible  to  conceal  him  any 
longer  from  the  thousands  of  detectives  of  the  United  States, 
who  are  ransacking  Canada  to  find  out  his  retreat?  Who  will 
conceal,  feed,  lodge  and  protect  him  after  th  e  priests  of  Canada 
pressed  his  hand  for  the  last  time,  on  board  of  the  "  Peruvian," 
the  15th  of  September,  1865? 


ir  ROMS. 

[>V  promising  him 
e'aven,  if  he  would 
i  he  had  been  true 

icoln  is  murdered! 
ngedl  The  great 
Idiers  of  Liberty  all 
•m  of  the  one  who 
roes  from  earth  to 

11  of  the  cause  of 
,  It  was  many  cen- 
rhts  and  liberties  of 
oy  was  as  great  as 

»hington  towards  the 
ehead,  his  hands  are 
ng,  for  he  knows  it; 
•  just  vengeance;  he 
lereisthy  brother?" 
e  of  hell,  will  he  meet 
t  vengeance  of  God 

£  that  church  who, 
Death  to  all  the  here- 
has  devoted  friends 
spared  the  massacre 
itxt  countrymen,  rang 
in  they  heard  that,  at 
lem  all. 

jests  of  Canada  send 

to  conceal  him  any 

the  United   States, 

retreat?     Who  will 

e  priests  of  Canada 

of  the  "  Peruvian," 


THE    ASSASSINATION    OF    LINCOLN. 


7*9 


Who  can  have  any  doubt  about  that?  Who  can  suppose 
that  any  one  but  the  Pope  himself  and  his  Jesuits  will  protect 
the  murderer  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  Europe? 

If  you  want  to  see  him,  after  he  has  crossed  the  ocean,  go  to 
Vitry,  atthedoor  of  Rome,  and  there,  you  will  find  him  enrolled 
under  the  banners  of  the  Pope,  in  the  9th  company  of  his 
Zouaves,  under  the  false  namu  of  Watson.  Of  course,  the  Pope 
was  forced  to  withdraw  his  protection  over  him,  after  the  Gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States  had  found  him  there,  and  he  was 
brought  b.ick  to  Washington  to  be  tried. 

But,  on  his  arrival  as  a  prisoner  in  the  United  States,  his 
Jesuit  father  confessor  whispered  in  his  ear:  "  Fear  not,  you 
will  not  be  condemned!  Through  the  influence  of  a  high 
Roman  Catholic  lady,  two  or  three  of  the  jurymen  will  be 
Roman  Catholics,  and  you  will  be  safe." 

Those  who  have  read  the  two  volumes  of  the  trial  of 
John  Surratt,  know,  that  never  more  evident  proofs  of  guilt 
were  brought  against  a  murderer  than  in  that  case.  But  the 
Roman  Catholic  jurymen  had  read  the  Theology  of  St.  Thomas 
a  book  which  the  Pope  has  ordered  to  be  taught  in  every  college 
academy  and  university  of  Rome,  they  had  learned  that  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  Roman  Catholics  to  exterminate  all  the  heretics. 
— Si.  Thomas*   Theology^  vol.  iv.,  p.  90. 

They  had  read  the  decree  of  the  councils  of  Constance,  that 
no  faith  was  to  be  kept  with  heretics.  They  had  read  in  the 
council  of  Lateran,  that  the  Catholics  who  arm  themselves  for 
the  extermination  of  heretics  have  all  their  sins  forgiven,  and 
receive  the  same  blessings  as  those  who  go  and  fight  for  the 
rescue  of  the  Holy  Land. 

Those  jurymen  were  told  by  their  father  confessors  that  the 
most  holy  father,  the  Pope,  Gregory  VII.,  had  solemnly  and 
infallibly  declared  that:  "the  killing  of  an  heretic  was  no 
murder." — yure  Canonico. 

After  such  teachings,  how  could  the  Roman  Catholic  jury- 
men find  John  Surratt  guilty  of  murder,  for  killing  the  heretic 
Lincoln?  The  jury  having  disagreed,  no  verdict  could  be  given. 
The  government  was  forced  to  let  the  murderer  go  unpunished. 


730 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH  OF    ROME. 


But  when  the  irreconcilable  enemies  of  all  the  rights  and 
liberties  of  men  were  congratulating  themselves  on  their  suc- 
cessful efforts  to  save  the  life  of  John  Surratt,  the  God  of 
heaven  was  stamping  again  on  their  faces,  the  mark  of  murder, 
in  such  a  way  that  all  eyes  will  see  it. 

"  Murder  will  out,*'  is  a  truth  repeated  by  all  nations  from 
the  beginning  of  the  world.  It  is  the  knowledge  of  that  truth 
which  has  sustained  me  in  my  long  and  difficult  researches  of 
the  true  authors  of  the  assassination  of  Lincoln,  and  which  ena- 
bles me,  to-day,  to  present  to  the  world  a  fact,  which  seems  al- 
most miraculous,  to  show  the  complicity  of  the  priests  of  Rome 
in  the  murder  of  the  martyred  President. 

Some  time  ago,  I  providentially  met  the  Rev.  Mr.  F.  A. 
Conwell,  at  Chicago.  Having  known  that  I  was  in  search  of 
facts  about  the  assassination  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  he  told  me  he 
knew  one  of  those  facts  which  might  perhaps  throw  some  light 
on  the  subject  of  my  researches. 

"  The  very  day  of  the  murder,"  he  said,  "  he  was  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  village  of  St.  Joseph,  Minnesota  State,  when, 
at  about  six  o'clock,  in  the  afternoon,  he  was  told  by  a  Roman 
Catholic  of  the  place,  who  was  a  purveyor  of  a  great  number  of 
priests  who  lived  in  that  town,  wherfe  they  have  a  monastery, 
that  the  State  Secretary  Seward  and  the  President  Lincoln  had 
just  been  killed.       This  was  told  me,"  he  sa'd,  "  in  the  presence 
of  a  mr  st  respectable  gentleman,  called  Bennett,  who  was  not 
less  puz sled   than  me.     As  there  were  no  railroad  lines  nearerl 
than  40  miles,  nor  telegraph  offices  nearer  than  80  miles,  fromi 
that  place,  we  could  not  see  hov  such  news  was  spread  in  thatf 
town.     The  next  day,  the  15th  of  April,  I  was  at   St.  Cloud, 
town  about  twelve  miles  distant,  where  there  were  neither  rail] 
road  nor  telegraph,  I  said  to  several  people  that  I  had  been  told 
in  the  priestly  village  of  St.  Joseph,  by  a  Roman  Catholic,  thai 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  the  Secretary  Seward  had  been  assassini 
ated.     They  answered  me,  that  they  had  heard   nothing  abou 
it.     But  the  next  Sabba«^h,  the  16th  of   April,  when  going  to  thj 
church  of  St.  Cloud,  to  preach,  a  friend   gave  me  a   copy  of 
telegram  sent  to  him  on  the  Saturday,  reporting  that  Abrahaij 


w? 


^mrrf 


TT^yfTwrrw^^ifrr  " 


tmm 


mmmmmmiim 


THE    ASSASSINATION    OF    LINCOLN. 


73» 


Lincoln  and  Secretary  Seward  had  been  assassinated,  the  very 
day  before,  which  was  Friday,  the  14th,  at   10  P.  M.     But  how 
could  the  Roman  Catholic  purveyor  of  the  priests  of  Sf.  Joseph, 
have   told  me  the  same  thing,  before  several  witnesses,  just  four 
hours  before  its  occurrence?     I  spoke' of  that  strange  thing  to 
many,  that  same  day,  and,  the  very  next  day,  I  wrote  to  the   St. 
Paul   '  Press '  under   the    heading    of   '  a  strange  coincidence.' 
Sometime  later,  the  editor  of  the  St.  Paul  '  Pioneer,'  having 
denied  what  T  had  written  on  that  subject,  I   addressed    him  the 
following  note,  which  he  had  printed,  and  which  I  have  kejjt. 
Here  it  is, you  may  keep  it  as  an  infallible  proof  of  my  veracity." 
"To  THE  Editor  of  the  St.  Paul  Pioxeer. 
"  You  assume  the  non-truth  of  a  short  paragraph  furnished  by  me  to 
the  St.  Paul « Press,'  viz: 

"  A  Strange  Coincidence! 
"  At  6-30  P.  M.,  Friday  last,  April  14th,  I  was  told  as  an  item  of  news, 
8  miles  west  of  this  place,  that  Lincoln  and  Seward  had  been  assassinated. 
This  was  three  hours  after  I  had  heard  the  news." 

"St.  Cloud,  17th  of  April,  1865. 
"  The  integrity  of  history  requires  that  the  above  coincidence  be  estab- 
lished.   And  if  anyone  calls  it  in  question,  then  proofs  more  ample  than 
reared  their  sanguinary  shadows  to  comfort  a  traitor  can  now  be  given. 

"Respectfully, 

"F.  A.  CONWELL." 

I  asked  that  gentleman  if  he  would  be  kind  enough  to  give 
me  the  fact  under  oath,  that  I  might  make  use  of  it  in  the  report 
I  intended  to  publish  about  the  assassination  of  Lincoln.  And 
he  kindly  granted  my  request  in  the  following  form. 


State  of  Illinois,  ) 


s.  s. 


Cook  County, 

Rev .  F .  A .  Conwell  being  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that  he  is  seventy- 
one  years  old,  that  he  is  a  resident  of  North  Evanston,  in  Cook  County, 
State  of  Illinois,  that  he  has  been  in  the  ministry  for  fifty-six  years,  and  is 
now  one  of  the  chaplains  of  the  "Seamen's  Bethel  Home,"  in  Chicago;  tliat 
he  was  chaplain  of  the  First  Minnesota  Regiment,  in  the  war  of  the  rebell- 
ion. That,  on  the  14th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1865,  he  was  in  St.  Joseph, 
Minnesota,  and  reached  there  so  early  as  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Bennett  who,  then  and  now,  is  a  resident  of  St.  Cloud,  Min- 
nesota.    That  on  that  date,  there  was  no  telegraph  nearer  than  Minneapo- 


J^>-  •  % 


732 


FIFTY   YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


Us,  about  80  miles  from  St.  Joseph :  and  there  was  no  railroad  communica- 
tion nearer  than  Avoka,  Minnesota,  about  40  miles  distant.  That  when  he 
reaciied  St.  Joseph,  on  the  14th  day  of  April,  1865,  one  Mr.  Linneman,  who, 
then,  kept  the  hotel  of  St.  Joseph,  told  affiant  tiiat  President  Lincoln  and 
Secretary  Seward  were  assassinated,  that  it  was  not  later  than  half-past  six 
o'clock,  on  Friday,  April  14th,  1865,  when  Mr.  Linneman  told  me  this. 
Shortly  thereafter,  Mr  Bennett  came  in  the  hotel,  and  I  told  him  that  Mr. 
Linneman  said  the  President  Lincoln  and  Secretary  Seward  were  assassina- 
ted ;  and,  then,  the  same  Mr.  Linneman  reported  the  same  conversation  to 
Mr.  Bennett  in  my  presence.  That  during  that  time,  Mr.  Linneman  told 
me  that  he  had  the  charge  of  the  friary  or  college  for  young  men,  under  the 
priests,  who  were  study  ing  for  the  priesthood  at  St.  Joseph.  That  there  was 
a  large  multitude  of  this  kind  at  St.  Joseph,  at  this  time.  Affiant  says  that, 
on  Saturday  morning,  April  15th,  1865,  he  went  to  St.  Cloud,  a  distance  of 
about  lo  miles,  and  reached  there  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  That 
there  was  no  railroad  nor  telegraph  communication  to  St.  Cloud.  When 
he  arrived  at  St.  Cloud,  he  told  Mr.  Haworth,  the  hotel  keeper,  that  he  liad 
been  told  that  President  Lincoln  and  Secretary  Seward  had  been  assassina- 
ted, and  asked  if  it  was  true.  He  further  told  Henry  Clay,  Wait,  Charles 
Oilman,  who  was  afterwards  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Minnesota,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Tice,  the  same  thing,  and  inquired  of  them  if  they  had  any  such  views; 
and  they  replied  that  they  had  not  heard  anything  of  the  kind. 

Affiant  says  that,  on  Sunday  morning,  April  i6th,  1865,  he  preached  in 
St.  Cloud,  and  on. the  way  to  the  church,  a  copy  of  telegram  was  handed 
him,  stating  that  the  President  and  Secretary  were  assassinated  Frida; 
evening  at  about  9  o'clock.  This  telegram  had  been  brought  to  St.  Cloud 
by  Mr.  Gorton,  who  had  reached  St.  Cloud  by  stage;  and  this  was  the  first 
Intelligence  that  had  reached  St.  Cloud  of  the  event. 

Affiant  says  further  that  on  Monday  morning,  April  17th,  1865,  he  fur- 
nished the  "  Press,"  a  paper  of  St.  Paul,  a  statement  that  three  hours  before 
the  event  took  place,  he  had  been  informed,  at  St.  Joseph,  Minnesota,  that 
the  President  had  been  assassinated,  and  this  was  published  in  the  "  Press." 

FRANCIS  ASBURY  CONWELL. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  by  Francis  A.  Conwell,  before  me,  a  Notary 
Public  of  Kankakee  County,  Illinois,  at  Chicago,  Cook  County,  this 
6th  day  of  September,  1883. 

Stephen  R,  Moore,  Notary  Public 

Though  this  document  was  very  important  and  precious  to 
me,  I  felt  that  it  would  be  much  more  valuable  if  it  could  be 
corroborated  by  the  testimonies  of  Messrs.  Bennett  and  Linne- 
man, themselves,  and  I  immediately  sent  a  magistrate  to  find  out 
if  they  were  still  living,  and  if  they  remembered  the  f.icts  of  the 


a/M^-'  .11  iii,'!»inw 


fiu      I.I   liiiliq^pilRlipPI 


^mmmmmmmn 


wmmm 


mm 


THE    ASSASSINATION    OF    LINCOLN. 


733 


looRE,  Notary  Public, 
tant  and  precious  to 
luable  if  it  could  be 
Bennett  and  Linne- 
magistrate  to  find  out 
bered  the  f  ucts  of  the 


sworn  declaration  of  Rev.  Mr.  Conwell.  By  the  good  provi- 
dence of  God,  both  of  these  gentlemen  were  found  living,  and 
both  gave  the  following  testimonies: 

State  of  Minnesota,  ^ 

Sterns  County,  City  C 

of  St.  Cloud.         > 

Horace  P.  Bennett,  being  sworn,  desposes  and  says  that  he  is  aged 
sixty-four  years;  that  he  is  a  resident  of  St.  Cloud,  Minnesota,  and  has  re- 
sided in  this  county  since  1856;  that  he  is  acquainted  with  the  Rev.  F.  A. 
Conwell,  who  was  Chaplain  of  the  ist  Minnesota  Regiment  In  the  war  of 
the  rebellion ;  that  on  the  14th  of  April,  1865,  he  was  in  St.  Joseph,  Minne- 
sota, in  company  with  Mr.  Francis  A.  Conwell ;  that  they  reached  St. 
Joseph  about  sundown  of  said  April  14th;  that  there  was  no  railroad  or  tele- 
graph commimication  with  St.  Joseph,  at  that  time,  nor  nearer  than  Avoka, 
about  40  miles  distant.  That  affiant,  on  reaching  the  hotel  kept  by  Mr. 
Linneman,  went  to  the  barn  while  Rev.  F.  A.  Conwell  entered  the  hotel ; 
and  shortly  afterwards,  affiant  had  returned  to  the  hotel,  Mr.  Conwell  told 
him  that  Mr.  Linneman  had  reported  to  him  the  assassination  of  Pres  ident 
Lincoln ;  that  Linneman  was  present  and  substantiated  the  statement. 

That  on  Saturday  morning,  April  isth,  affiant  and  Rev.  Conwell  came 
to  St.  Cloud,  and  reported  that  they  had  been  told  at  St.  Joseph,  about  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  that  no  one  at  St.  Cloud  had  heard  of 
the  event  at  this  time,  that  the  first  news  of  the  event  which  reached  St. 
Cloud  was  on  Sunday  morning,  April  i6th,  when  the  news  was  brought  by 
Leander  Gorton,  who  had  just  come  up  from  Avoka,  Minnesota;  that  they 
spoke  to  several  persons  of  St.  Cloud,  concerning  the  matter,  when  they 
reached  there,  on  Sunday  morning,  but  affiant  does  not  now  remember  who 
those  different  persons  were,  and  further  affiant  says  not. 

HORACE  P.  BENNETT. 
Sworn  before  me,  and  subscribed  in  my  presence,  this  iSth  of  October, 
A.  D.    1883. 

Andrew  C.  Robertson,  Notary  Public. 

Mr.  Linneman  having  refused  to  swear  on  his  written  de- 
claration, which  I  have  in  my  possession,  I  take  only  from  it 
what  refers  to  the  principal  fact,  viz.:  that,  three  or  four  hours 
before  Lincoln  was  assassinated  at  Washington,  the  14th  of 
April,  1865,  the  fact  was  told  as  already  accomplished,  in  the 
priestly  village  of  St.  Joseph,  Minnesota. 

"He  (Linneman)  remembers  the  time  that  Messrs.  Conwell  and 
Bennett  came  to  this  place  (St.  Joseph,  Minnesota)  on  Friday  evening,  be- 
fore the  president  was  killed,  and  he  asked  them,  if  they  had  heard  he  was 


K 


734 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


dead,  and  they  replied  they  had   not.     He  heard   this  rumor  in  his  store 
from  people  who  came  in  and  out.     But  he  cannot  remember  from  whom. 

October  20th,  1883. 

J.  H.  LINNEMAN. 

I  present  here  to  the  world  a  fact  of  the  greatest  gravity, 
and  that  fact  is  so  well  authenticated  that  it  cannot  allow  even 
the  possibility  of  a  doubt. 

Three  or  four  hours  before  Lincoln  was  murdered  in  Wash- 
ington, the  t4th  of  April,  1865,  that  murder  was  not  only  known 
by  some  one,  but  it  was  circulated  and  talked  of  in  the  streets, 
and  in  the  houses  of  the  priestly  and  Romish  town  of  St. 
Joseph,  Minnesota.  The  fact  is  undeniable ;  the  testimonies  are 
unchallengeable:  and  there  were  no  railroad  nor  any  telegraph 
communication  nearer  than  4.0  or  So  miles  from  the  nearest 
station  to  St  Joseph. 

Naturally  every  one  asked :  "  How  could  such  news  spread, 
where  is  the  source  of  such  a  rumor  .^  "  Mr.  Linneman,  who  is  a 
Roman  Catholic,  tells  that  though  he  heard  this  from  many  in 
his  store,  and  in  the  streets,  he  does  not  remember  the  name  of 
a  single  one  who  told  him  that.  And  when  we  hear  this  from 
him,  we  understand  why  he  did  not  dare  to  swear  upon  it,  and 
shrank  from  the  idea  of  perjuring  himself. 

For  every  one  feels  that  his  inrmoi  y  cannot  be  so  poor  as 
that,  when  he  remembers  so  well  the  names  of  the  two  strangers 
Messrs.  Conwell  and  Bennet,  to  whom  he  had  announced  the 
assassination  of  Lincoln,  just  17  years  before.  But  if  the 
memory  of  Mr.  Linneman  is  so  deficii-nt  on  that  subject, we  can 
help  him,  and  tell  him  with  mathematical  accuracy: 

"You  got  the  news  from  your  priests  of  St.  Joseph!  The 
conspiracy  which  cost  the  life  of  the  martyred  President  was 
prepared  by  the  priests  of  Washington  in  tlie  house  of  Mary 
Surratt,  No.  541  H  Street.  The  priests  of  St.  Joseph  were 
often  visiting  Washington,  and  boarding,  probably  at  Mrs. 
Surratt's,  as  the  priests  of  Wasliington  were  often  visiting  their 
bjjJiher  priests  at  St.  Joseph. 

'•  Those  priests  of  Washington  were  in  daily  communication 
Wii("»  their  co-'-ebel  priests  of  St.  Joseph;  they  were  their  intimate 
friends.     The    *  were  no  secr«^s  among  them,  as  there  are  no 


THE    ASSASSINATION   OF    LINCOLN. 


735 


"'mi 


secrets  among  priests.  They  are  the  members  of  the  same  body, 
the  branches  of  the  same  tree.  The  details  of  the  murder,  as 
the  day  selected  for  its  commission  were  as  well  known  among 
the  priests  of  St.  Joseph,  as  they  were  among  those  of  Wash- 
ington. The  death  of  Lincoln  was  such  a  glorious  event  for 
those  priests!  That  infamous  apostate,  Lincoln,  who,  baptized 
in  the  Holy  Church,  had  rebelled  against  her,  broken  his  oath 
of  allegiance  to  the  Pope,  taken  the  ver)'  day  of  his  baptism, 
and  lived  the  life  of  an  apostate!  That  infamous  Lincoln,  who 
had  dared  to  fight  against  the  Confederacy  of  the  South  after 
the  Vicar  of  Christ  had  solemnly  declared  that  their  cause  was 
just,  legitimate  and  holy!  That  bloody  tyrant,  that  godless  and 
infamous  man  was  to  receive,  at  last,  the  jus-t  chastisement  of 
his  crimes,  the  14th  of  April!  What  glorious  news!  How  could 
the  priests  conceal  such  a  joyful  event  from  their  bosom  friend, 
Mr.  Linneman  ?  He  was  their  confidential  man :  he  was  their 
purveyor:  he  was  their  right  hand  man  among  the  faithful  of 
St  Joseph.  They  thought  that  they  would  be  guilty  of  a  want 
of  confidence  in  their  bosom  friend,  if  they  did  not  tell  him  all 
about  the  glorious  event  of  that  great  day.  Bi:i,  of  course,  they 
requested  him  not  to  mention  their  names,  if  he  would  spread 
the  joyful  news  among  the  devoted  Roman  Catholics  who, 
almost  exclusively,  formed  the  people  of  St.  Joseph.  Mr. 
Linneman  has  honorably  and  faithfully  kept  his  promise  never 
to  reveal  their  names,  and  to-day,  we  have,  in  our  hand,  the  authen- 
tic testimonies  signed  by  him  that,  though  somebodAjthe  14th  of 
April,  told  him  that  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated,  he  does 
not  know  who  told  him  that ! 

But  there  is  not  a  man  of  sound  judgment  who  will  have 
any  doubt  about  that  fact.  The  14th  of  April,  1865,  the  priests 
of  Rome  knew  and  circulated  the  death  of  Lincoln  four  hours 
before  its  occurrence  in  their  Roman  Catholic  town  of  St. 
Joseph,  Minnesota.  But  they  they  could  not  circulate  it  without 
knowing  it,  and  they  could  not  know  it,  "without  belonging  to 
the  band  of  conspirators  who  assassinated  President  Lincoln. 


Chapter    LXII. 

DTPTTTATION  OF  TWO  PBZBST8  SENT  BT  THB  PBOPI.E  AKL' 
THB  BISHOPS  OF  CANADA  TO  FBBST7ADB  US  TO  STrBKIT  TO 
THB  WIIiL  OF  TUS  BISHOP- TECB  DBPITTIBS  ACKNOWIiBDGB 
PXTBIiICIi'S'  THAT  THB  BISHOP  IS  WBONO  AKD  THAT  WB 
ABB  BiaHT-FOB  PEAOB  SAKB,  I  CONSENT  TO  WITHDRAW 
FBOM  THB  CONTEST  ON  CBBTAIN  CONDITIONS  ACCEPTED 
BT  THE  DEPT7TIES-0NE  OF  THOSE  DEPtTTIES  TTTBNS  FALSB 
TO  HIS  PBOMISES  AND  BETBA'S'S  US,  TO  BE  PUT  AT  THB 
HEAD  OF  MT  COLONT-KT  I.AST  INTBBV1B\&  WITH  HIK 
AND  MB.  BBASSABD. 

WHEN  alone,  on  my  knees,  in  the  presence  of  God,  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1855,  I  took  the  resolution  of  opposing 
the  acts  of  simony  and  tyranny  of  Bishop  O'Regan,  I  was  far 
from  understanding  the  logical  consequences  of  my  struggle 
with  that  high  dignitary.  My  only  ohject  was  to  force  him  to 
be  honest,  just  and  Christian  towards  my  people.  That  people, 
with  me,  had  left  their  country  and  had  bid  an  eternal  adieu  to 
all  that  was  dear  to  them  in  Canada,  in  order  to  live  in  peace  in 
Illinois,  under  what  we,  then,  considered  the  holy  authority  of 
the  Church  of  Christ.  But  we  were  absolutely  unwilling  to  be 
slaves  of  any  man,  in  the  land  of  Liberty. 

If  any  one,  at  that  hour,  could  have  shown  me  that  this 
struggle  would  lead  me  to  a  complete  separation  from  the 
Church  of  Rome,  I  would  have  shrank  from  the  task.  My  only 
ambition  was  to  purify  my  church  from  the  abuses  which, 
one  after  the  other,  had  crept  everywhere  about  her,  as  noxious 
weeds.  I  felt  that  those  abuses  were  destroying  the  precious 
truths  which  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles  had  revealed  to  us. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  was  a  duty  imposed  upon  every  priest  to 
do  all  in  our  power  to  blot  from  the  face  of  our  church  the 
scandals  which  were  the  fruits  of  the  iniquities  and  tyranny  of  the 
bishops.  I  had  most  sincerely  offered  myself  to  God  for  this  work. 

736 


THE    BISHOP    IS    WRONG. 


737 


HB  PBOPliB  AWL- 
XrSTOSTTBMITTO 
B  ACKKOWIiEDGB 
»  AKB  THAT  WB 
rT  TO  WITHDBAW 
TIOKS  ACCEPTED 
[IBS  TTJBNS  PAIiSB 
BE  PTJT   AT  THE 
IVIB'W'    WITH  HIH 

ice  of  God,  on  the 
alution  of  opposing 
)'Regan,  I  was  far 
:es  of  my  struggle 
vas  to  force  him  to 
ople.     That  people, 
an  eternal  adieu  to 
r  to  live  in  peace  in 
,e  holy  authority  of 
itely  unwilling  to  be 

shown  me  that  this 
eparation   from   the 
m  the  task.  My  only 
the    abuses   which, 
about  her,  as  noxious 
:roying  the  precious 
had  revealed  to  us. 
upon  every  priest  to 
•e  of  our  church  the 
fies  and  tyranny  of  the 
to  God  for  this  work. 


From  the  beginning,  however,  I  had  a  presentiment  that  the 
power  of  the  bishops  would  be  too  much  for  me,  and  that, 
sooner  or  later,  they  would  crush  me.  But  my  hope  was  that 
when  I  should  have  fallen,  others  would  take  my  place  and 
fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord,  till  a  final  victory  would  bring  the 
church  back  to  the  blessed  days  when  she  was  the  spotless 
spouse  of  the  Lamb. 

The  great  and  providential  victory  I  had  gained  at  Urbana, 
had  strengthened  my  conviction  that  God  was  on  my  side,  and 
that  he  would  protect  me,  so  long  as  my  only  motives  were  in 
the  interests  of  truth  and  righteousness.  It  seemed,  in  a  word, 
that  I  could  not  fail  so  long  as  I  should  fight  against  the  ofiicial 
lies,  tyrannies,  superstitions  and  deceits  which  the  bishops  had 
everywhere  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  substituted  in  the 
place  of  the  Gospel,  the  primitive  laws  of  the  church,  and  the 
teachings  of  the  holy  fathers. 

In  the  autumn  of  1856,  our  struggle  against  the  Bishop  of 
Chicago  had  taken  proportions  which  could  not  have  been  an- 
ticipated either  by  me  or  by  the  Roman  Catholic  hierarchy  of 
America.  The  whole  press  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
both  political  and  religious,  were  discussing  the  causes  and  the 
probable  results  of  the  contest. 

At  first,  the  bishops  were  indignant  at  the  conduct  of  my 
lord  O'Regan.  They  had  seen  with  pleasure,  that  a  priest  from 
his  own  diocese  would  probably  force  him  to  be  more  cautious 
and  less  scandalous  in  his  public  and  private  dealings  with  the 
clergy  and  the  people.  But,  they  also  hoped  that  I  should  be 
paralyzed  by  the  sentence  of  excommunication,  and  that  the 
people,  frightened  by  those  fulminations,  would  withdraw  the 
support  they  had,  at  first,  given  me.  They  were  assured  by 
Spink,  that  I  would  lose  my  suit,  at  Urbana,  and  should,  when 
lodged  in  the  penitentiary,  become  powerless  to  do  any  mischief 
in  the  church. 

But  their  confidence  was  soon  changed  into  dismay  when 
they  saw  that  the  people  laughed  at  the  excommunication ;  that 
I  had  gained  my  suit,  and  that  I  was  triumphing  on  that  very 
battle-field  from  which  no  priest,  since  Luther  and  Knox,  had 


738 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


come  out  unscathed.  Everywhere,  the  sound  of  alarm  was  hear 
and  I  was  denounced  as  a  rebel  and  schismatic.  The  who 
body  of  the  bishops  prepared  to  hurl  their  most  terrible  fu 
minations  at  my  devoted  head.  But  before  taking  their  la 
measure  to  crush  me,  a  supreme  effort  was  made  to  show  i 
what  they  considered  our  errors.  The  Rev.  Messrs.  Brassai 
curate  of  Longueuil  and  Rev.  Isaac  Desaulnier,  President  of  S 
Hyacinthe  college,  were  sent  by  the  people  and  bishops  ( 
Canada  to  show  me  what  they  called  the  scandal  of  my  pn 
ceedings,  and  press  me  to  submit  to  the  will  of  the  bishoj 
by  respecting  th<*  so-called  sentence  of  excommunication. 

The  choice  of  'chose  two  priests  was  very  wise.  They  wei 
certainly  the  most  influential  that  could  be  sent.  Mr.  Brassar 
had  not  only  been  my  teacher  at  the  college  of  Nicolet,  butm 
benefactor,  as  I  have  already  said.  When  the  want  of  mean 
in  1S25,  had  forced  me  to  leave  the  college  and  bid  adieu  to  in 
mother  and  my  young  brothers,  in  order  to  go  to  a  very  distar 
land,  in  search  of  a  position;  he  stopped  me  on  the  road  of  exi! 
and  brought  me  back  to  the  college:  and  along  with  the  Re) 
Mr.  Leprohon,  he  paid  all  my  expenses  to  the  end  of  my  studiei 
He  had  loved  me  since,  as  his  own  child,  and  I  cherished  and  rci 
pected  him  as  my  own  father.  The  other,  Mons.  I.  Desau 
nier,  had  been  my  classmate  in  the  college,  from  1822  to  1S2 
and  we  had  been  united  during  the  whole  of  that  period,  as  we 
as  since,  by  the  bonds  of  the  sincerest  esteem  and  friendsliij 
They  arrived  at  St.  Anne  on  November  24th,  1856. 

I  heard  of  their  coming  only  a  few  minutes  before  their  a 
rival;  and  nothing  can  express  the  joy  I  felt  at  the  news.  T 
confidence  I  had  in  their  honesty  and  friendship,  gave  me,' 
once,  the  hope  that  they  would  soon  see  the  justice  and  holiiie 
of  our  cause,  and  they  would  bravely  take  our  side  against  oi 
aggressor.  But  they  had  very  different  sentiments.  Sinceie 
believing  that  I  was  an  unmanageable  schismatic,  who  wi 
creating  an  awful  scandal  in  the  church,  they  had  not  only  bee 
forbidden  by  the  bishops  to  sleep  in  my  house,  but  also  to  ha\ 
any  friendly  and  Christian  communication  with  me.  With  r 
hatred  against  me,  they   were   yet   filled   with   horror  at  tl 


Ml. 


CH    OF    ROME. 


THE    BISHOP    IS    WRONG. 

be,  and  tb.^  I  had  become  sour  and  IT  "  "'  '"'"'"-'y  to 
and  haughcy;  that  also,  I  wou  d  i„s„1t  S"""  '  f  "^'^^'  '"-'-t 
the  people  to  turn  them  away  from  1  '  ""^  ^^'^'^^  ^^viso 

had  no  business  to  meddle  in  our  affaTr^  ^T^''''  "'  '"^'^  ^^o 
( .sappomted,  however,  v.^hen  they  si  ^^  "^""^  P'easantly 
them,  as  far  as  I  could  see  them  to  nrT^"  '"""'"S^  *«  '"eet 
the  most  sincere  marks  of  affX'.^^  o'^"  ^'^ '"^ '^^^  with 
all  the  treasures  of  California  b  "or^ht'T*  '  *"''  "^^"^  ^^^t 
not  make   me   half  so   happy   as    I  w.  ?'  ^°"^^'  ^ould 

ence.  ^^^  ^   ^as   made   by   their  pres- 

I,  at  once,  expressed  my  hope  that  fb.,      ' 
sent  by  God,  to  bring  us  peace  'h  ^'  """''  ^^'^  "Messengers 

state  of  things  wlL  waTthe  .^^  ;"  Th '^  ^he  deplor'ablj 
Remarking  that  they  were  covered ""h  TT  '"^^  J-'"-y- 
go  to  their  sleeping  rooms,  to  wish  7nd    7  'J  ""^">  ^^e-"  to 

"  Sleeping   rooms!  slee'ping  "otms -nf'"t  :^''"^^^-- 
"but  our  written  instructio'^.s ^f rom   ^he  b"b    ^^  ''^^^"'"•-' 
forbKlusto  sleep   here,  on  accou.Uof  ^  ^^'  ^'^^  ^'-•"t  us, 

Mr.   Brassard   answered  •      ".^"/'"^'''^^'^-"-•cation." 
Desaulnier,  a  thing  which  I  have  he. .  ^''"'   "'>'  ^^^'^  ^^r. 

reading  that  prohibition  of  sleepighte"r-f  now.  After 
that  ,f  he  would  put  such  a  restraint  „n  '""^    '°  '^^  bishop 

another  one  |o  come  here.  I  ea^Jr  '"''  .''^  "^^^'^^  ^h-- 
cording  to  our  conscience  and  cori'  I  '"  ''  '''  "^  ^"^"^  ^^^  ac- 
with  Chiniquy.  '""'°"  ''«"««'  ^^'hen  we  should  be 

"And,  to-day,  my  conscience  anH  . 
th^t  we  cannot  begin  our  mission  of  perr"  'T  ^^"^   ^^ 
whog,vesus   such  a  friendly   and  Shir    ^'  """^''"^  ^   •"^" 
people  of  Canada   have  choL  ut  a      h  • "  /"'^"""-     '^'^^         • 
we  are  the  most  sincere  friends  of  Ch-  'P"''""'  ^^^^"^'^       ' 

'ng  that  character    that  we   wHl    be^t    S     ''  '«  ^^  ^^eep- 
solemn  duties.      I    accept  with    „!.!  ^"  °"'"  ««'^'-«d  and 

offered  me."  ^    '^'''^    P^^^^"^^.    the  sleeping    room 


^m*^' 


740 


KIFTV    VEARS    IN    THE   CHUKCH    OF    ROME. 


Mr.  Desaulnier  rejoined:  "I  accept  it  also,  for  I  did  not 
come  here  to  insult   my  best  friend,  but  to  save  him." 

These  kind  words  of  my  guests  added  to  the  joy  I  experien- 
ced at  their  coming.     I  told  them : 

♦♦  If  you  are  here  to  obey  the  voice  of  your  conscience  and 
the  dictates  of  your  common  sense,  there  is  a  glorious  task  be. 
fore  you.  You  will  soon  find  that  the  people  and  priest  of  St 
Anne,  have  also  done  nothing,  but  listened  to  the  voice  of  theii 
honest  conscience,  and  followed  the  laws  of  common  sense  ir 
their  conduct  towards  the  bishop.  But,"  I  added,  "this  is  noi 
the  time  to  exp^lain  my  position,  but  the  time  to  wash  your  dust) 
faces  and  refresh  yourselves.  Here  are  your  rooms,  make  your 
selves  at  home." 

After  supper,  which  had  been  spent  in  the  most  pleasant  way 
and  without  any  allusion  to  our  troubles,  they  handed  me  tlit 
letters  addressed  to  me  by  the  bishops  of  Montreal,  London  am 
Toronto,  to  induce  me  to  submit  to  my  superior,  and  offer  m( 
the  assurance  of  their  most  sincere  friendship  and  devotedness 
if  I  would  obey. 

Mr.  Desaulnier  then  said :  "  Now,  my  dear  Chiniquy,  wi 
have  been  sent  here  by  the  people  and  bishops  of  Canada  t( 
take  you  away  from  the  bottomless  abyss  into  which  you  hav 
fallen  with  your  people.  We  have  only  one  day  and  two  nig 
to  spend  here,  we  must  lose  no  time,  but  begin  at  once,  to  fii 
our  solemn  mission." 

I  answered :  "  If  I  have  fallen  into  a  bottomless  aby 
as  you  say,  and  that  you  will  draw  me  out  of  it,  not  only  G( 
and  men  will  bless  you;  but  I  will  also  forever,  bless  you 
your  charity.  The  first  thing,  however,  you  have  to  do  here 
to  see  if  I  am  really  fallen,  with  my  people,  into  that  bottom 
abyss  of  which  you  speak." 

"  But  are  you  not  excommunicated,"  quickly  rejoined  ^ 
Desaulnier,  "  and,  notwithstanding  that  excommunication,  li 
you  not  continued  to  say  your  mass,  preach  and  hear  the  conf( 
ions  of  your  people?  Are  you  not  then  fallen  into  that  state 
irregularity  and  schism  which  separate  you  entirely  from 
church, and  to  which  the  Pope  alone  can  restore  you?" 


!ipi;fpi  jpiii|pfipniwpimii|>ji|  iiwijo^i^ipif f  p;,« 


■«■ 


■n 


Hi 


THE    BISHOP    IS    WRONG. 


741 


know;   consider    with    atten- 
And  I  iiandcd  him  the  docu- 


"  No,  my  dear  Desauhiier,"  I  answered,  "  I  am  not  more  ex- 
communicated than  you  are.  For  the  simple  reason  that  an  act 
of  excommunication  which  is  not  signed  and  certified,  is  a  public 
nullity ;  unworthy  of  any  attention.  Here  is  the  act  of  the  so- 
called  excommunication,  which  makes  so  much  noise  in  Mie 
world!  Examine  it  yourself;  look  if  it  is  signed  hy  the 
bishop,  or  any  one  else  you 
tion  if  it  is  certified  by  anyboily." 
ment. 

After  he  had  examined  it,  and  turned  it  ever  yway,  for  more 
than  half  an  hour,  with  Mr.  Brassard,  without  saying  a  word, 
he,  at  last,  broke  his  silence,  and  said : 

"If  I  had  not  seen  it  with  my  own  eyns,  I  could  never  have 
believed  that  a  bishop  can  play  such  a  sacrilegious  comedy  in  the 
face  of  the  world.  You  have,  several  times,  published  it  in  the 
press,  but  I  confess  that  your  best  friends,  and  I  among  the  rest, 
did  not  believe  you.  It  could  not  enter  our  minds  that  a  bishop 
should  be  so  devoid,  I  do  not  say  of  every  principle  of  religion,  but 
of  the  most  common  honesty,  as  to  have  proclaimed  before  the 
whole  world,  that  you  were  excommunicated,  when  he  had  to 
offer  us  only  that  ridiculous  piece  of  rag,  to  support  his  assertion. 
But,  in  the  name  of  common  sense,  why  is  it  that  he  has  not 
signed  his  sentence  of  excommunication,  or  get  it  signed  and 
countersigned  by  some  authorized  people,  when  it  is  so  evident 
that  he  wanted  to  excommunicate  you?  " 

"  His  reason  for  not  putting  his  name,  nor  the  name  of  any 
known  person  at  the  bottom  of  that  so-called  excommunication 
is  very  clear,"  I  answered :  "  though  our  bishop  is  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  rogues  of  Illinois,  he  is  still  more  a  coward 
than  a  rogue.  I  had  threatened  to  bring  him  before  the  civil 
court  of  the  country,  if  he  dared  to  destroy  my  character  by  a 
sentence  of  interdict  or  excommunication ;  and  he  found  that  the 
only  way  to  save  himself,  in  the  same  time  that  he  was  outrag- 
ing me,  was  not  to  sign  that  paper;  he  thereby  took  away  from 
me  the  power  of  prosecuting  him.  For,  the  first  thing  I  would 
have  to  do  in  a  prosecution,  in  that  case,  would  be  to  prove  the 
signature  of  the  bishop.     Where  could  I   find  a   witness  who 


'^' 


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Hiolographic 

Scmoes 

ComOTation 


23  WIST  MAM  STRHT 

WnSTIR.N.Y.  14SM 

(7U)  S73-4S03 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


would  swear  that  this  is  his  signature?     Would  you  swear  il 
yourself,  my  dear  Desaulnier?  " 

"  Oh !  no,  for  surely,  it  is  not  his  signature,  nor  that  of  his 
grand  vicar  or  secretary.  But  without  going  any  further,"  added 
he,  "  we  must  confess  to  you  that  we  have  talked  to  the  bishop 
when  passing  through  Chicago,  asking  him  if  he  had  made  anj 
public  or  private  inquest  against  you,  and  if  he  had  found  yoii 
guilty  of  any  crime.  As  he  felt  embarrassed  by  our  questions, 
we  told  him  that  it  was  in  our  public  character  as  deputies  of  the 
bishops  and  people  of  Canada  towards  you,  that  we  were 
putting  to  him  those  questions.  That  it  was  necessary  for  us  tc 
know  all  about  your  public  and  private  character,  when  we 
were  coming  to  press  you  to  reconcile  yourself  to  youi 
bishop. 

*♦  He  answered  that  he  had  never  made  any  mquest  about 
you,  though  you  had  requested  him,  several  times,  to  do 
it,  tor  the  simple  reason  that  he  was  persuaded  that  you  were 
one  of  bis  best  priests.  Your  only  defect,  he  said,  was  a  spirit 
of  stubbornness,  and  want  of  respect  and  obedience  to  your 
superior,  and  your  meddling  with  his  dealings  with  his  dioces- 
ans, with  which  you  had  no  business.  He  told  us  also  that  yoi 
refused  to  go  to  Kahokia.  But  his  face  became  so  red,  and  hii 
tongue  was  so  strangely  lisping  when  he  said  that,  that  I  suspec- 
ted it  was  a  falsehood;  and  we  have  now,  before  our  eye? 
that  document,  signed  by  four  unimpeachable  witnesses,  that  i 
was  more  than  a  falsehood — it  was  a  He.  He  proffered  anothe 
lie  also,  we  see  it  now,  when  he  said  that  he  had  signed,  himself 
the  act  of  excommunication. 

"For,  surely,  this  is  not  his  handwriting.  Such  coiuUkI 
from  a  bishop  is  very  strange.  If  )'ou  would  appeal  to  the  PopJ 
and  go  to  Rome  with  such  documents  in  hand  against  tha 
bishop,  you  would  have  an  easy  victory  over  him.  For,  til 
canons  of  the  church  are  clear  and  unanimous  on  that  subjec 
A  bishop  who  pronounces  such  grave  sentences  against  a  priel 
and  makes  use  of  false  signatures  to  certify  his  sentences,  is  hir 
self  suspended  and  excommunicated,  ipso  facto^  for  a  whc 
year." 


Pipippiiiipi 


m 


m 


OF    ROME. 

Would  you  swear  it 

iture,  nor  that  of  his 
g  any  further,"  added 

2  talked  to  the  bishop, 
m  if  he  had  made  any 
if  he  had  found  you 
ssed  by  our  questions, 
icter  as  deputies  of  the 
i  you,  that  we  were 
vas  necessary  for  us  to 

3  character,  when  we 
cile    yourself    to  your 

lade  any  inquest  about 
several    times,  to   do 
rsuaded  that  you  were 
ct,  he  said,  was  a  spirit 
and  obedience  to  your 
palings  with  his  dioces- 
le  told  us  also  that  you 
e  became  so  red,  and  his 
said  that,  that  I  suspec 
now,  before  our  eyes, 
ichable  witnesses,  that  it 
He  proffered  another 
t  he  had  signed,  himself, 

Ivriting.       Such    conduct 
ould  appeal  to  the  Pope, 
ts   in    hand  against   that 
,,-y  over  him.     For,  the 
animous  on  that  subject, 
sentences  against  a  priest, 
•tif  y  his  sentences,  is  him- 
!pso  facto,  for   a  whole 


THE    BISHOP    IS    WRONG. 


743 


Mr.  Brassard  added:  «*  Cannot  we  confess  to  Chiniquy  tliat 
the  opinion  of  the  bishops  of  Canada  is,  that  Bishop  O'Rcgan  is 
a  perfect  rogue,  and  that  if  he  (Chiniquy)  would  submit,  at 
once,  under  protest,  to  those  unjust  sentences,  and  appeal  to  the 
Pope,  he  would  gain  his  cause,  and  soon  be  reinstated  by  a  pub- 
lic decree  of  his  holiness." 

Our  discussion  about  the  troubles  I  had  had ;  and  the  best 
way  to  put  an  end  to  them,  having  kept  us  up  till  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  without  being  able  to  come  to  any  satisfactory 
issue,  we  adjourned  to  the  next  day,  and,  went  to  take  some 
rest,  after  a  short  prayer. 

The  25th  of  November,  at  to  A.  M.,  after  breakfast  and  a 
snort  walk  in  our  public  square,  to  breathe  the  pure  air  and 
enjoy  the  fine  scenery  of  our  beautiful  hill  of  St.  Anne,  we  shut 
ourselves  up  in  my  study,  and  resumed  the  discussion  of  the  best 
plans  of  putting  an  end  to  the  existing  difficulties. 

To  show  them  my  sincere  desire  of  stopping  those  noisy 
and  scandalous  struggles  without  compromising  the  sacred  prin- 
ciples which  had  guided  me  from  the  beginning  of  our  troubles, 
I  consented  to  sacrifice  my  position  as  pastor  of  St.  Anne,  pro- 
vided Mr.  Brassard  would  be  installed  in  my  place.  It  was 
decided,  however,  that  I  should  remain  with  him,  as  his  vicar 
and  help,  in  the  management  of  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
affairs  of  the  colony.  The  promise  was  given  me  that  on  that 
condition,  the  bishop  would  withdraw  his  so-called  sentence, 
give  back  to  the  French  Canadians  of  Chicago  the  church  he 
had  taken  away  from  them,  put  a  French-speaking  priest  at  the 
head  of  the  congregation,  ana  forgive  and  forget  what  he 
might  consider  our  irregular  conduct  towards  him,  after  we 
should  have  signed  the  following  document: 

To  HIS  Lordship  O'Regan,  Bishop  of  Chicago. 

My  Lord: — As  my  actions  and  writing  in  opposition  to  your  orders, 
have,  since  a  few  months,  given  some  scandals,  and  caused  some  people  to 
think  that  I  would  rather  prefer  to  be  separated  from  our  holy  church,  than 
to  submit  to  your  authority,  I  hasten  to  express  the  regret  I  feel  for  such 
acts  and  writings.  And  to  show  to  the  world,  and  to  you,  my  bishop,  my 
firm  desire  to  live  and  die  a  Cathoi  ic,  I  hasten  to  write  to  your  lordship  that 
I  submit  to  your  sentence,  and  that  I   promise,   hereafter,   to  exercise  the 


Pi 


ii 


liilplp 


744 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


holjr  ministry  only  witli  ycur  permission.  In  consequence,  I  respectfully 
request  your  lordship  to  withdraw  the  censures  and  interdicts  you  have  pro- 
nounced against  me  and  those  who  have  had  any  spiritual  communication 
with  me.    I  am,  my  lord,  your  devoted  son  in  Christ. 

C.  CHINIQUY. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  when  I  consented  to  sign  this 
document,  which  was  to  be  handed  to  the  bishop  and  have  any 
value,  only  on  the  above  conditions.  The  two  deputies  were 
Reside  themselves  with  joy,  at  the  success  of  their  mission,  and 
at  my  readiness  to  sacrifice  myself  for  the  sake  of  peace,  Mons. 
Desaulnier  said : 

"  Now  we  see,  evidently,  that  Chiniquy  has  been  right  with 
his  people  from  the  beginning,  that  he  never  meant  to  create  a 
schism  and  to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  rebellious  party,  to 
defy  the  authority  of  the  church.  If  the  bishop  does  not  want 
to  live  in  peace  with  the  people  and  pastor  of  St.  Anne,  after 
such  a  sacrifice,  we  will  tell  him  that  it  is  not  Chiniquy,  but 
Bishop  O'Regan,  who  wants  a  schism — ^we  will  appeal  to  the 
Pope — I  will  go  with  Chiniquy,  and  we  will  easily  get,  there, 
the  removal  of  that  bishop  from  the  diocese  of  Chicago." 

Mr.  Brassard  confirmed  that  sentence  and  added  that  he,  also, 
would  accompany  me  to  Rome  to  be  the  witness  of  my  inno- 
cence, and  the  bad  conduct  of  the  bishop.  He  added  that  it 
would  not  take  him  a  week  to  raise  twice  the  amount  of  money 
in  Montreal,  we  would  require,  to  go  to  Rome. 

After  thanking  them  for  what  they  had  done  and  said,  I  asked 
Mr.  Desaulnier  if  he  would  be  brave  enough  to  repeat  before 
my  whole  people  what  he  had  just  said  before  me  and  Mr. 
Brassard,  in  the  presence  of  God. 

"  Surely,  I  would  be  most  happy  to  repeat  before  your 
whole  people,  that  it  is  impossible  to  find  fault  with  you  in  what 
you  have  done  till  now.  But,  you  know  verywell,  I  will  uevei 
have  such  an  opportunity,  for  it  is  now  1 1  o'clock  at  night,  youi 
people  are  soundly  sleeping,  and  I  must  start  to-morrow  morn' 
ing,  at  six  o'clock,  to  take  the  Chicago  train  at  Kankakee  al 
8  A.  M. 

I  answered:  "  All  right!  " 


OF    ROME. 


THE    BISHOP    IS    VVRONG. 


745 


to  repeat  before  your 
fault  with  you  in  what 
very-well,  I  will  never 
I  o'clock  at  night,  your 
start  to-morrow  morn- 

5  train  at  Kankakee  at 


We  knelt  together  to  make  a  snort  prayer,  and  I  led  them 
to  their  rooms,  wishing  them  refreshing  sleep,  after  the  hard 
work  of  the  day. 

Ten  minutes  later,  I  was  in  the  village,  knocking  at  the  door 
of  six  of  my  most  respectable  parishioners,  and  telling  them : 

"Please,  do  not  lose  a  moment,  go  with  your  fastest  horse 
to  such  and  such  a  part  of  the  colony;  knock  at  every  door  and 
tell  the  people  to  be  at  the  church  at  5  o'clock,  in  the  morning 
to  hear  with  their  own  ears,  what  the  deputies  from  Canada 
have  to  say  about  past  struggles  with  the  Bishop  of  Chicago.  Tell 
them  to  be  punctual  at  5  o'clock  in  their  pews,  where  the  depu- 
ties will  address  them  words  which  they  must  hear  at  any  cost." 

A  little  before  five,  the  next  morning,  Mr.  Desaulnier,  full 
of  surprise  and  anxiety,  knocked  at  my  door  and  said : 

"  Chiniquy,  do  you  not  hear  the  strange  noise  of  buggies 
and  carriages  which  seem  to  be  coming  from  every  quarter  of 
the  globe.  What  does  it  mean?  Has  your  people  become  crazy 
to  come  to  church  at  this  dark  hour,  so  long  before  the  dawn  of 
day?" 

"What I  what!"  I  answered,  "I  was  sleeping  so  soundly 
that  I  have  heard  nothing  yet.  What  do  you  mean  by  this 
noise  of  carriages  and  buggies  around  the  chapel?  Are  you 
dreaming?  " 

"  No,  I  am  not  dreaming,"  he  answered,  "  not  only  do  I  hear 
the  noise  of  a  great  many  carriages,  wagons  and  buggies ;  but, 
though  it  is  pretty  dark,  I  see  several  hundred  of  them  around 
the  chapel.  I  hear  the  voices  of  a  great  multitude  of  men, 
women,  and  even  children,  putting  questions  to  each  other,  and 
giving  answers  which  I  cannot  understand.  They  make  such 
a  noise  bv  their  laughing  and  jokes!  Can  you  tell  me  what 
this  means?     I  have  never  been  so  puzzled  in  my  life." 

1  answered  him :  "  Do  you  not  see  that  you  are  dreaming. 
Let  me  dress  myself  that  1  may  go  arid  see  something  of  that 
strange  and  awful  dream !  " 

Mr.  Brassard,  though  a  little  more  calm  than  Desaulnier, 
was  not,  himself,  without  some  anxiety  at  the  strange  noise  of 
that  multitude  of  carriages,  horses  and  people  around  my  house 


s  pviiifpiiviifjipiifppnppfpiipiiii^^ 


746 


FIFTV    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


and  chapel,  at  such  an  hour.  Knocking  at  my  door,  he  said: 
"Please,  Chiniquy,  explain  that  strange  mystery.  Do  that  people 
come  to  play  us  some'  bad  trick,  and  punish  us  for  our  intruding 
in  their  affairs?" 

"  Be  quiet,"  I  answered,  "  my  dear  friends.  You  have  noth- 
ing to  fear  from  that  good  and  intelligent  people.  Do  you  not 
remember  that,  last  night,  a  few  minutes  before  1 1  o'clock,  Des- 
aulnier  said  that  he  would  be  honest  and  brave  enough  to  repeat 
before  my  whole  people  what  he  had  said  before  you  and  me, 
and  in  the  presence  of  God.  I  suppose  that  some  of  the  angels 
of  heaven  have  heard  those  words,  and  have  carried  them,  this 
night,  to  every  family,  inviting  them  to  be  here  at  the  chapel, 
that  they  might  hear  from  your  own  lips,  what  you  think  of  the 
grand  and  glorious  battle  they  are  fighting  in  this  distant  land, 
for  the  principles  of  truth  and  justice,  as  the  gospel  secures  them 
to  every  disciple  of  Christ." 

"  Well !  well ! "  said  Desaulnier,  "  there  is  only  one  Chiniquy 
in  the  world  to  take  me  in  such  a  trap,  and  there  is  only  one 
people  under  heaven  to  do  what  this  people  is  doing  here.  I 
would  never  have  given  you  that  answer,  had  I  not  been  mor- 
ally sure  that  I  would  never  h.tve  had  the  opportunity  to  fulfill 
it.  VVho  would  think  you  would  play  me  such  a  trick  ?  But," 
he  added,  "though  I  know  that  this  will  terribly  compromise 
me  before  certain  parties,  it  is  too  late  to  retract,  and  I  will  fulfill 
my  promise." 

It  is  impossible  to  express  my  own  joy  and  the  joy  of  that 
noble  people  when  they  heard,  from  the  very  lips  of  those  depu- 
ties that,  after  spending  a  whole  day  and  two  nights  in  examining 
all  that  had  been  done  by  their  pastor  and  by  them  inthatsolemn 
and  fearful  contest,  they  declared  that  they  had  not  broken  any 
law  of  God,  nor  of  his  holy  church;  and  that  they  had  kept 
themselves  in  the  very  way  prescribed  by  the  canons. 

Tears  of  Joy  were  rolling  down  eveiy  cheek  when  they 
heard  Mr.  Desaulnier  telling  them,  which  Mr.  Brassard  confirm- 
ed after,  that  the  bishop  had  no  possible  right  to  interdict  their 
pastor,  since  he  had  told  them  that  he  was  one  of  his  best 
priests;  and  that  they  liad  done  well  not  to  pay  any  attention  to 


« 


ROME. 

my  door,  he  said: 
;ry.  Do  that  people 
i  for  our  intruding 

s.  You  havenoth- 
ople.  Do  you  not 
ore  1 1  o'clock,  Des- 
•e  enough  to  repeat 
.fore   you  and   me, 

some  of  the  angels 
;  carried  them,  this 
iiere  at  the  chapel, 
hat  you  think  of  the 
r  in  this  distant  land, 

gospel  secures  them 

is  only  one  Chiniquy 
d  there  is  only  one 
le  is  doing  here.  I 
lad  I  not  been  mor- 
kpportunity  to  fulfill 
;  such  a  trick?  But," 
terribly  compromise 
tract,  and  I  will  fulfill 

and  the  joy  of  that 

ry  lips  of  those  depu- 

o  nights  in  examining 

»y  them  in  that  solemn 

had  not  broken  any 

that  they  had  kept 
he  canons. 

cheek   when   they 

.,'.  Brassard  confirm- 

ht  to  interdict  their 
as   one   of  his  best 

pay  any  attention  to 


THE    BISHOP    IS    WRONG. 


747 


an  act  of  excommunication  which  was  a  sham  and  sacrilesrious 
comedy,  not  having  been  signed,  nor  certified  by  any  known 
person.     Both  deputies  said: 

"  Mr.  Brassard  will  be  your  pastor,  and  Mr.  Chiniquy,  as  his 
vicar,  will  remain  in  your  midst.  He  has  signed  an  act  of  sub- 
mission, which  we  have  found  sufficient,  on  the  condition  that 
the  bishop  will  let  you  live  in  peace,  and  withdraw  the  sentence 
he  says  he  has  fulminated  against  you.  If  he  dots  not  accept 
those  conditions  we  will  tell  him,  it  is  not  Mr.  Chiniquy,  but 
you,  who  wants  a  schism,  and  we  will  go  with  Mr.  Chiniquy  to 
Rome,  to  plead  his  cause  and  prove  his  innocence  before  his 
holiness." 

After  this,  we  all  knelt  to  thank  and  bless  God :  and  never 
people  went  back  to  their  homes  with  more  cheerful  hearts  than 
the  pebple  of  St.  Anne  on  that  morning  of  the  25th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1856. 

At  six  o'clock  A.  M.,  Mr.  Desaulnier  was  on  his  way  back 
to  Chicago,  to  present  my  conditional  act  of  submission  to  the 
bishop,  and  press  him,  in  the  name  of  the  Bishop  of  Canadn,  and 
in  the  name  of  all  the  most  sacred  interests  of  the  church,  to 
accept  the  sacrifice  and  the  submission  of  the  people  of  St. 
Anne,  and  to  give  them  the  peace  they  wanted  and  were  pur- 
chasing at  such  a  price.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard  had  remained 
with  me,  waiting  for  a  letter  from  the  bishop  to  accompany  me 
and  put  the  last  seal  to  our  reconciliation. 

The  next  day   he   received  the   following   note   from  Mr. 

Desaulnier: 

Bishopric  of  Chicago,  Nov.  26th,  1856. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard,  Monsieur: — 

It  is  advisable  and  indispensable  that  you  should  come  here,  with  Mr. 
Chiniquy,  as  soon  as  possible.  In  consequence,  I  expect  j'ou  both  day 
after  to-morrow,  in  order  to  settle  that  matter  definitely. 

Respectfully  yours,  ISAAC  DESAULNIER. 

After  reading  that  letter  with  Mr.  Brassard,  I  said : 

«'  Do  you  not  feel  that  these  cold  words  mean  nothing  good? 

I  regret  that  you  have  not  gone  with  Desaulnier  to  the  bishop. 

You  know  the  levity  and  weakness  of  his   character,  always 


wmmimismmm 


748 


FIKTY    YEAKS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


bold  with  his  words,  but  soft  as  wax  at  the  least  pressure  which 
he  feels.  My  fear  is  that  the  bulldog  tenacity  of  my  lord 
O'Regan  has  frightened  him,  and  all  his  courage  and  bravados 
have  melted  away  before  the  fierce  temper  of  the  Bishop  of 
Chicago.  But  let  u«  go.  Be  sure,  however,  my  dear  Mr. 
Brassard,  that  if  the  bishop  does  not  accept  you  to  remain  at 
the  head  of  this  colony,  to  protect  and  guide  it,  no  consideration 
whatever  will  induce  me  to  betray  my  people  and  let  them 
become  the  prey  of  the  wolves  'which  want  to  devour 
them." 

We  arrived  at  the  Illinois  Central  depot  of  Chicago,  the  2Sth, 
at  about  10  A.  M.  Mr.  Desaulnier  was  there,  waiting  for  us. 
He  was  as  pale  as  a  dead  man.  The  marks  of  Cain  and  Judas 
were  on  his  face.  Having  taken  him  at  a  short  distance  from 
the  crowd,  1  asked  him :  , 

"What  news?" 

He  answered :  "  The  news  is,  that  you  and  Mr.  Brassard 
have  nothing  to  do  but  to  take'your  bags  and  go  away  from  St. 
Anne,  to  Canada.  The  bishop  is  unwilling  to  make  any  ar- 
rangements with  you.  He  wants  me  to  be  the  pastor  of  St. 
Anne,  pro  tempore,  and  he  wants  you  with  Mr.  Brassard,  to 
go  back  quietly  to  Canada,  and  tell  the  bishops  to  mind  their 
'  own  business." 

"  And  what  has  become  of  the  promise  you  have  given  me 
and  to  my  people,  to  go  with  me  and  Mr.  Brassard  to  Rome,  if 
the  bishop  refused  the  proposed  arrangements  you  had  fixed 
yourselves?" 

"Tat I  tat!  tat!"  answered  he,  "The  bishop  does  not  care  a 
straw  about  your  going,  or  not  going  to  Rome.  He  has  put  me 
as  his  grand  vicar  at  the  head  of  the  colony  of  St.  Aryie,  from 
which  you  must  go  in  the  shortest  time  possible." 

"  Now,  Desaulnier,"  I  answered, "  you  are  a  traitor,  and  a 
Judas,  and  if  you  want  to  have  the  pay  of  Judas,  I  advise  you 
to  go  to  St.  Anne.  There,  you  will  receive  what  you  deserve. 
The  beauty  and  importance  of  that  great  colony  have  tempted 
you,  and  you  have  sold  me  to  the  bishop,  in  order  to  become  a 
grand  vicar  and  eat  the  fruits  of  the  vine  I   have    planted  there. 


OF    HOME. 


THE    BTSHOP    IS    WRONG. 


749 


least  pressure  which 
enacity  of  my  lord 
lurage  and  bravados 
;r  of  the  Bishop  of 
ever,  my  dear  Mr. 
:ept  you  to  remain  at 
!  it,  no  consideration 
people  and  let  them 
h    want    to    devour 

of  Chicago,  the  28th, 

there,  waiting  for  us. 

cs  of  Cain  and  Judas 

short  distance  from 


>u  and  Mr.  Brassard 
and  go  away  from  St. 
ing  to  make  any  ar- 
o  be  the  pastor  of  St. 
irith  Mr.  Brassard,  to 
Lishops  to  mind  their 

»  you  have  given  me 
Brassard  to  Rome,  if 
;ments  you  had  fixed 

ishop  does  not  care  a 
ome.     He  has  put  me 
ly  of  St.  Anne,  from 
issible." 

are  a  traitor,  and  a 

f  Judas,  I  advise  you 

live  what  you  deserve. 

colony  have  tempted 

in  order  to  become  a 

[   have    planted  there. 


But,  you  will  soon  see  your  mistake.  If  you  have  any  pity  for 
yourself,  I  advise  you  never  to  put  your  feet  into  that  place  any 
more." 

Desaulnier answered:  "The  bishop  will  not  make  any  ar- 
rangements  with  you  unless  you  retract  publicly  what  you 
have  written  against  him,  on  account  of  his  taking  possession  of 
the  church  of  the  French  Canadians  of  Chicago,  and  you  must 
publish,  in  the  press,  that  lie  was  right  and  honest  in  what  he 
did  in  that  circumstance." 

«  My.  dear  Mr.  Brassard,"!  said, "can  I  make  such  a  declar- 
ation  conscientiously  and  honorably?"  That  venerable  man 
answered  me: 

"  You  cannot  consent  to  do  such  a,thing." 

"  Desaulnier,"  I  said,  •«  do  you  hear?  Mr.  Brassard  and  your 
conscience,  if  you  have  any,  tell  you  the  same  thing.  If  you 
take  sides  against  me  with  a  man  whom  you  have  yourself  de- 
clared, yesterday,  to  be  a  sacrilegious  thief,  you  are  not  better  than 
he  is.     Go  and  work  with  him. 

, "  As  for  me,  I  go  back  into  the  midst  of  my  dear  and  noble 
people  of  St.  Anne." 

"  What  will  you  do  there,"  answered  Mr.  Desaulnier,"  when 
the  bishop  has  forbidden  you  to  remain  ?" 

"What  will  I  do?"  I  answered,  "  I  will  teach  those  true  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus  Christ  to  despise  and  shun  the  tyrants  and  the 
traitors,  even  though  wearing  a  mitre  or  a  square  bonnet,  (un 
bonnet  quarre),  Go,  traitor!  and  finish  your  Judas  work! 
Adieu!" 

I  then  threw  myself  into  the  arms  of  Mr.  Brassard,  who  was 
almost  speechless,  suffocated  in  his  sobs  and  tears.  I  pressed 
him  to  my  heart  and  said: 

«  Adieu!  my  dear  Mr.  Brassard.  Go  back  to  Canada  and  tell 
my  friends,  how  the  cowardice  and  ambition  of  that  traitor 
has  ruined  the  hope  we  had  of  putting  an  end  to  this  deplora- 
ble state  of  affairs.  I  go  back  among  my  brethren  of  St. 
Anne,  with  more  determination  than  ever  to  protect  them 
against  the  tyranny  and  impiety  of  our  despotic  rulers.  It  will 
be  more  easy  than  ever  to  show  them  that  the  Son  of  God  has 


.jk* 


^r 


^<^ 


■^'^?^l 


750 


FIFTY    YEARS    IV    THE    CHUttCH    OK     ROME. 


not  redeemud  us,  on  the  cross,  that  we  might  be  the  slaves  of 
those  heartless  traders  in  souls. 

"  I  will  more  earnestly  than  ever,  teach  my  people  to  shun 
the  modern  gospel  of  the  bishops,  in  order  to  follow  the  old 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  only  hope  and  life  of  our  poor 
fallen  humanity." 

Mr.  Brassard  wanted  to  say  something;  but  his  voice  was 
suffocated  by  his  sobs.  The  only  words  he  could  utter,  when 
pressing  me  to  his  heart,  were:  **Adieu,  dear  friend,  ad ieutT 


Chapter  LXIII. 


KR.  DBBATTLNIBB  IS  NAHBD  YIOAB  OEMEBAL  OF  OHIOAOO 
TO  0BV8H  T7S-OT7B  PEOFLS  MORE  UKITED  THAN  EVER  TO 
D^FEin)  THEIR  RZQHTS-LETTERS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  OF 
OHIOAGO  TO  THE  BISHOPS  AND  TO  THE  POPE-LETTERS  OF 
THE  BISHOPS  OF  MONTREAL  AGAINST  XE,  AND  KT  ANS- 
WER-MR. BRASSARD  FORCED,  AGAINST  HIS  OONSCIENGE, 
TO  CONDEMN  T7S-MT  ANSWER  TO  MR.  BRASSARD-HE 
WRITES  TO  BEG  MT  PARDON. 


IT  was  evident  that  the  betrayal  of  Mr.  Desaulnier  would  be 
followed  by  new  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  bishop  to  crush 
us.  Two  newpriests  were  sent  from  Canada,  Mr.  Mailloux, 
vicar  general,  and  Mr.  Campo  to  strengthen  his  hands,  and  press 
the  people  to  submit.  Mr.  Brassard  wrote  me  from  Canada 
in  December: 

"  All  the  bishops  are  preparing  to  hurl  their  thunders  against 
you,  and  your  people,  on  account  of  your  heroic  resistance  to  the 
tyranny  of  the  Bishop  of  Chicago. 

"I  have  told  them  the  truth,  but  they  don't  want  to  know 
it.  My  lord  Bourget  told  me  positively,  that  you  must  be  forced, 
at  any  cost,  to  yield  to  the  authority  of  your  bishop ;  and  he  has 
threatened  to  excommunicate  me,  if  I  tell  the  people  what  I 
know  of  the  shameful  conduct  of  Desaulnier.  If  I  were  a'one 
I  would  not  mind  his  excommunication,  and  would  speak  the 
truth,  but  such  a  sentence  against  me  would  kill  my  poor  old 
mother.  I  hope  you  will  not  find  fault  with  me,  if  I  remain 
absolutely  mute.  I  pray  you  to  consider  this  letter  confidential. 
You  know  very  well  the  trouble  you  would  put  me  into,  by  its 
publication." 

The  French  Canadians  of  Chicago  saw,  at  once,  that  their 
bishop,  strengthened  by  the  support  of  Desaulnier,  would    be 

75' 


p.ji,  tmmmiwmm^mmmm     mmwmm 


75a 


FIFTY    YEAK8    IN    THE    CHUUCH    OV    HOME 


more  than  ever,  obstinate  in  his  determination  to  crush  them. 
They  thought  that  the  best  way  to  force  him  tn  do  them  justice, 
was  to  publish  a  manifesto  of  their  grievances  against  him,  and 
make  a  public  appeal  to  all  the  Bishops  of  the  United  States  and 
even  to  the  Pope. 

On  the  22nd  of  January,  1857,  ^^^  Chicago  Tribuni  was 
requested  by  them  to  publish  the  following  document: 

At  a  public  meeting  of  the  French  and  Canadian  Catholics  of  Chicago 
held  in  the  hall  of  Mr.  Bodicar,  on  the  22nd  of  January,  1857.  Mr.  Roiinot, 
being  called  to  preside,  and  Mr,  Franchere,*  acting  as  a  secretary,  the  follow- 
ing addresses  and  resolutions,  being  read,  have  been  unanimously  approved: 

"  Editors  of  the  Tribune: — Will  you  allow  a  thousand  voices  from 
the  dead  to  speak  to  the  public,  through  your  valuable  paper. 

"  Everybody  in  Chicago  knows,  that,  a  few  years  ago,  there  was  a  flour- 
ishing congregation  of  French  people  coming  from  France  and  Canada  in 
this  city.  They  had  their  priest,  their  church,  their  religious  meeting.  All 
that  is  now  dispersed  and  destroyed .  The  present  Bishop  of  Chicago  has 
breathed  his  deadly  breath  upon  us.  Instead  of  coming  to  us  as  a  father 
he  came  as  a  savage  enemy :  instead  of  helping  us  as  a  friend,  he  has  put  us 
down  as  a  revengeful  foe.  He  has  done  the  very  contrary  to  which  was 
commanded  him  by  the  gospel.  '  The  bruised  reed  he  shall  not  break,  and 
the  smoking  flash  he  shall  not  extinguish.'  Instead  of  guiding  us  with  the 
cross  of  the  meek  Jesus,  he  has  ruled  over  us  with  an  iron  rod. 

"  Every  Sunday,  the  warm-hearted  and  generous  Irish  goes  to  his 
church  to  hear  the  voice  of  his  priest,  in  his  English  language.  The  intelli- 
gent Germans  have  their  pastors  to  address  them  in  their  mother  tongue. 

"  The  French  people  are  the  only  ones  now  who  have  no  priest  and  no 
church.  They  are  the  only  ones  whose  beautiful  language  is  prohibited, 
and  which  is  not  heard  from  any  pulpit  in  Chicago.  And  is  it  from  lack  of 
zeal  and  liberality?  Ah!  no,  we  take  the  whole  city  of  Chicago  as  a  wit- 
ness of  what  we  have  done.  There  was  not  in  Chicago  a  better-looking 
little  church  than  the  French  Canadian  Church  called  St.  Louis.  But, 
alas!  we  have  been  turned  out  of  it  by  our  very  bishop.  As  he  is  now 
publishing  many  stories  to  contradict  that  fact,  we  owe  to  ourselves  and  to 
our  children  to  raise  from  the  tomb,  where  Bishop  O'Regan  has  buried  us, 
a  voice  to  tell  the  truth. 

"  As  soon  as  Bishop  O'Regan  came  to  Chicago,  he  was  told  that  the 
French  priest  was  too  popular,  that  his  church  was  attended  not  only  by  his 
French  Canadian  people,  but  that  many  Irish  and  Germans  were  going 
daily  to  him,  for  their  religious  duties.  It  was  whispered  in  the  ears  of  his 
Rt.  Reverence  that,  on  account  of  this,  many  dollars  and  cents  were  going 


*  These  two  ^entlfinvn  uru  .still  living  in  Chicago,  1885. 


'"'■•'■■■^pppppw 


DESAULNIEK    NAMED    VICAR    GENERAL. 


753 


go,  he  was  told  that  the 
attended  not  only  by  hia 

d  Germans  were  going 
ispered  in  the  ears  of  his 
ars  and  cents  were  going 


to  the  French   priest,  which  would  be  better  stored  in  his  Rt.  Reveren* 
ce's  purse. 

"  Till  that  time,  the  bishop  was  not,  in  appearance,  taking  much  trouble 
about  us.    But  as  soon  as  he  saw  that  there  were  dollars  and  cents  at  stake, 
we  had  the  honor  to  occupy  his  thoughts  day  and   night.     Here  are  the 
facts,  the  undeniable  public  facts .       He  (the  bishop)  began  by  sending  for 
our  priest,  and  telling  him  that  he  had  to  prepare  himself  to  be  removed 
from  Chicago  to  some  other  place.  As  soon  as  we  knew  thatdetermin.'ition,a 
deputation  was  sent  to  his  Rt.  Reverence,  to  get  the  promise  that  we  would 
get  another  French  priest,  and  we  received  from  him  the  assurance  that  our 
just  request  would  be  granted .  But  the  next  Sunday,  an  Irish  priest,  having 
been  sent  to  officiate,  instead  of  a  French  one,  we  sent  a  deputation  to  ask 
him  where  the  French  priest  was  that  he  had  promised   us?  He  answered: 
■That  we  ought  to  take  any  priest  we  could  get,  and  be  satisfied.'    This 
sliort  and  sharp  answer  raised  our  French  blood,  nd  we  began   speaking 
more  boldly  to  his  Reverence,  who  got  up  and  walkci!   through   the  room, 
in  a  rage,  saying  some  half  dozen   times:    'You  insult  me!'     But  seeing 
that  we  were  a  fearless  people,  and  determined  to  have  no  other  "•  icst  but 
one  whom   we  could  understand,  he,  at  last    ^  omised  us  atran,  a  French 
priest,  if  we  were  ready  to  pay  the  debt  of  our  chun  h  and  priest-house. 
Wc ''aid  we  would  pay  them,  but,  our  verbal  promise  u'as  nothing  to  his 
Ri.v;jrence.    He  immediately  ^vrote  an  agreement,  tliough  it  was  Sunday, 
and  we  signed  it.     But  to  attain,  sooner  or  later,  his  object,  he  imposed  upon 
that  unfortunate  priest,  a  condition   that  he  knew  no  Christian  could  obey. 
"This  condition  was  that  lie  should  not  receive,  in  his  church,  any  oni* 
but  the  French.    This  was  utterly  impossible,  as  many  Irish,  Germans  and 
American  Catholics  had  been  in  the  habit,  for  years  past,  of  coming  to  our 
church :  it  was  impossible  to  turn  them  out  at  once. 

"  We  did  everything  in  our  power  to  help  our  priest  in  the  matter,  by 
taking  all  the  seats  in  the  church  against  the  will  of  the  respectable  people 
of  the  different  nations  who  had  occupied  them  for  years.  Finding 
themselves  turned  out  of  the  church,  and  unable  to  conceive  the  reason  of 
so  gross  an  insult  from  a  fellow-Christian  people,  they  said  to  us:  *  Have  we 
not  paid  for  our  seats  in  your  church  till  this  day?  Double  the  rent  if  you 
like;  we  are  ready  to  pay  for  it;  but,  for  God's  sake,  permit  us  to  come  and 
pray  with  you  at  the  foot  of  the  same  altars. 

"  We  explained  to  them  the  tyrannical  orders  of  the  bishop,  and  they, 
too,  commenced  cursing  the  bishop  and  the  ship  that  brought  him  over. 

"  They  continued,  however,  to  come  to  our  church,  though  they  had 
no  seat.  They  attended  divine  service  in  the  aisles  of  the  church,  and  we 
did  not  like  to  disturb  them ;  but  our  feelings  were  too  Christian  for  the 
bishop.  He  kept  a  watch  over  our  priest,  and,  of  course,  found  out  that  he  was 
receiving  many  who  were  forbidden,  by  him,  to  attend  our  religious  meet* 
ings.  :      . 


754 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN    THE   CHUIICH   OF   ROME. 


■■•  The  bishop,  then,  thought  once  more  of  his  dear  French  priest:  so  h 
came  in  person  to  his  house,  and  asked  him  U.  he  had  kept  his  orders.  Th 
priest  answered,  that  it  was  quite  Impossible  *:o  obey  such  orders,  and  re 
main  a  Christian.  He  acknowledged  that,  in  many  instances,  he  hadbeei 
obliged,  by  the  laws  of  charity,  to  give  religious  help  to  some  whi 
were  not  French  people. 

" « Well  then,'  answered  the  bishop, '  from  this  very  moment;  I  silenc 
you,  and  I  forbid  you  the  functions  of  priest  in  my  diocese.' 

"  The  poor  trembling  priest,  thunderstruck,  could  not  say  a  word. 

"  He  went  to  some  friends  to  relate  what  had  just  happened  him ;  am 
he  was  advised  by  them  to  go  back  to  the  bishop  immediately  to  beg  th 
privilege  of  remaining  at  the  head  of  his  congregation  till  Lent  was  ovei 
The  bishop  said : 

"  *  I  will  consent  to  your  request,  if  you  pay  me  one  hundred  del 
lars.' 

"  *  I  will  give  you  the  sum  as  soon  as  I  can  collect  it,  and  will  give  yoi 
my  note  for  thirty  days,'  answered  the  priest. 

"  ■  I  want  the  money  cash  down,'  said  the  bishop ; '  go  to  some  of  you 
friends :  you  can  easily  collect  that  amount.' 

♦'  The  poor  priest  went  away  in  search  of  the  almighty  dollars ;  but  h 
could  not  find  them  as  soon  as  he  wished,  and  did  not  return  to  his  lordship 
that  day.  The  bishop  started  that  night  for  St.  Louis,  but  he  did  not  forge 
his  dear  French  people  in  his  long  journey.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  in  S 
Louiu,  he  wrote  to  his  grand  vicar.  Rev.  Mr.  Dunn,  that  the  French  priet 
pay  him  $ioo  or  remain  suspended. 

"  This  goodwill  of  the  bishop  for  our  spiritual  welfare,  and  his  patemj 
love  for  our  purses,  did  not  fail  to  strike  us.  Our  priest  made  a  new  effoj 
that  very  day ;  he  went  to  see  an  old  friend  who  had  been  absent  from'  tov 
for  some  time,  related  to  him  his  sad  position.  This  old  friend  (P. 
Rofinot)  seeing  that  he  could  redeem  a  priest  for  so  little  a  sum,  (for  tl 
priest  had  collected  part  of  it  himself)  immediately  proceeded  with  the  prif 
to  the  house  of  very  Reverend  Dunn,  with  the  money  in  hand,  to  satisf 
the  bishop. 

"  But  alas!  that  bargain  did  not  last  very  long;  for  as  soon  as  the  biBh| 
returned,  the  watch  that  he  had  left  behind  hini  performed  his  duty 
and  told  him  that  the  French  priest  was  going  on  as  before.    So  the  pd 
priest  had  to  go  again  to  the  bishop  to  explain  his  conduct.      But  this  til 
he    could    not  bear  the   idea  of   officiating    any    longer    under  such 
tyrant.     He  left  us  to  fight  the  hardest  battles  ourselves,   against 
bishop. 

"  As  the  church  and  the  house  of  our  priest  were  on  leased  groud 
the  lease  had  to  be  renewed  or  the  buildings  removed.    We  went  to  [ 
bishop,  who  advised  us  to  buy  a  lot  and  remove  the  church  on  it, 
sell  the  house  to  help  pay  for  the  lot.     Suspecting  nothing  wrong  in 


DBSAULNIER    NAMED   VICAR    GENERAL. 


755 


.hop/goto  some  oi  your 


tual  welfare,  and  his  paternal 
Our  priest  made  a  nevr  effort 
oVbeenab«.nt  from  town 

,n.  This  old  friend  (P-  F. 
Tt  for  so  little  a  sum,  Ctor  the 
.ely  proceeded  with  thepries 
rnoney  in  hand,  to  satisfy 

bng;  for  as  soon  as  the  bishop 
C  performed  his  duty  well 
^Lfas  before.  So  the  poor 
^irconduct.  But  this  thne 
.  any  longer  under  such 
attles  ourselves,   against  the 

Lest  were  on  leased  grounds, 
I  J!X«i  We  went  to  the 
Is  removed,     w  , 

^ove  the  church  on    t   ^^ 
ectlng  nothing  wrong  In  tht 


advice,  we  followed  it.  We  bargained  for  a  lot,  agreed  to  sell  the  house  and  ' 
went  to  report  our  progress.  ^ 

"  But  we  were  going  too  fast.  The  bishop  must  stop  us,  or  he  would 
be  frustrated  in  his  calculations,  for  he  had  a  lot  himself,  to  put  the  church 
on,  he  opposed  our  removing  our  church,  by  telling  us  that  there  was 
another  lot  adjoining  the  one  we  had  bargained  for;  and  that  we  must  buy 
it  also.  We  went  immediately  and  bought  the  lot  on  ninety  days  time. 
But  he  objected  to  this  again,  saying  that  he  would  not  allow  us  to  touch 
the  church,  unless  we  had  the  whole  lot  paid  for,  and  put  the  deed  in  his 
hands,  >nd  that  the  deed  should  be  made  to  himself  personally. 

.  "  This  had  the  effect  desired  by  the  bishop.  We  had  collected  all  the 
money  that  could  be  collected  then,  in  our  small  congregation ;  it  was  im- 
possible for  us  to  do  any  more,  so  we  concluded  to  give  up  the 
battle.  The  bishop  then,  went  on,  took  the  money  we  had  sold  the  house 
for  ($ 1, 200).  A  Catholic  lady,  whose  husband  had  bought  the  house,  had 
subscribed  one  hundred  dollars  for  removing  the  church,  providing  the 
bishop  would  promise  that  it  would  remain  in  tKe  hands  of  the  French,  and 
attended  by  a  French  priest.  The  bishop  proffered  again  to  that  lady  the 
lie,  which  he  so  often  uttered  to  us,  everywhere,  even  from  the  altar,  that 
upon  his  word  of  bishop,  it  should  remain  a  French  Church,  and  that  they 
should  have  a  French  priest.  (This  we  shall  call  He  number  one.)  He 
then  moved  the  church  to  another  lot  of  his  own,  sent  an  Irish  priest  to 
oflSciate  in  it,  put  the  money  in  his  pocket,  and  made  the  congregation 
which  is  now  Irish,  pay  for  the  lot,  the  moving  and  repairing  of  the  church, 
and  he  takes  quarterly  the  re\  'snues  which  are  no  less  than  $2,000  a 
year. 

"  This  is  the  way  we  have  been  swindled  out  of  our  church,  of  the 
house  of  our  priest,  and  of  our  all,  by  the  tyrant,  Bishop  O'Regan :  and 
when  a  French  priest  visits  our  city,  he  forbids  him  to  address  us  in  our 
mother  tongue.  This  is  the  way  we,  French  Catholics,  as  a  society,  have 
been  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  the  living! 

"And  when  Rev.  Father  Chiniquy  has  publicly  accused  Bishop 
O'Regan  to  have  deprived  us  most  unjustly  of  our  church,  he  has  proffered 
a  truth  which  has  as  many  witnesses  as  there  are  Catholics  and  Protestants 
in  Chicago. 

"  We  know  well  that  Bishop  O'Regan  is  proclaiming  that  he  has  not 
deprived  us  of  our  church,  that  if  it  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Irish,  it  is  because 
the  Irish  and  not  the  French  built  it.  'This  is  lie  number  two,  which  can 
be  proven  by  more  than  a  thousand  witnesses.' 

"  We  would  like  to  know  if  he  has  forgotten  the  agreement  (mentioned 
above)  which  he  made  us  sign  in  bargaining  for  a  French  priest.  He  has 
the  receipts  for  every  cent  that  was  due  up  to  the  time  he  took  possession 
of  our  church.  He  then  proffered  these  words  to  the  French  gentlemen 
who  brought  him  the  receipts :  '  It  takes  the  French  to  collect  money  quick 
these  hard  times,'  (beipg  in  the  winter). 


,*&iSiiitS/(«ii^W--  ■  ^■'i*^ 


756 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


"  We  must  also  add  that  we,  French  people,  have  paid  for  the  vei 
vestments  that  the  bishop  uses  in  his  Cathedral,  which  he  has  taken  fro 
our  church.  But  he  uses  them  only  on  some  high  feasts,  thinking  tc 
much  of  stolen  property,  to  use  them  on  a  common  day. 

"  Will  it  be  out  of  place,  here,  to  say  that  the  Cathedral  of  Chica{ 
was  built  by  the  French,  and  that  the  lot  which  it  is  built  on  was  given  by 
Frenchman?  It  is  very  reluctantly  that  we  expose  all  these  facts  before  tl 
eyes  of  the  public;  but  having  waited  patiently,  during  two  long  years,  ar 
having  used  all  the  influence  we  could  command  in  France  and  Canada, 
no  purpose,  we  must  resort  to  the  sympathy  of  the  public  for  justice,  throug 
the  free  press  of  the  United  States. 

"Resolutions. 

''Resolved,  ist.  That  the  Right  Rev.  O'Regan,  Bishop  of  Chicagi 
has  entirely  lost  the  confidence  of  the  French  and  Canadian  population  < 
Chicago  since  he  has  taken  away  from  us  our  church. 

"  Resolved,  2nd.  That  the  Right  Rev.  O'Regan  has  published  a  bai 
slander  against  the  French  and  Canadian  population  of  Chicago,  when  1 
said  he  took  our  church  from  our  hands  on  the  pretence  t^at  we  could  m 
pay  for  it. 

''Resolved,  3rd.  That  the  Right  Rev.  O'Regan,  having  said  to  01 
deputies,  who  went  to  inquire  from  him  by  what  right  he  was  taking  01 
church  from  us  to  give  it  to  another  congregation :  '  I  have  the  right  I 
do  what  I  like  with  your  church,  and  your  church  properties;  I  canst 
them  and  put  the  money  in  my  pocket,  and  go  where  I  please  with  it,'  h 
assumed  a  power  too  tyrannical  to  be  obeyed  by  a  Christian  and  a  fr 
people. 

"  Resolved,  4th.    That  the  nature  of  the  different  suits  which  the  Rig 
Rev.  O'Regan  has  had  before  the  civil  courts  of  this  state,  and  which 
has  almost  Invariably  lost,  have  proved  to  the  whole  people  of  Illinois  til 
he  is  quite  unworthy  of  the  position  he  holds  in  the  Catholic  Church. 

"Resolved,  5th.  That  the  Right  Rev.  O'Regan  is  here  publicly  accuf 
of  being  guilty  of  simony  for  having  extorted  $100  from  a  priest  to  give  I 
permission  to  officiate  and  administer  the  sacraments  among  us. 

'•  Resolved,  6th.  That  the  Right  ReV.  O'Regan,  in  forbidding  the  III 
and  German  Catholics  to  communicate  with  the  French  Catholic  CliuJ 
and  allowing  the  French  and  Canadians  to  communicate  with  the  Irish  I 
German  Churches,  has  acted  with  a  view  to  deprive'the  French  Churcl 
religious  fees  and  other  donations,  which  acts  we  consider  unjust  and  agaT 
the  spirit  of  the  church,  and  more  resembling  a  mercantile  transaction  t 
a  Christian  work. 

"  Resolved,  7th.  That  the  French  and  Canadian  people  of  Illinois  I 
•een  with  feelings  of  grief  and  surprise  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Desaulnierl 
made  nimself  the  humble  valet  of  the  merciless  and  shameless  per8ec| 
of  his  countrymen. 


DESAULNIBR    NAMED    VICAR     GENERAL. 


757 


''Resolved^  8th.  That  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chiniquj,  pastor  of  St.  Anne,  de- 
serves the  g^titude  of  every  Catholic  of  Illinois,  for  having,  the  first,  put  a 
stop  to  the  rapacious  tjrann y  of  the  bishop  of  Chicago. 

«•  Resolved,  9th.  That  the  French  Catholics  of  Chicago  are  determined 
to  give  all  support  in  their  power  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chiniquy,  in  his  struggle 
against  the  bishop  of  Chicago. 

*^  Resolved,  loth.  That  a  printed  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent  to  every 
bishop  and  archbishops  of  the  United  States  and  Canadas,  that  they  may 
see  the  necessity  of  giving  to  the  church  of  Illinois  a  bishop  more  worthy  of 
that  high  position. 

"  Resolved,  nth.  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  sent  to  His  Holi« 
ness  Pius  IX.,  that  he  may  be  incited  to  make  inquiries  about  the  humili- 
ated position  of  the  church  in  Illinois,  since  the  present  bishop  is  among  us. 

*'  Resolved,  1 2th .  That  the  independence  and  liberty,  loving  press  of  the 
United  States  be  requested  to  publish  the  above  address  and  resolutions  all 
over  the  country. 

"P.  F  ROFINOT,  President. 

"  DAVID  FRANCHERE,  Secretary," 

That  cry  of  more  than  two  thousand  Roman  Catholics  of 
Chicago,  which  was  reproduced  by  almost  the  whole  press  of 
Illinois,  and  the  United  States,  fell  as  a  thunderbolt  upon  the 
head  of  my  lord  O'Regan  and  Desaulnier.  They  wrote  to  all 
the  bishops  of  America,  to  hasten  to  their  rescue,  and  for  several 
months  the  pulpits  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Churches  had  no 
other  mission  than  to  repeat  the  echoes  of  the  Episcopal  fulmin- 
ations  hurled  against  my  devoted  head.  Many  bishop's  letters 
and  mandenients  were  published  denouncing  me  and  my  people 
as  infamous  schismatics,  whose  pride  and  obstinancy  were  troub- 
ling the  peace  of  the  church.  But  the  most  bitter  of  all  these, 
was  a  letter  from  my  lord  Bourget,  bishop  of  Montreal,  who 
thought  the  best,  if  not  the  only  way  to  force  the  people  to 
desert  me,  was  by  forever  destroying  my  honor.  But  he  had 
the  misfortune  to  fall  into  the  pit  he  had  dug  for  me  in 
1851. 

The  miserable  givl  he  had  associated  with  himself,  to  satisfy 
his  implacable  hatred,  was  dead.  But,  he  had  still  in  hand  the 
lying  accusations  obtained  from  her,  against  me.  Having  proba- 
bly destroyed  her  sworn  recantation  written  by  the  Jesuit  Father 
Schneider,  and  not  having  the  least  idea  that  I  had   kept  three 


iii^iji^..,  U:   .  r. 


758 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


Other  sworn  copies  of  her  recantations — he  thought  he  coul 
safely  publish  that  I  was  a  degraded  man,  who  had  been  drive 
from  Canada  by  him,  after  being  convicted  of  some  enormot 


crime,  and  interdicted. 


This  declaration  was  brought  before  the  public,  for  the  fin 
time,  by  him,  with  an  hypocritical  air  of  compassion  and  mere 
for  me,  which  added  much  to  the  deadly  effect  he  expected  t 
produce  by  it.  Here  are  his  own  words,  addressed  to  the  peopl 
of  Bourbonnais,  and  through  them,  to  the  whole  word : 

*'I  must  tell  you  that  on  the  27th  of  September,  1851, 
withdrew  all  his  powers,  and  interdicted  him,  for  reasons  whic! 
I  gave  him  in  my  letter  addressed  to  him ;  a  letter  which  he  ha 
probably  kept.     Let  him  publish  that  letter,  if  he  finds  that 
have  persecuted  him  unjustly." 

I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes  when  I  read  this  ignomini 
ous  act  of  perfidy  on  the  part  of  that  high  dignitary :  it  seeme 
incredible,  and  surpassed  anything  I  had  ever  seen,  even  ii 
Bishop  O'Regan.  I  can  not  say,  however,  that  it  took  me  en 
tirely  by  surprise,  for  I  had  anticipated  it.  When  Fathe 
Schneider  asked  me  why  I  had  taken  four  sworn  copies  of  th 
recantation  of  the  unfortunate  girl  whose  tears  of  regret  war 
flowing  before  us,  I  told  him  that  I  knew  so  much  of  the  mear 
ness  and  perfidy  of  Bishop  Bourget,  that  I  thought  he  might  d( 
stroy  the  copy  we  were  sending  him,  in  order  to  pierce  me  agai 
with  his  poisonous  arrows,  whilst,  if  I  kept  three  other  copie 
one  for  him,  one  for  Mr.  Brassard  and  one  for  myself,  I  woul 
have  nothing  to  fear.  I  am  convinced  that  my  merciful  Go 
knew  the  malice  of  that  bishop  against  me,  and  gave  me  thi 
wisdom  to  save  me. 

I  immediately  sent  him,  through  the  press,  the  followir 
answer : 
To  MoNsiGNOR  Bouhget: 

St.  Anne,  April  18,  1857. 

My  Lord: — In  your  letter  of  the  19th  of  March,  you  a 
sure  the  public  that  you  have  interdicted  me,  a  few  days  befo 
my  leaving  Canada  for  the  United  States,  and  you  invite  me 
give  the  reasons  of  that  sentence.     I  will  satisfy  you.     On  t 


» 


DBSAULNIBR   NAMED   VICAR    GENERAL. 


759 


the  press,  the  following 

Ianne,  April  i8,  1857. 
le  19th  of  March,  you  as- 
fd  me,  a  few  days  before 
[es,  and  you  invite  me  to 
nil  satisfy  you.     On  the 


aSth  of  September,  1851,  I  found  a  letter  on  my  table  from  you, 
telling  me  that  you  had  suspended  me  from  my  ecclesiastical 
offices,  on  account  of  a  great  crime  that  I  had  committed,  and  of 
which  I  was  accused.  But  the  name  of  the  accuser  was  not  given, 
nor  the  nature  of  the  crime.  I  immediately  went  to  see  you,  and 
protesting  my  innocence,  I  requested  you  to  give  me  the  name 
of  my  accusers,  and  allow  me  to  be  confronted  by  them,  promis- 
ing that  I  would  prove  my  innocence.  You  refused  to  grant  my 
reqtlest. 

Then  I  fell  on  my  knees,  and  with  tears,  in  the  name  of 
God,  I  requested  you  again  to  allow  me  to  meet  my  accusers  and 
prove  my  innocence.  You  remained  deaf  to  my  prayer  and  un- 
moved by  my  tears ;  you  repulsed  me  with  a  malice  and  air  of 
tyranny  which  I  had  thought  impossible  in  you. 

During  the  twenty-four  hours  after  this,  sentiments  of  an 
inexpressible  wrath  crossed  my  mind.  I  tell  it  to  you  frankly, 
in  that  terrible  hour,  I  would  have  preferred  to  be  at  the  feet  of 
a  heathen  priest,  whose  knife  would  have  slaughtered  me  on  his 
altars,  to  appease  his  infernal  gods,  rather  than  be  at  the  feet  of  a 
man  who,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  under  the  mask  of  the 
gospel,  should  dare  to  commit  such  a  cruel  act.  You  had  taken 
away  my  honor — you  had  destroyed  me  with  the  most  infamous 
calumny — and  you  had  refused  me  every  means  of  justification ! 
You  had  taken  under  your  protection  the  cowards  who  were 
stabbing  me  in  the  dark! 

Though  it  is  hard  to  repeat  it,  I  must  tell  it  here  publicly,  I 
cursed  you  on  that  horrible  day. 

With  a  broken  heart,  I  went  to  the  Jesuit  college,  and  I 
showed  the  wounds  of  my  bleeding  soul  to  the  noble  friend  who 
was  generally  my  confessor,  the  Rev.  Father  Schneider,  the  di- 
rector of  the  college. 

After  three  days,  having  providentially  got  some  reasons  to 
suspect  who  was  the  author  of  my  destruction,  I  sent  some  one 
to  ask  her  to  come  to  the  college  without  mentioning  my 
name. 

When  she  was  in  the  parlor,  I  said  to  Father  Schneider: 

^  You  know  the  horrible  iniquity  of  the  bishop  against  me; 


ioESfrnzf';:. 


76o 


FIFTY   YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


with  the  lying  words  of  a  prostitute,  he  has  tried  to  destroy  me; 
but  please  come  and  be  the  witness  of  my  innocence." 

When  in  the  presence  of  that  unfortunate  female,  I  told  her: 
"You  are  in  the  presence  of  God  Almighty,  and  two  of  his 
priests.  They  will  be  the  witnesses  of  what  you  say!  Speak 
the  truth.  Say  in  the  presence  of  God  and  this  venerable  priest, 
if  I  have  ever  been  guilty  of  what  you  have  accused  me  to  the 
bishop." 

At  these  words,  the  unfortunate  female  burst  into  tears; 
she  concealed  her  face  in  her  hands,  and  with  a  voice  half  suffo- 
cated with  her  sobs,  she  answered : 

"  No,  sir;  you  are  ndt  guilty  of  that  sinl" 

Confess  here  another  truth,  I  said  to  her:  *'Is  it  not  true  that 
you  have  come  to  confess  to  me  more  with  the  desire  to  tempt 
me  than  to  reconcile  yourself  to  God  ? 

She  said,  «  Yes,  sir,  that  is  the  truth."  Then  I  said  again, 
**  Continue  to  say  the  truth,  and  I  will  forgive  you,  and  God  also 
will  forgive  your  iniquity.  Is  it  not  through  revenge  for  having 
failed  in  your  criminal  designs,  that  you  have  tried  to  destroy 
me  by  that  false  accusation  to  the  bishop?" 

*♦  Yfcs,  sir,  it  was  the  only  reason  which  has  induced  me  to 
accuse  you  falsely." 

"  And  all  I  say  here,  at  least  in  substance,  has  been  heard, 
written  and  signed  by  the  Right  Rev.  Schneider,  one  of  your 
priests,  and  the  present  director  of  the  Jesuit  College.  Thai 
venerable  priest  is  still  living  in  Montreal ;  let  the  people  of 
Canada  go  and  interrogate  him.  Let  the  people  of  Canada  alsc 
go  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard,  who  has  in  his  hands  an  authentij 
cated  copy  of  that  declaration. 

♦'  Your  lordship  gives  the  public  to  understand  that  I  was  disl 
graced  by  that  sentence,  some  days  before  I  left  Canada  for  Illil 
nois.  Allow  me  to  give  you  my  reasons  for  differing  from  yot[ 
in  this  matter. 

There  is  a  canon  law  of  the  church  which  says : 

"If  a  censure  is  unjust  and  unfounded,  let  the  man  againd 
whom  the  sentence  has  been  passed  pay  no  attention  to  it.  FoJ 
before  God  and  his  church,  no  unjust  sentence  can  bring  any  Ir 


DBSAULNIBR   NAMED   VICOR    GENERAL. 


761 


77 

eh  has  induced  me  to 


iderstandthatlwasdis- 
fa  I  left  Canada  for  Ilh- 
|s  for  differing  from  you 

-yhich  says: 

led,  let  the  man  against 
[no  attention  to  it.  For, 
Intence  can  bring  any  in- 


jury against  any  one.  Let  the  one  against  whom  such  unfounded 
and  unjust  judgment  has  been  pronounced  even  take  no  step  to 
annul  it,  for  it  is  a  nullity  by  itself." 

You  know  very  well  that  the  sentence  you  had  passed  against 
me  was  null  and  void  for  many  good  reasons ;  that  it  was  founded 
on  a  false  testimony.  Father  Schneider  is  there,  ready  to  prove 
it  to  you,  if  you  have  any  doubt. 

The  second  reason  I  have  to  believe  that  you  had  yourself 
considered  your  sentence  a  nullity,  and  that  I  was  not  suspended 
by  it  from  my  ecclesiastical  dignity  and  honor  is  founded,  on  a 
good  testimony,  I  hope — the  testimony  of  your  lordship  himself. 

"  A  few  hours  before  my  leaving  Canada  for  the  United 
States,  I  went  to  ask  your  benediction,  which  you  gave  me  with 
every  mark  of  kindness.  I  then  asked  your  lordship  to  tell  me 
frankly  if  I  had  to  leave  with  the  impression  that  I  was  disgraced 
in  his  mind?     You  gave  me  the  assurance  of  the  contrary. 

Then  I  told  you  that  I  wanted  to  have  a  public  and  irrefuta- 
ble testimony  of  your  esteem,  written  with  your  own  hand,  and 
you  gave  me  the  following  letter : 

Montreal,  Canada,  October  13,  1851. 
Sir: — You  ask  me  permission  to  leave  my  diocese  to  go  and  offer  your 
services  to  the  bishop  of  Chicago.  As  you  belong  to  the  diocese  of  Quebec, 
I  think  it  belongs  to  my  lord  the  archbishop,  to  give,  you  the  exeat  you  wish. 
As  for  me,  I  can  not  but  thank  you  for  your  labours  among  us,  and  I  wish 
you  in  return,  the  most  abundant  blessings  from  heaven.  You  shall  ever 
be  in  my  remembrance  and  in  my  heart,  and  I  hope  that  divine  providence 
will  permit  me,  at  a  future  time,  to  testify  all  the  gratitude  I  owe  you. 
Meanwhile,  I  remain  your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

^Ignatius,  Bishop  of  Montreal. 
Mr.  Chiniquy,  Priest. 

I  then  asked  you  to  give  me  some  other  tangible  token  of 
your  esteem,  which  I  might  show  everywhere  I  should  go. 

You  answered  that  you  would  be  happy  to  give  me  one, 
and  you  said:  "What  do  you  wish?"  "I  wish,"  I  said,  "to 
have  a  chalice  from  your  hands  to  oifer  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the 
mass  the  rest  of  my  life." 

You  answered :  "I  will  do  that  with  pleasure,  and  you  gave  an 
order  to  one  of  your  priests  to  bring  you  a  chalice  that  you  might 


762 


FIFTY    YEAUS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


give  it  to  me.  But  that  priest  had  not  the  key  of  the  box  con 
taining  the  sacred  vases ;  that  key  was  in  the  hands  of  anothei 
priest,  who  was  absent  for  a  few  hours. 

I  had  not  the  time  to  wait ;  the  hour  of  the  departure  of  th( 
trains  had  come ;  I  told  you :  "  Please,  my  lord,  send  that  chal 
ice  to  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard,  of  Longueuil,  who  will  forward  it  t< 
me  in  a  few  days  10  Chicago."  And  the  next  day,  one  of  you; 
secretaries  went  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard,  gave  him  the  chalia 
you  had  promised  nie,  which  is  still  in  my  hands.  And  the  Rev 
Mr.  Brassard  is  there  still  living,  to  be  the  witness  of  what  I  say 
and  to  bring  that  fact  to  your  memory  if  you  have  forgotten  it 

Well,  my  lord,  I  do  believe  that  a  bishop  will  never  give  i 
chalice  to  a  priest  to  say  mass,  when  he  knows  that  that  pries 
is  interdicted.  And  the  best  proof  that  you  know  very  well  tha 
I  was  not  interdicted  by  your  rash  and  unjust  sentence,  is  tha 
you  gave  me  that  chalice  as  a  token  of  your  esteem,  and  of  m] 
honesty,  etc.  Respectfully, 

C.  CHINIQUY. 

Ten  thousand  copies  of  this  exposure  of  the  depravity  of  th< 
bishop  were  published  in  Montreal.     I  asked  the  whole  peopl 
of  Canada  to  go  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schneider  and  to  the  Rev.  Mt 
Brassard  to  know  the  truth,  and  many  went.     The  bishop  r« 
mained  confounded.      It  was  proved    that    he  had  committe 
against  me  a  most  outrageous  act  of  tyranny  and  perfidy ; 
that  I  was  perfectly  innocent  and  honest,  and  that  he  knew  it, 
the  very  hour  that  he  tried  to  destroy  my  character.     Probab 
the  bishop  of  Montreal  had  destroyed  the  copy  of  the  declar; 
tion  of  the  poor  girl  he  had  employed,  and  thinking  that  th 
was  the, only  copy  of  her  declaration  of  my  innocence  and  hoi 
esty,  he  thought  he  could  speak  of  the  so-called  interdict,  after 
was  a  Protestant.     But  in  that  he  was  cruelly  mistaken,  for  as 
have  already  said,  by  the  great  mercy  of  God,  three  other  authen 
icated  copies  had  been  kept;  one  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schneider  hi 
self,  another  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brassard,  another  by  one  whoi 
it  is  not  neccessary  to  mention,  and  then  he  had  no  suspicion  th 
the  revelation  of  his  unchristian  conduct,  and  of  .his  determin 


an 


iiiiiiiiiii 


OF    ROME. 

,  key  of  the  box  con- 
the  hands  of  another 

the  departure  of  the 
y  lord,  send  that  chal- 
/ho  will  forward  it  to 
next  day,  one  of  your 
i,  gave  him  the  chalice 

hands.  And  the  Rev. 
.  witness  of  what  I  say, 
you  have  forgotten  it. 
ihopwill  never  give  a 
knows  that  that  priest 
ou  know  very  well  that 
[injust  sentence,  is  that 
our  esteem,  and  of  my 

C.  CHINIQUY. 
;  of  the  depravity  of  the 
isked  the  whole  people 
der  and  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
went.     The  bishop  re- 
that    he  had  committed 
ranny  and  perfidy;  and 
,  and  that  he  knew  it,  m 
ny  character.     Probably 
he  copy  of  the  declara- 
and  thinking  that  this 
my  innocence  and  hon- 
io-called  interdict,  after  I 
jruelly  mistaken,  for  as  I 
God,  three  other  authent- 
..ev.  Mr.  Schneider  him- 
[d,  another  by  one  whom 
he  had  no  suspicion  that 
t,  and  of  .his  determina- 


DBSAULNIER    NAMED   VICAR     GENERAL. 


763 


tion  to  destroy  me  with  the  false  oath  of  a  prostitute,  were  m  the 
hands  of  too  many  people  to  be  denied. 

The  bishop  of  Chicago,  whom  I  met  a  few  days  after,  told 
me  what  I  was  well  aware  of  before: 

"  That  such  a  sentence  was  a  perfect  nullity  in  every  way, 
and  it  was  a  disgrace  only  for  those  who  were  blind  enough  to 
trample  under  their  feet  the  laws  of  Go<1  and  men  to  satisfy  their 
bad  passions." 

A  few  days  after  the  publication  of  that  letter  in  Canada, 
Mr.  Brassard  wrote  me: 

«  Your  last  letter  has  completely  unmasked  our  poor  bishop, 
and  revealed  to  the  world  his  malice,  imjustice  and  hypocrisy. 
He  felt  so  confounded  by  it,  that  he  has  been  three  days  without 
being  able  to  eat  or  drink  anything,  and  three  nights  without 
sleeping.  Every  one  says  that  the  chastisement  you  have  given 
him  is  a  terrible  one,  when  it  is  in  the  face  of  the  whole  world ; 
but  he  deserved  it." 

When  I  received  that  last  friendly  letter  from  Mr.  Brassard 
on  the  tst  of  April,  1857, 1  was  far  from  suspecting  that  on  the 
15th  of  the  same  month,  I  should  read  in  the  press  of  Canada, 
the  following  lines  from  him : 

St.  Roch  db  l'Achigan,  lb  9  auvril,  1857. 

Messieurs: — I  request  you  to  insert  the  following  lines  in  your  jour- 
nal: As  some  people  suspect  that  I  am  favoring  the  schism  of  Mr. 
Chiniquy,  I  think  it  is  my  duty  to  say  that  I  have  never  encouraged  him  by 
my  words  or  writings  in  that  schism.  I  must  say  that,  last  November,  when 
I  went  to  St  Anne,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Desaulnier,  Superior  of  St. 
Hyacinthe  College,  my  only  object  was  to  persuade  that  old  friend  to  leave 
the  bad  ways  in  which  he  was  walking.  And  in  Chicago  I  pressed  him  to 
put  himself  in  a  canonical  w^ay. 

I,  more  than  any  one  else,  deplore  the  fall  of  a  man  whom,  I  confess,  I 
loved  much,  but  tor  the  sake  of  whom  I  will  not  sacrifice  the  sacred  ties  of 
Catholic  unity.  I  hope  that  all  the  Canadians  who  were  att{<.ched  to  Mr. 
Chiniquy  when  he  was  united  to  the  church,  will  withdraw  from  him  in 
horror  of  his  schism.  For  before  anything  else,  we  must  be  truly  and  faith- 
fully Catholic. 

However,  we  have  a  duty  to  perform  towards  the  man  who  has  fullilled 
such  a  holy  mission  in  our  midst,  by  establishing  the  society  of  temperance. 
It  is  to  call  back,  with  our  prayers,  that  stray  sheep  who  has  left  the  true 
Pastor's  fold. 


i'  ■  i"1 


764 


FIFTY    YBARS    IN    THfl    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


I  request  all  journals  lo  reproduce  this  declaration. 

Truly  yours, 

Moses  Brassard,  Pastor. 
M.  M.,  the  Editors  of  the  Courrier  du  Caitada. 

I  felt  that  there  was  not  a  line,  not  a  sentiment  of  Mr.  Bras- 
sard in  that  letter.  It  smelt  Bishop  Bourget*s  hand,  from  the  be- 
ginning to  the  end.  I  thought,  however,  that  it  was  my.  duty 
to  address  him  the  following  answer: 

St.  Anne,  Kankakee  County,  Illinois,  April  23,  1857. 

Mv  Dear  Mr.  Brassard: — I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  9th 
inst,  but  no!  I  will  not  call  it  a  letter,  it  will  be  better  named  a  bitter  tear, 
and  a  sad  wail  of  a  heart  as  good  as  it  is  noble  and  generous. 

You  have  been  a  witness  how  the  people  and  missionary  of  St.  Anne 
have  been  betrayed  by  Mr.  Desaulnier.  You  were  at  my  side,  as  my  friend 
and  father,  when  this  traitor  said  tome,  as  well  as  to  my  brethren:  "  Sign 
this  act  of  submission  to  the  bishop  of  Chicago;  thisact  alone  iS enough  to 
make  him  withdraw  the  sentence  which  fills  your  Canadian  friends  with 
anxiety.  If  the  bishop  does  not  give  you  the  place  you  want,  and  if  he  does 
not. withdraw  the  excommunication  after  having  been  presented  with  this 
act,  I  will  tell  him: 

"  It  is  neither  the  pastor,  nor  the  people  of  St.  Anne  who  wish  a  schism, 
they  have  done  that  which  religion  and  honor  commanded,  to  prove  it;  it  is 
you  who  wishes  it." 

Your  tears  were  mingled  with  mine,  and  the  incense  of  your  prayer 
ascended  with  those  of  my  brethren,  when  on  the  26th  of  November  Mr. 
Desaulnier  said  to  the  people  of  St.  Anne: 

"  You  can  not  be  blamed  for  what  you  have  done  since  the  beginning 
of  your  difficulties  with  your  bishop." 

You  were  a  witness  that  our  first  condition  to  the  signing  of  the  act 
which  you  and  Mr.  Desaulnier  presented  to  us,  was  that  you  should  be  the 
pastor  of  St  Anne,  and  that  I  should  remain  with  you  as  long  as  you  would 
find  it  to  the  interest  of  my  colony.  You  know  that  he  gave  me  his  word 
of  honor,  in  presence  of  all  the  people,  that  if  the  bishop  would  not  give  us 
peace  after  the  signing  of  the  act,  he  (Mr.  Desaulnier)  would  go  with  us  1 
St.  Louis  and  even  to  Rome,  to  plead  my  cause  and  show  the  iniquity  and 
unbearable  tyranny  of  the  bishop  of  Chicago.  Did  he  not  assure  us  that, 
in  case  the  bishop  should  refuse  to  accept  the  act  of  submission,  we  had 
signed,  your  mission  to  St.  Anne  was  finished,  and  that  you  both  would  rC' 
turn  to  Canada,  after  your  voyage  to  St.  Louis?  Is  it  not  true  that  when  ir 
Chicago,  in  reply  to  our  question :    "What  news?  "  Mr.  Desaulnier  said: 

*'  You  have  only  to  take  your  bags  and  both  return  to  Canada  at  once.' 

Mr.  Desaulnier  denies  all  those  facts,  with  an  impudence  of  which  hi 
alone  is  capable.  You  are  my  only  witness  before  our  Canada,  whici 
wishes  and  has  a  right  to  know  the  truth  in  this  matter . 


[   OF    ROME. 


>SES  Brassard,  Pastor. 


DESAULNIER    NAMED    VICAR    GENERAL. 


765 


done  since  the  beginning 


I  took  you  as  my  witness,  and  you  replied  in  many  of  your  letters,  that 
you  could  not  say  the  truth  without  compromising  yourself. 

Is  not  this  an  acknowledgment  that  we,  priests  of  Jesus  Christ,  are 
groaning  under  the  weight  of  the  .nost  frightful  tyranny?  and  that  wc  are 
in  the  power  of  men  who  threaten  our  honor  ond  life,  if  we  dure  speak  the 
truth  in  favor  of  an  oppressed  brother?  And  this  is  the  system  which  pro- 
claims  itself  as  the  divine  and  ineffable  news  which  the  Messiah  brought  to 
the  world  1 1  And  this  abominable  oppression,  this  system  of  deceit,  is  the 
religion  which  the  Son  of  the  God  of  truth,  justice  and  mercy,  has  estab- 
lished to  save  the  world?  This  is  the  foundation  stone  of  the  church  of 
Christ!  !  I  No!  You  do  not  believe  that,  my  dear  Mr.  Brassard.  Neither 
do  I.    I  never  did,  and  never  will  believe  it. 

They  tell  us  it  is  for  the  greater  good  of  the  church  that  they  act  thus; 
that  it  is  to  preserve  the  respect  which  is  due  to  the  Holy  Catholic  Hier- 
archy, that  they  take  those  extreme  measures  against  the  people  of  St.  Anne ! 

But  I  have  carefully  studied  the  laws<  of  the  chuch  upon  these  great 
questions,  and  I  see  they  say  precisely  the  contrary.  I  see  that  the  Catholic 
Church  said  to  us : 

ist.     "  In  the  church  there  is  no  arbitrary  power." 

and.  "  The  censures  are  null  when  they  have  Ijeen  pronoun':ed  against 
sins  which  have  not  been  committed . 

3d.  "  Never  receive  any  accusation  against  a  priest,  which  has  not 
been  proven  by  two  or  three  witnesses. 

4th.  "  If  a  sentence  is  visibly  unjust,  the  condemned  must  not  pay  any 
attention  to  it ;  for  before  God  and  His  church,  no  unjust  sentence  can  injure 
any  one. 

5th.  "  The  unjust  excommunication  is  not  binding  neither  before  God 
nor  the  people,  when  that  people  know  its  injustice,  because  the  Holy  Ghost 
can  not  abandon  those  who  have  not  deserved  it." 

You  wish  me  to  act  according  to  the  canons  of  the  church.  I  have  al- 
ready told  you  that  if  I  had  been  interdicted  on  the  19th  of  August,  I  would 
have  been  able  to  appeal  from  that  sentence,  but  I  had  not.  I  had  fifteen 
days  to  consider.  How  could  I  have  appealed  from  a  sentence  which  had 
not  been  pronounced?  What  witness  could  I  bring  against  a  fact  whkrh,  I 
knew,  had  never  taken  place? 

But  you  will  say: 

"  The  excommunication ?    Should  it  not  give  you  some  anxiety?  " 

"Not  the  least." 

St.  Thomas  said  positively  that  an  excommunication  of  which  the  in- 
justice is  known  by  the  people,  ought  not  to  prevent  a  priest  from  exercising 
hit  ministry  among  them. 

They  will  perhaps  say : 

"  But  where  did  the  people  get  the  right  to  judge  in  such  things?"    St. 


766 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE   CHURCH   OP    ROMB. 


H> 


Thomas  must  have  believed  that  the  people  had  that  right,  since  he  said  it 
St.  Thomas  was  neither  a  heretic  nor  schismatic  for  believing  these  things? 

Why,  then,  should  I  be  one,  for  having  thought,  spoken  and  acted  ac- 
cording to  the  doctrine  of  kim  whom  the  church  has  named  the  angel  of  the 
school.  Besides  that,  you  know  that  the  excommunication  was  a  nullity 
from  want  of  being  signed. 

The  reason  of  this  surprise  about  the  right  which  the  people  has  to  ex- 
ercise its  judgment  upon  this  question,  in  that,  lately,  the  bishops  have  not 
only  stripped  the  priests,  but  also  the  people,  of  the  holy  and  just  rights 
which  Jesus  Christ  had  given  them.  Those  who  have  carefully  studied  the 
history  of  the  church  in  the  first  centuries  know  this,  as  well  as  I  do. 

But  be  it  known,  there  are  rights  against  which  time  does  not  prescribe. 
There  are  rights  which  the  priests  and  people  have  never  renounced,  and 
which  the  church  of  Christ  will  always  like  to  see  them  enjoy. 

I  do  not  say  that  the  bishops  are  not  ordained  to  govern  the  Christian 
people,  but  I  say  that  the  bishops  are  not  appointed  by  the  cliurch  to  govern 
the  flock  according  to  their  caprices,  but  according  to  the  unchangeable 
rules  of  justice,  equity  and  truth  of  the  gospel.  In  the  primitive  church, 
every  time  that  a  bishop  forgot  this,  other  b'&hops  reminded  him  of  it. 

Do  we  not  see  in  the  gospel,  that  the  first  Christians  complained  bitterly 
to  the  apostles  themselves  of  the  manner  in  which  they  had  administered 
the  goods  entrusted  to  them?  '  Were  they  excommunicated  for  that?  Did 
they  receive  In  answer  the  insolent  reply  that  the  people  receive  to-day? 
viz.:  "You  are  but  the  laity,  that  does  not  concern  you?"  Not  The 
apostles  listened  to  the  complaints  of  the  people;  they  found  them  just,  and 
the  people  were  allowed  to  choose  the  administrators  of  their  goods. 

The  people,  then,  were  looked  upon  as  something  worthy  of  attention 
and  respect,  and  were  not  tied,  as  to-day,  to  the  feet  of  a  dignitary,  and 
obliged  to  go  right  and  left  at  the  good  pleasure  of  their  pretended  master. 
The  people  were  not,  then,  bridled ;  were  not  mere  machines  to  pay  tithes, 
build  palaces,  raise  proud  cathedrals ;  nor  were  they  degraded,  demoralized, 
as  to-day ;  obliged  to  believe  they  had  minds,  but  had  no  right  to  make  use 
of  them ;  they  were  not,  then,  as  now,  poor  beasts  of  burthen,  whose  only 
duty  is  to  obey  their  master.  But  their  wants  and  wishes  were  consulted; 
their  voice  was  heard.  They  had  not  yet  the  idea  that  the  Holy  Ghost  was  to 
enlighten  only  a  certain  class  of  men,  and  that  the  rest  of  humanity  were 
given  up  to  ignorance,  only  to  walk  in  the  light  of  a  few  privileged  luminaries. 

But  the  spirit  of  wisdom,  charity  and  tolerance ;  this  respect  for  the  will 
and  wishes  of  the  people,  where  do  you  find  them  to-day? 

On  the  contrary,  we  find  tyranny  on  the  one  side,  and  stern  and  neces- 
sary resistance  on  the  other;  resistances  which  are  but  the  expression  of  the 
law  of  God.  Let  the  tolerant  conduct  of  the  apostles,  who  listened  with  so 
much  humility  to  the  complaints  of  the  first  Christians,  be  compared  to 
that  of  Bishop  O'Regan  when  questioned  by  the  French  people  of  Chicago 


DBSAULNIBR    NAMED    VICAR    GENERAL. 


7«7 


upon  the  right  he  had  to  deprive  them  of  their  church,  to  give  it  to  another 
congregation,  put  them  out  of  doors  anying:  "You  do  not  know  your  re- 
ligion ;  I  have  the  right  to  tell  your  churches,  and  the  grounds  attached  to 
them,  put  the  money  In  my  pocket,  and  eat  and  drink  where  I  like." 

This  is  what  Bishop  O'Regan  has  said  and  done ;  and  this  is  what  the 
bishop  of  Canada  approves  and  sanction  in  the  name  of  the  gospel  t  They 
try  to  make  you  believe  that  it  is  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  which  these 
high  dignitaries  preach  and  practice. 

Let  the  poor  people  of  Canada  believe  this,  if  they  wish;  as  for  us,  in 
St.  Anne,  we  do  not,  and  never  will  believe  it.  Are  not  these  men  who  cry 
the  loudest  to  make  us  respect  the  canons  of  the  church,  the  very  men  who 
publicly  trample  the  most  holy  laws  of  the  people  and  of  the  church  under 
their  feet?  How  easy  it  would  be  to  put  to  those  powerful  personages, 
questions  which  they  would  call  impertinent,  but  which  would  shed  great 
light  in  the  midst  of  the  profound  darkness  in  which  a  certain  corner  of  the 
world  is  kept  to-day?  ^ 

You  who  overwhelm  us  with  curses,  and  send  us  to  hell  if  we  are  not 
ready  say  amen  to  all  you  say,  what  have  you  done  with  the  canon  of 
thehu.  uuncil  of  Nice,  which  forbids  you  to  change  a  priest's  charge  with- 
out his  permission  ? 

Where  is  the  canon  of  a  general  council  which  allows  the  bish- 
ops to  add  the  words:  "  usque  ad  revocationem"  in  the  powers  given  to  the 
priestsi  While  one  of  the  canons  of  the  church  says;  *  It  is  the  authority 
of  the  canons,  and  the  examination  of  the  conduct  of  the  priests,  which 
ought  to  give  or  take  away  the  ecclesiastical  dignities,  and  not  the  wiU  of 
the  fr elates. 

History  has  preserved  the  names  of  certain  tyrants  who  forced  the 
trembling  hand  of  a  father  to  set  fire  to  the  pile  which  consumed  his  own 
child.  Aht  why  do  these  bishops  of  Canada  remind  us  of  that  lamentable 
page  of  past  centuries,  in  commanding  you  to  throw  burning  coals  on  the 
pile  to  which  they  have  led  me. 

You  are  more  than  a  friend  to  me.  I  have  the  right  to  call  you 
'Father.'  When  still  vei;y  young,  domestic  misfortunes  forced  me  to  leave 
for  a  strange  country,  in  search  of  a  living;  you  stretched  out  to  me  a  help- 
ing hand.  Although  poor  yourself,  you  shared  your  bread  with  the  poor  or- 
phan .  You  opened  to  me  the  doors  of  the  college  where  I  studied.  And 
ever  since,  when  a  tempest  threatened  my  fragile  bark  with  shipwreck,  in 
your  arms  I  found  sure  port.  Every  time  I  ireceived  a  wound,  in  the  strug- 
gles of  life,  in  your  affection  I  found  a  remedy. 

When  heaven  chose  your  poor  friend  to  change  the  face  of  our  dear 
country,  it  was  beneath  your  hospitable  roof  that  I  found  rest.  Your  hand 
was  the  lost  one  which  pressed  mine,  when  in  1851  I  left  Canada  to  conse- 
crate myself  to  the  service  of  the  emigrants:  and  lastly,  when  the  thunders 
of  three  deluded  prelates  fell  upon   my  head,  I  said  to  myself:    I  have,  in 


MiAttiA!^idlj^k>«^ 


■  V  I  sUia 


768 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


Canada,  a  friend,  a  father.     I  am  so  sure  of  his  heart,  that  I  do 
need  to  call  him  to  aid;  there  is  a  voice  in  his  soul  which  eric 
•Go,  go  to  the  aid  of  thy  friend,  of  thy  child!' 

'*  I  was  not  mistaken.  On  the  24th  of  November,  you  pressi 
your  heart;  your  words  of  peace  and  charity  cheered  my  brok 
For  the  love  of  God,  and  for  your  sake  also,  my  dear  Mr.  Brassar 
consented  to  do  all  you  required  of  me.  Ah!  why  dlJ  you  not  coi 
How  easily  everything  would  have  been  safely  settled?  But  withe 
ing  it,  you  had  with  you  a  traitor,  who  came  to  give  the  people  a 
of  St.  Anne  the  kiss  of  Judas,  before  delivering  them  into  the  banc 
enemies. 

"To-day,  you  are  commanded  to  add  your  efforts  to  those  of  tl- 
to  strike  me .     They  want  you  to  add  a  new  thorn  to  that  crown 
which  the  bishops  have  placed  on  my  forehead. 

*'  But  how  can  I  be  guilty  for  having  called  you  as  a  witness  ( 
iquities  of  my  enemies?  Have  you  forgotten  with  what  sine 
promptitude  I  signed,  as  well  as  my  brethren  of  St.  Anne,  the  act  c 
s ion  to  the  Bishop  O' Regan?  Have  you  forgotten  the  desolatior 
heart  and  mine,  when  (on  the  conditions  you  well  know)  I  declar 
people  that  I  would  no  longer  be  their  pastor? 

"  Since  the  bishops  of  Canada  command  you  to  speak,  in  the 
the  God  of  truth  and  justice,  I,  also,  ask  you  to  speak.  Yes,  state  t< 
pie  of  Canada,  how  shamefully  Mr.  Desaulnier  has  deceived  the 
people  who  surround  me  here.  Yes!  tell  your  surprise,  your  jusi 
tion,  your  bitter  sorrow,  when  Mr.  Desaulnier  refused,  in  Chicagc^ 
the  sacred  promise  he  had  made !  Tell  the  nature  of  the  new  ^ 
which  he  wanted  me  to  sign  at  Chicago.  Declare  honestly  that ; 
me:  "  My  poor  friend,  you  can  not  sign  that  act  without  lying  ar 
oring  yourself  forever." 

"  Since  the  bishops  of  Canada  command  you  to  speak,  raise 
to  say  to  the  Canadian  people  what  you  wrote  to  Dr.  Letoumea 
myself: 

"  They  do  not  wish  to  know  the  truth  in  Canada,  more  than  al 
about  the  shameful  conduct  of  Mr.  Desaulnier  in  this  affair!!" 

Yes,  speak!  Give  to  my  dear  Canada  the  reply  which  the 
Chicago  made  when  you  asked :  "  Have  you  any  accusation  in  hai 
the  character  of  Mr.  Chiniquy?  " 

"  I  need  your  testimony  upon  this  question,  for  the  bishop  of 
forgetting  what  he  confessed  to  you,  is  circulating,  through  my 
thousand  calumnies  agamst  me,  which  are  re-produced  to-day,  by  I 
of  Montreal. 

"  Say  to  Canada  that  the  bishop  of  Chicago  assured  you  that 
terdicted  me,  only  because  I  disobeyed  him  in  refusing  to  leave 
whilst,  at  the  very  time,  he  held  a  letter  brought  by  four  witnese 


DBSAULNIEK   NAMED    VICAR    GENERAL. 


769 


lURCH  OK   ROME. 

his  heart,  that  I  do  not  even 
in  his  soul  which  cries  to  him. 

E  November,  you  pressed  me  to 

arUy  cheered  my  broken  heart 
rSy  dear  Mr.  Brassard,  I  have 
^^rihydli  you  r»ot  come  alone? 

fc lysettled?'  But^vithoutknow- 
fe  to  give  the  people  and  pastor 
SU  them  into  the  hands  of  thcr 

vourefiortsto  those  of  this  traitor, 
few  tlU  to  that  crown  of  shame 

rSd  you  as  a  witness  of  the  i. 

often  with  what  sincerity  and 
r/entfSt   inne,theactofsubmis- 
^  !ntten  the  desolation  of  your 
;;o?:euV'ow)I  declared  to  my 

"td  you  to  speak,  in  the  name  of 

to  soeak.  Yes,  state  to  the  peo- 
^,lrC  deceived  the  generous 
esaulnierhas  de  ,  .^j- 

lell  your  surprise,  )«"    J  t„lfi„ 

mlnier  refused,  m  Chicago, 

he  nature  of  the  new  document 

'TJ'^X^^^ «-  '■'*°'°' 

«™  lorthebtahopof  Cbi»B« 
a„»tton,Iorme  ^       ^^^_, 

|.rpSrX.^'.He.U-P 


that  I  was  ready  to  obey,  and  that  I  would  prefer  going  to  the  end  of  the 
world,  rather  than  be  interdicted. 

"  If,  having  said  all  these  things,  you  are  still  commanded  to  strike  me, 
do  so,  dear  friend.  Though  your  blows  go  more  directly  to  my  heart  than 
all  the  thunders  of  Bishop  O'Regan,  they  will  never  shake  my  constancy, 
nor  make  me  betray  my  brethren ;  they  will  neither  make  me  change  my 
convictions  nor  force  me  any  longer  to  bend  the  knee  before  men  who  wish 
us  to  submit  to  their  capricious  and  impious  commands  rather  than  to  the 
laws  of  the  God  of  justice,  truth  and  mercy,  whose  priest  I  have  the  honor 
to  be.  I  have  sworn  at  the  foot  of  the  altar  to  preach  truth  and  justice ; 
nothing  will  make  me  break  ihy  oath. 

"  Do  you  remember  with  what  dignity  you  refused,  one  day,  to  bow  be- 
fore one  of  those  modem  divinities  who  believe  that  everything  is  allowed 
them  on  earth? 

"  Do  you  not  recollect  that  the  bishop  of  Ottawa  had  the  audacity  to 
take  one  of  your  letters  out  of  the  postoflSce  and  read  it,  hoping  the  shame- 
ful act  would  never  be  known  ?  I  shall  never  forget  the  noble  inde- 
pendence with  which  you  protested  against  that  abuse  of  power,  and  with 
what  indignation  you  threatened  to  drag  that  haughty  bishop  before  the 
courts  of  justice,  if  he  did  not  ask  pardon  for  that  outrage!  Were  you  re- 
volting against  the  church  of  Christ  then  ?  No!  for  you  knew  that  her  prin- 
ciples of  truth  and  justice  could  not  sanction  such  brigandage.  So  I  did  not 
revolt  against  the  church  of  Christ,  when  I  resisted  the  insolence  and  out- 
rages of  the  bishop  of  Chicago. 

"  Like  St.  Jerome,  I  know  the  rights  of  the  bishops :  1  respect  their  au- 
thority. The  Catholic  Hierarchy  is  to  me  a  holy  and  venerable  institution. 
But  when  men,  sheltering  themselves  behind  those  holy  institutions,  trample 
under  their  feet  the  principles  of  justice,  truth  and  holiness,  which  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  inculcates,  I  will  fight  to  the  end,  with  tny  poor  emigrants,  for 
the  preservation  of  their  Christian  rights. 

"  You  say  that  before  all,  we  must  be  frankly  and  sincerely  '  Catholics.' 
I  answer,  yes.  But  when  one  is  vvTongfully  deprived  of  this  glorious  name 
before  men,  because  he  opposes,  as  I  have  done,  the  brigandage  of  a  bishop 
who  believes  all  is  allowed  him,  he  can  remain  in  peace,  and  be  like 
St.  Paul,  who  did  not  care  what  men  said  or  thought  of  him.  To  be  anathem- 
atized, because  I  have  devoted  myself  to  the  welfare  of  my  brethren,  is  not 
such  a  sad  destiny  as  some  people  think.     St.  Paul  said : 

"  I  could  wish  that  myself  were  accursed  from  Christ  for  my  brethren, 
my  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh." 

"The  favor  after  which  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  sighed,  has  been  ac- 
corded me.  I  can  not  complain  of  it.  Besides,  does  not  Christ  himself  say 
to  those  who  labor  to  scatter  seeds  of  justice  and  truth  upon  the  earth,  that 
they  ought  not  expect  to  be  treated  better  than  He? 

"  FVom  every  part  of  Canada  and  the  United  States  men  of  distinction 


.-  A''--^" 


770 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


cease  not  to  cry:  Courage!"  It  is  true  that  several  curse  us,  but  i 
cauee  they  are  forced  to  do  it.  Many  Iceep  silent  for  fear  of  their  m 
but  their  prayers  and  sympathies  are  for  us.  The  bishops  will  see,  soc 
later,  that  in  order  to  retain  their  power  on  earth,  that  power  must  be  i 
ed,  as  in  heaven,  upon  justice  and  truth. 

"  When  the  priests  of  Canada,  to  please  the  bishops,  contrary  t 
convictions,  have  degraded  their  own  sacerdotal  character  in  my  p 
when  they  have  burned  the  eiligy  of  the  proscribed,  having  no  mo 
glorious  privilege  of  burning  his  body ;  when  the  father  whom,  by  th< 
of  God,  I  have  snatched  from  an  abyss,  cursed  me ;  when  this  dear 
man  who  has,  so  many  times,  blessed  me,  because  I  have  shown  h 
gospel,  the  way  of  honor  and  virtue,  by  removing  the  stumbling  blocli 
temperance  offered  to  his  weakness,  has  been  forced  to  curse  me ;  whe 
poor  woman,  who,  by  the  grace  of  God,  owes  me  the  bread  she  eats,  a: 
few  days  of  holy  felicity  she  has  enjoyed  upon  earth,  has  cursed  me ; 
this  fine  little  child,  who  has  so  many  times  blessed  my  name,  becaus 
made  use  of  me  to  give  him  back  a  father,  has  cursed  me,  there  will  I 
lence  of  sorrow  in  Canada,  around  my  proscribed  name. 

"  Then  a  reaction  will  take  place.  A  great  prestige  will  be  destroy 
great  power,  holy  and  benevolent  in  its  origin,  but  fallen  its  exi 
will  be  destroyed.  God  grant  that,  in  the  midst  of  those  .  <,  then 
be  no  tears,  no  blood!! 

"This  is  not  prophecy,  it  is  history.  Yes,  let  the  Canadian  clergj 
the  records  of  the  past,  and  they  will  find  where  their  blind  and  demi 
ing  obedience  to  the  bishops,  leads  them  and  their  good  and  generous  p 
if  not  to  infidelity  and  atheism. 

"  You  advise  me,  dear  Mr.  Brassard,  to  put  myself  in  the  car 
ways;  but  have  I  not  already  done  so?  Have  not  the  bishops  of  Cana< 
you  that  the  letter  signed  by  me,  had  already  placed  me  in  that  positi 
"  Has  not  Mr.  Desaulnier  said,  in  your  presence,  to  my  people  and 
at  St.  Anne: 

"  Sign  this  act,  and  if  the  bishop  does  not  take  away  his  sentence 
communication,  I  will  say  to  him:  'It  is  not  Mr.  Chiniquy,  neitl 
people,  who  wish  a  schism ;  they  have  done  what  religion  and  hone 
manded  them ;  it  is  the  bishop  of  Chicago  who  makes  the  schism.' 

"What  have  we  gained  by  taking  that  public  step?  Nothing,  bi 
cruelly  and  shamefully  betrayed. 

"  Was  not  Jesus  Christ  betrayed  only  once  by  Judas?  Do  not,  tl 
pect  that  we  will  be  stronger  than  the  Son  of  God.   The  bishops  of  i 
by  their  emissary,  have  already  betrayed  us  of  which  you  have  been 
The  people  and  missionary  of  St.  Anne  do  not  feel  strong  enough  to 
their  cheek  again  to  the  smiter. 

"  In  spite  of  the  clamors  which  rise  around  us,  we  are  convinced 
may  be  good  Catholics,  without  submitting  to  that  degradation  twic( 


ip.pilllii 


mgimmm^. 


^'mmmm 


DESAULNIBR    NAMED   VICAR    GENERAL. 


771 


Lot  take  away  his  sentence  oi  ex. 
8  not  Mr.  Chiniquy,  neither  his 
ne^vhat  religion  and  honor  com. 

'  who  makes  the  schism, 
^public  step?  Nothing,  but  to  be 

I  once  by  Judas?  DO  not  then^  ex. 
L  of  God.  The  bishops  of  Canada, 
Lsof  which  you  have  been. Uness 
'not  feel  strong  enough  to  pre«.nt 

iround  us.  we  are  convinced  that  we 
fg  to  that  degradation  twice. 


"  The  bishops  of  Canada  want  you  to  speak.  Very  ■well!  My  dear  Mr. 
Brassard,  I,  also,  implore  you  to  speak.  In  the  name  of  the  friendship  which 
has  united  us  for  forty  years,  I  implore  you  to  tell  the  truth.  Did  you  not, 
after  reading  the  document  which  the  bishop  of  Chicago  commanded  me  to 
sign,  as  the  only  condition  of  peace,  say  to  me : 

«« «M  y  dear  friend,  you  can  not  sign  such  a  writing  without  lying  and 
dishonoring  yourself  forever? '  And,  behold !  to-day  you  cry  to  my  breth- 
ren to  destroy  and  abandon  me,  when  you  know  that  the  position  in  which 
I  stand  Is  but  the  result  of  my  refusal  to  sign  a  most  infamous,  lying  and  de- 
grading document, 

•'These  things,  and  many  others  which  you  know,  would  serve 
wonderfully  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  people  upon  the  awful  abuse  of  power 
which  certain  bishops  are,  every  day,  guilty.  This  would  aid  to  unmask  cer- 
tain modern  divinities  who  pretend  that  we  can  not  go  to  heaven  without 
their  permission ;  who  preach  that  it  is  not  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  a 
certain  passport,  of  which  they  hold  the  "patent,  which  asiures  us  a  place 
among  the  elects  of  God.  A  sentence  founded  upon  a  public  lie,  and  which 
was  resisted,  can  not  constitute  a  schism.  Christian  men  who,  like  the  Cath- 
olics of  Chicago,  Kankakee  and  St.  Anne,  resist  iniquity  may  be  condemned 
by  men,  but  not  by  God. 

<'I  was  not  suspended  on  the  t9th  of  August,  and  so,  I  could  exercise  the 
holy  functions  of  my  ministry  the  following  morning  and  after.  It  is  the 
church  which  assures  me  of  this,  through  her  greatest  theologians.  As  it  is 
not  enough  to  say:  'My  God!'  My  God!'  to  be  saved;  so,  it  ip  not 
enough  to  cry:  'You  are  lost!  you  are  lost! '  for  one  to  I'!  lost.  The  Son 
of  God,  who  gave  his  life  to  save  man,  gave  us  a  thousand  proofs,  that  the 
salvation  of  our  soul  has  a  foundation  more  certain  than  the  capricious  will 
of  a  sinful  being.  He  has  given  to  no  one  the  power  to  save  or  condemn,  ac- 
cording to  his  pleasure.  If  some  bishops  and  priests  believe  this,  it  is  not 
the  faith  of  the  people  of  Chicago,  Kankakee  and  St.  Anne. 

"  I  will  tell  you  again,  my  dear  Mr.  Brassard,  that  if,  in  order  to  obey 
the  bishop  of  Montreal,  you  should  strip  me  of  the  little  honor  which  sur- 
rounds my  name  in  Canada ;  I  shall  still  never  forget  the  good  you  have  done 
Yes!  command  my  friends  to  betray  me,  to  trample  me  under  their 


me. 


feet,  to  turn  away  from  me  in  horror :  Never  will  you  be  able  to  weaken  my 

sentiments  of  respect  and  gratitude  for  you ! 

"I  will  still  love  and  bless  you ;  for  I  know  the  hand  which  forced  yours 

to  do  so.     I  will  always  know  that  your  own  heart  was  first  struck  and 

wounded  by  the  blows  they  commanded  you  to  give  to  your  friend  and  son 

in  Jesus  Christ. 

"C.  Chiniquy." 

The  effect  of  that  letter  upon   Mr.   Brassard  \/as  still  more 

powerful  than  I  had  expected.     Tt  forced  him  to  blush  at  his  own 

cowardice,  and  to  ask  me  pardon  for  the  unjust  sentence  he  had 


77a 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE    CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


passed  upon  me  to  obey  the  bishop.    Here  are  the  parts  of  tht 
letter  bearing  on  that  subject. 

St.  Roch,  39  Mai,  1857. 

MoMCHBR  ChiniquV: — *'Je  suis  plus  convainen  que  jamais  que  tu  n'ai 
jamais  ete  interdit  legalement,  depuis  que  j'ai  appris  par  Monseigneur  d( 
Montreal,  que  I'  eveque  de  Chicago  t'  a  interdit  de  vive  voix,  dano  sa  cham 
bre ;  ce  que  Ligoury  dit  etre  nul  te  de  nul  effet." 

I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  tliat  you  have  never  Ijeen  legally  inter 
dieted,  since  Bishop  Bourget  told  me  that  Bishop  O'Regan  had  interdictec 
you  privately, "  viva  voce  "  in  his  private  room.  Ligoury  says  that  it  is  i 
nullity  and  that  it  can  have  no  effect.  I  beg  your  pardon  for  what  I  wrot( 
against  you.  I  have  been  forced  to  do  it.  Because  I  had  not  yet  sufficientlj 
condemned  you,  and  that  my  name,  which  you  were  citing  in  your  writings 
was  giving  you  too  much  power,  and  a  too  clear  condemnation  of  Bishop 
O'Regan,  the  bishop  of  Montreal,  abusing  his  authority  over  me,  forced  me 
to  sign  that  document  against  you.  I  would  not  do  it  to-day  if  it  were  tc 
be  done  again .  Keep  silence  on  what  I  tell  you  in  this  letter.  It  is  all  con 
'fidential.     You  understand  it. 

Your  devoted  friend, 

L.  M.  Brassard. 

No  priest  in  Canada  had  more  deservedly  enjoyed  the  repu. 
tation  of  a  man  of  honor,  than  Mr.  Brassard.  Not  one  had  evei 
stood  so  high  in  my  esteem  and  respect.  His  sudden  and  uneX' 
pected  fall,  filled  my  heart  with  an  unspeakable  sadness.  I  maj 
say  that  it  snapped  the  last  thread  which  held  jne  to  the  churcl 
of  Rome.  Till  then,  it  was  not  only  my  hope,  but  my  firm  con 
viction,  that  there  were  many  honest,  upright  priests  in  tha 
church,  and  Mr.  Brassard  was,  to  me,  the  very  personification 
honesty. 

How  can  I  describe  the  shock  I  felt  when  I  saw  him,  ther^ 
in  the  mud,  a  monument  of  the  unspeakable  corruption  of 
church  I 

The  perfidious  Delilah  had  seduced  and  destroyed  this  mo^ 
em  Sampson,  enchained,  as  a  trembling  slave,  at  the  feet  of  tlf 
new  implacable  Moloch,"  The  authority  of  the  bishop!"  HehJ 
not  only  lost  the  fear  of  God,  and  the  respect  he  owed  to  himsel 
by  publicly  declaring  that  I  was  guilty,  when  he  knew  thatT 
was  innocent,  but  he  had  so  completely  lost  every  sentiment  [ 
honesty,  that  he  wanted  me  to  keep  secret  his  declaration  of 
innocence,  at  the  very  moment  he  was  inviting  my  whole  cot 


OF   ROME. 

are  the  parts  ol  the 

r.  RocH,  39  Mai,  1857. 
•n  que  jamais  que  tun'as 

,rl8  par  Monseigneur  de 

Vive  voix,  danR  sa  cham- 

never  been  legally  inter- 
O'Regan  had  interdicted 
Ligoury  says  that  it  is  a 
r  pardon  for  what  I  vrrote 
•  I  had  not  yet  sufficiently 
ere  citing  in  your  writings, 

condemnation  of  Bishop 
iiority  over  me,  forced  me 
tdoitto-dayif  itwere  to 

in  this  letter.  Itisallcon- 

l  friend, 

L.  M.  Brassard. 

edly  enjoyed  the  repu. 
ard.    Not  one  had  ever 

His  sudden  and  unex- 
•akable  sadness.  I  may 
h  held  me  to  the  church 

hope,  but  my  firm  con- 

upright  priests  in  that 
.e  very  personification  of 

when  I  saw  him,  there, 
ikable  corruption  of  my 

and  destroyed  this  mod- 
slave,  at  the  feet  of  the 

rofthebishopl"  He  had 

;spect  he  owed  to  himself, 
ly,  when  he  knew  that  I 
[y  lost  every  sentiment  of 
^ret  his  declaration  of  my 

I  inviting  my  whole  coun- 


DESAULNIER    NAMED    VICAR    GENERAL. 


773 


try,  through  the  press,  to  abhor  and  condenm  me  as  a  criminal  I 
I  read  again  and  again  the  strange  letter.  Every  word  of  it 
was  destroying  the  last  illusions  which  had  concealed  from  my 
mind,  the  absolute  and  incurable  perversity  of  the  church  of 
Rome.  I  had  no  hard  feelings  against  this  last  friend  whom  she 
had  poisoned  with  the  wine  of  her  prostitutions.  I  felt  only  a  pro« 
found  compassion  for  him.  I  pitied  and  forgave  him  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart.  But  every  word  of  his  letter  sounded  in 
my  ears,  as  the  warning  voice  of  the  angel  sent  to  save  Lot  from 
the  doomed  city  of  Sodom.  "  Escape  for  thy  life.  Look  not  be- 
hind thee;  neither  stay  thou  in  all  the  plain.  Escape  thou  to  ihe 
mountain  lest  thou  be  consumed." 


Chapter  LXIV. 


I  WBITB  TO  THE  FOFB  PIUS  IZ.  Ain>  TO  NAPOLEON,  BKPEBOI 
OF  FBANOE,  AND  SEND  THEM  THE  liEGAI.  AND  PUBLIC 
DOGUKENTS  PBOVINa  THE  BAD  CONDXTOT  OF  BISHOI 
O'BEOAN-OABDINAL  BIBINI  OBDEBED  TO  INVESTiaATE- 
THE  BISHOP  CALLED  TO  BOKE,  IS  FOBCED  TO  BESION  HIE 
POSITION  AND  BECOMES  A  BANKEB-BISHOP  SMITH,  01 
DUBUQUE,  NAMED  ADMINISTBATOB  OF  THE  DIOCESE  01 
0HICAGK>-aBAND  VICAB  DUNN  SENT  TO  TELL  ME  OF  MS 
VICTOBT  AT  BOME,  AND  THE  END  OF  OUB  TBOUBLE-I  OC 
TO  DXTBUOUE  TO  OFFEB  MT  SXTBMISSION  TO  THE  BISHOP- 
THE  PEACE  SEALED  AND  PUBLICLT  PBOCLAIMED  BH 
OBAND  VICAB  DUNN  THE  88TH  OF  MABCH,  1868. 

I  had  not  forgotten  the  advice  given  me  by  Archbishop  Kenrick, 
of  St.  Louis,  April  9,   1856,  to  address  my  complaints  tc 
the  Pope  himself.     But  the  terrible  difficulties  and  trials  whicl 
had  constantly  followed  each  other,  had  made  it  impossible  t< 
follow  that  advice.     The  betrayal  of  Mons.  Desaulnier  and  thi 
defection  of  Mons.  Brassard,  however,  had  so  strangely  compli 
cated  my  position,  that  I  felt  the  only  way  to  escape  the  wrecl 
which  threatened  myself  and  my  colony,  and  to  save  the  holj 
cause  God  had  entrusted  me,  was  to  strike  such   a  blow  to  01 
haughty  persecutor  that  he  could  not  survive  it.     I  determined 
send  to  the  Pope  all  the  public  accusations  which  had  been  legalll 
proved  and  published  against  the  bishop,  with  a  copy  of  tl 
numerous  and  infamous  suits  which  he  had  sustained  before  tli 
civil  courts,  and  had  almost  invariably  lost,  with  the  sentences' 
the  judges  who  had  condemned  him.     This  took  me  nearly  t\ 
months  of  the   hardest  labors   of  my  life.     I  had  gathered 
those  documents,  which  covered  more  than  200  pages  of  fool 
cap.     I  mailed  them  to  Pope  Pius  IX.,  accompanied  by  only  tl 
following  words :     "  Holy  Father,  for  the  sake  of  your  precioj 


lliiPiipiiliWWi^iff 


THE  PEACE  SEALED. 


775 


lambs  which  are  slaughtered  and  devoured  in  this  vast  diocese 
by  a  ravening  wolf.  Bishop  O'Regan,  and  in  the  name  of  our 
Savior  Jesus  Christ,  I  implore  your  Holiness  to  see  if  what  is 
contained  in  these  documents  is  correct  or  not.  If  everything  is 
found  correct,  for  the  sake  of  the  blood  shed  on  Calvary,  to  save 
our  immortal  souls,  please  take  away  from  our  midst,  the  un- 
worthy bishop  whose  daily  scandals  can  not  longer  be  tolerated 
by  a  Christian  people." 

In  order  to  prevent  the  Pope's  servants  from  throwing 
my  letter  with  those  documents  into  their  waste  paper  baskets, 
I  sent  a  copy  of  them  all  to  Napoleon  III.,  Emperor 
of  France,  respectfully  requesting  him  to  see,  through  bis 
ambassador  at  Washington,  and  his  consul  at  Chicago,  whether 
these  papers  contained  the  truth  or  not.  I  told  him  how  his  coun- 
trymen were  trampled  under  the  feet  of  Bishop  O'Regan,  and  how 
they  were  ruined  and  spoiled  to  the  benefit  of  the  Irish  people; 
how  the  churches  built  by  the  money  of  the  French  were  openly 
stolen,  and  transferred  to  the  emigrants  from  Ireland.  Napo- 
leon had  just  sent  an  army  to  punish  the  Emperor  of  China  on 
account  uf  some  injustice  done  to  a  Frenchman.  I  told  him  '<  the 
injustice  done  to  that  Frenchman  in  the  Chinese  Empire  is 
nothing  to  what  is  done  here  every  day,  not  against  one,  but 
hundreds  of  your  majesty's  countrymen.  A  word  from  the 
Emperor  of .  France  to  His  Holiness  will  do  here  what  your 
armies  have  done  in  China:  force  the  unjust  and  merciless  op- 
pressor of  the  French  of  Illinois  to  do  them  justice." 

I  ended  my  letter  by  saying : 

"  My  grandfather,  though  born  in  Spain,  married  a  French 
lady,  and  became,  by  choice  and  adoption,  a  French  citizen.  He 
became  a  captain  in  the  French  navy,  and  for  gallant  service, 
was  awarded  lands  in  Canada,  which  by  the  fate  of  war  fell  into 
the  hands  of  Great  Britain.  Upon  retiring  from  the  service  of 
France  he  settled  upon  his  estates  in  Canada,  where  my  father 
and  myself  were  born.  I  am  thus,  with  other  Canadians  who 
have  come  to  this  country,  a  British  subject  by  birth,  an  Ameri- 
can citizen  by  adoption,  but  French  still  in  blood  and  Roman 
Catholic  in  religion.     I,  therfore,  on  the  part  of  a  noble  French 


auM 


776 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE   CHURf'H   OF    ROME. 


people,  humbly  ask  your  majesty  to  aid  us  by  interceding  with 
his  holiness,  Pope  Pius  IX.,  to  have  these  outrages  and  wrongs 
righted." 

The  success  of  this  bold  step  was  more  prompt  and  complete 
than  I  had  expected.  The  emperor  was,  then,  all  powerful  a1 
Rome.  He  had  not  only  brought  the  Pope  from  Civita  Vecchis 
to  Rome,  after  taking  that  city  from  the  hands  of  the  Italian  Re- 
publicans,  a  few  years  before,  but  he  was  still  the  very  guardiar 
and  protector  of  the  Pope. 

A  few  months  later,  when  in  Chicago,  the  Grand  Vicai 
Dunn  showed  me  a  letter  from  Bishop  O'Regan,  who  had  beer 
ordered  to  gc  to  Rome  and  give  an  account  of  his  administration 
in  which  he  had  said :  **  One  of  the  strangest  things  which  has  oc- 
curred to  me  in  Rome,  is  that  the  influence  of  the  Emperor  Na- 
poleon is  against  me  here.  I  can  not  understand  what  right  he 
has  to  meddle  in  the  affairs  of  my  diocese." 

I  had  learned  since,  that  it  was  iieally  through  the  advice  oj 
Napoleon  that  Cardinal  Bidini,  who  had  been  previously  sent  tc 
the  United  States  to  inquire  about  the  scandal  given  by  Bisho{ 
O'Regan,  gave  his  opinion  in  our  favor.  The  cardinal,  having 
consulted  the  bishops  of  the  United  States,  who  unanimously  de 
nounced  O'Regan  as  unfit  and  unworthy  of  such  a  high  position 
immediately  ordered  him  to  go  to  Rome,  where  the  Pope  lincer 
emoniously  transferred  him  from  the  bishopric  of  Chicago  to  i 
diocese  extinct  more  than  i,aoo  years  ago,  called  "Dora."  Thi 
was  as  good  as  a  bishopric  in  the  moon.  He  consoled  himself  ii 
his  misfortune  by  drawing  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollar 
of  stolen  money  he  had  sent  at  different  times,  to  be  deposited  ii 
the  banks  of  Paris,  and  went  to  Ireland,  where  he  established 
bank,  and  died  in  1865. 

On  the  nth  of  March,  1858,  at  about  10  o'clock' p.  m.,  I  wa 
not  a  little  pleased  and  surprised  to  hear  the  voice  of  my  devote 
friend.  Rev.  M.  Dunn,  grand  vicar  of  Chicago,  asking  my  hos 
pitality  for  the  night.     His  first  words  were : 

*»  My  visit  here  must  be  absolutely  incognito.  In  orderin 
me  to  come  and  see  you,  the  bishop  of  Dubuque,  who  is  jus 
named  administrator  of  Chicago,  advised  me  to  come  as  secretl 


.;:-^-.!j.-i^'^-..j_^  ,,. 


THE    PEACE    SEALED. 


777 


.loo'clockp.  m.,Iwas 
the  voice  of  my  devoted 
:hicago,  asking  my  hos- 

ircre:  . 

incognito.    Inordenng 
f  Dubuque,  who  is  just 
me  to  come  as  secretly 


as  possible.  He  said :  <  Your  triumph  at  Rome  is  perfect.  You 
have  gained  the  greatest  victory  a  priest  ever  won  over  his  un- 
just bishop;  but  you  must  thank  the  Emperor  Napoleon  for  it. 
It  is  to  his  advice  which,  under  the  present  circumstances,  is 
equal  to  an  order,  that  you  owe  the  protection  of  the  Cardinal 
Bidini.  His  report  to  the  Pope  is,  that  all  the  documents  you 
sent  to  Rome  were  correct.  The  inquiry  of  the  cardinal  has 
brought  facts  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Pope,  still  more  compro- 
mising than  what  you  have  written  against  him.  Several  bish- 
ops of  the  United  States  have  unanimously  denounced  Bishop 
O'Regan  as  a  most  depraved  man,  entirely  unworthy  of  his  po- 
sition, and  have  advised  the  pope  to  ^ke  him  away  and  choose 
another  bishop  for  Chicago.  It  is  acknowledged,  at  Rome,  that 
all  the  sentences  pronounced  by  that  bishop  against  you,  are  un- 
just and  null.  Our  good  administrator  has  been  advised  to  put 
an  end,  at  once,  to  all  the  troubles  of  your  colony,  by  treating 
you  as  a  good  and  faithful  priest. 

«'  I  come  here,  not  only  to  congratulate  you  on  your  victory, 
but  also  to  thank  you,  in  my  name,  and  in  the  name  of  the  church, 
for  having  saved  our  diocese  from  such  a  plague;  for  Bishop 
O'Regan  was  a  real  plague.  A  few  more  years  of  such  admin- 
istration would  have  destroyed  our  holy  religion  in  Illinois. 
However,  as  you  handled  the  poor  bishop  pretty  roughly,  it  is 
suspected,  at  a  distance,  that  you  and  your  people  are  more  Prot- 
estants than  Catholics.  We  know  better  here;  for, from  the  be- 
ginning, it  was  evident  that  the  act  of  excommunication,  posted 
at  the  door  of  your  chapel  by  three  priests  too  drunk  to  know 
what  they  were  about,  is  a  nullity,  having  never  been  signed  by 
the  bishop.  It  was  a  shameful  and  saciilegious  comedy.  But, 
in  many  distant  places,  that  excommunication  was  accepted  as 
valid,  and  you  are  considered  by  many,  as  a  real  schismatic. 
Bishop  Smith  has  thought  it  advisable  to  ask  you  to  give  him  a 
written  and  canonical  act  of  submission,  which  he  will  publish  to 
show  the  world  that  you  are  still  a  good  Romam  Catholic  priest." 

I  thanked  the  grand  vicar  for  his  kind  words,  and  the  good 
news  he  was  giving  me,  and  I  asked  him  to  help  me  to  thank 
God  for  having  so  visibly  protected  and  guided  me  through   all 


i*-"- 


;  t"?  '  7  /  vi.-g!7p'*^ 


778 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OP    ROME. 


r^W.: 


these  terrible  difficulties.  We  both  knelt  and  repeated  the  sublim 
words  of  gratitude  and  joy  of  the  old  prophet :  **  Bless  the  Lore 
oh !  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  His  holy  name,"  et( 
(Ps  ciii.)  I  then  said  that  I  had  no  objection  to  give  the  renewed  a( 
of  my  faith  and  submission  to  the  church,  that  it  might  be  pul 
lished.  I  took  a  piece  of  paper,  and  with  emotion  of  joy  an 
gratitude  to  God,  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  express, 
slowly  prepared  to  write.  But  as  I  was  considering  what'forr 
I  should  give  to  that  document,  a  sudden,  strange,  thought  struc 
my  mind :  "  Is  this  not  the  golden  opportunity  to  put  an  end  t 
the  terrible  temptations  which  have  shaken  my  faith  and  dii 
tressed  me  for  so  many  years,  I  said  to  myself : 

"  Is  not  this  a  providential  opportunity  to  silence  those  tnyi 
terious  voices  which  are  troubling  me  almost  every  hour?  Tha 
in  the  church  of  Rome,  we  do  not  follow  the  Word  of  God,  bi 
the  lying  traditions  of  men  ?" 

I  determined  then  to  frame  my  act  of  submission  in  such 
way  that  I  would  silence  those  voices,  and  be,  more  than  evei 
sure  that  my  faith,  the  faith  of  my  dear  church,  which  had  ju! 
given  me  such  a  glorious  victory  at  Rome,  was  based  upon  th 
Holy  Word  of  God,  on  the  divine  doctrines  of  the  gospel.  I  the 
wrote  down,  in  my  own  name  and  in  the  name  of  my  people : 

"  My  lord  Bishop  Smith,  bishop  of  Dubuque  and  administrator  of  the  di 
cese  of  Chicago : — We  vrant  to  live  and  die  in  the  holy  Catholic,  apostol 
and  Roman  church,  out  of  which  there  is  no  salvation,  and .  to  prove  this 
your  lordship,  we  promise  to  obey  the  authority  of  the  church  according 
the  word  and  commandments  of  God  as  we  find  them  expressed  in  the  gc 
pel  of  Christ.  "C.  Chiniquy." 

I  handed  this  writing  to  Mr.  Dunn,  and  said : 

«'  What  do  you  think  of  this  act  of  submission  ? "   He  quick 
read  it,  and  answered: 

« It  is  just  what  we  want  from  you." 

"  All  right,"  I  rejoined.     "  But  I  fear  the  bishop  will  not 
cept  it.     Do  you  not  see  that  I  have  put  a  condition  to  our  st: 
mission?     I  say  that  we  will  submit  ourselves  to  the  bishop's 
thority,  but  only  according  to  the  Word  of  God  and  the  gos] 
of  Christ." 

"  Is  not  that  good  ?  "  quickly  replied  Mr.  Dunn. 


.ij^ij^ifiiiiw 


OF    ROME. 

I  repeated  the  sublime 
let:  «  Bless  the  Lord, 
His  holy  name,"  etc. 
ogive  the  renewed  act 
that  it  might  be  pub- 
h  emotion  of  joy  and 
ipossible  to  express,  I 
considering  what'f  orm 
itrange,  thought  struck 
tunity  to  put  an  end  to 
iken  my  faith  and  dis- 

yself : 

yto  silence  those  mys- 

nost  every  hour?  That, 
^r  the  Word  of  God,  but 

of  submission  in  such  a 
and  be,  more  than  ever, 
church,  which  had  just 
me,  was  based  upon  the 
nes  of  the  gospel.  I  then 

e  name  of  my  people: 

and  administrator  of  the  dio- 

the  holy  Catholic,  apostolc 

avation,and  to  prove  this  to 

"y  of  the  church  according  to 
id  them  expressed  in  the  go8. 
"C.  Chiniquy.' 

and  said : 
Lubmission?"   Heqmckly 

m 

ar  the  bishop  will  not  ac- 
L  a  condition  to  our  sub- 
frselves  to  the  bishop's  au- 

td  of  God  and  the  gospel 
Id  Mr.  Dunn. 


THB    PEACE    SEALED. 


779 


••Yes,  my  dear  Mr.  Dunn,  this  is  good,  very  good  indeed,"  I 
answered,  ••  But  my  fear  is  that  it  is  too  good  for  the  bishop  and 
the  Pope!" 

♦♦  What  do  you  mean  ? "  he  replied. 

••  I  mean  that  though  this  act  of  submission  is  very  good,  I 
fear  lest  the  Pope  and  the  bishop  reject  it." 

"  Please  explain  yourself  more  clearly,"  answered  the  grand 
vicar.    ••!  do  not  understand  the  reason  for  such  a  fear." 

♦«My  dear  Mr.  Dunn,"  I  continued, «'  I  must  confess  to  you 
here,  a  thing  which  is  known  only  to  God.  I  must  show  you  a 
bleeding  wound  which  is  in  my  soul  for  many  years :  A  wound 
which  has  never  been  healed  by  any  of  the  remedies  I  have  ap- 
plied to  it.  It  is  a  wound  which  I  ne^er  dared  to  show  to  any 
man,  except  to  my  confessor,  though  it  has  often  made  me  suffer 
almost  the  tortures  of  hell.  You  know  well  that  there  is  not  a  living 
priest  who  has  studied  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  the  Holy  Fathers, 
with  more  attention  and  earnestness,  these  last  few  years,  than  I 
have.  It  was  not  only  to  strengthen  my  own  faith,  but  also, 
the  faith  of  our  people,  and  to  be  able  to  fight  the  battles  of  our 
church  against  her  enemies,  that  I  spent  so  many  hours  of  my 
days  and  nights  in  those  studies. 

But,  though  I  am  confounded  and  ashamed  to  confess  it  to 
you,  I  must  do  it.  The  more  I  have  studied  and  compared  the 
Holy  Scriptures  and  the  Holy  Fathers  with  the  teachings  of  our 
church,  the  more  my  faith  has  been  shaken,  and  the  more  I  have 
been  tempted  to  think,  in  spite  of  myself,  that  our  church  has, 
long  ago,  given  up  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Holy  Fathers,in 
order  to  walk  in  the  muddy  and  crooked  ways  of  human  and 
false  traditions.  Yes !  the  more  I  study,  the  more  I  am  troubled 
by  the  strange  and  mysterious  voices  which  haunt  me  day  and 
night,  saying: 

«'  Do  you  not  see  that  in  your  church  of  Rome,  you  do  not 
follow  the  Word  of  God,  but  only  the  lying  traditions  of  men  ?  " 

"  What  is  more  strange  and  painful  is  that,  the  more  I  pray 
to  God  to  silence  these  voices,  the  louder  they  repeat  the  same 
distressing  things.  It  is  to  put  an  end  to  those  awful  tempta- 
tions that  I  have  written  this  conditional  submission.     I  want  to 


78o 


FIFTY    YEARS     IN     THE   CHURCH    OF   ROME. 


prove  to  myself  that  I  will  obey  the  Word  of  God  and  the  gosp« 
of  Christ,  in  our  church,  and  I  shall  be  happy  all  the  rest  of  m 
life,  if  the  bishops  accept  this  submission.  But  I  fear  it  will  b 
rejected."     Mr.  Dunn  promptly  replied : 

**  You  are  mistaken,  my  dear  Mr.  Chiniquy.  I  am  sure  th) 
our  bishop  will  accept  this  document  as  canonical,  and  sufficiet 
to  show  your  orthodoxy  to  the  world." 

"  If  it  be  so,"  I  replied,  "  I  will  be  a  mo3t  happy  man."  ] 
was  agreed  that  on  the  25th  of  March,  I  would  go  with  him  t 
Dubuque,  to  present  my  act  of  submission  to  the  administrator  ( 
the  diocese,  after  the  people  had  signed  it.  Accordingly,  at  7  I 
M.  on  that  day,  we  both  took  the  train  at  Chicago  for  Dubuqu 
where  we  arrived  next  morning.  At  1 1  A.  M.,  I  went  to  tl* 
palace  of  the  bishop,  who  received  me  with  marks  of  the  utmo 
cordiality  and  affection.  I  presented  him  our  written  act  of  sul 
mission  with  a  trembling  hand,  fearing  he  would  reject  it.  E 
read  it  twice,  and  throwing  his  arms  around  me,  he  pressed  n 
to  his  heart.  I  felt  his  tears  of  joy  mixed  with  mine,  rollin 
down  my  cheeks,  as  he  said : 

<'How  happy  I  am  to  see  that  submission!     How  happy  tl 
Pope  and  all  the  bishops  of.  the  United  States  will  be  to  hear 
it,  for  I  will  not  conceal  it  from  you;  we  feared  that  both  yc 
and  your  people  would  separate  from  the  church  by  refusing 
submit  to  her  authority." 

I  answered  that  I  was  not  less  happy  to  see  the  end  of  tho 
painful  difficulties,  and  I  promised  him  that,  with  the   help 
God,  our  holy  church  would  not  have  a  more  faithful  priest  th; 
myself. 

While  engaged  in  that  pleasant  conversation,  the  dinner  ho 
came.  He  gave  me  the  pi  ice  of  honor  on  his  right,  before  the  tv 
grand  vicars,  and  noticing  could  be  more  pleasant  than  the  time  a 
spent  around  the  b'.bi ;,  which  was  served  with  a  good  and  w 
prepared,  though  frugal  meal.  I  was  happy  to  see  that  t 
bishop,  with  his  priests,  were  teetotalers.  No  wine  nor  beer 
tempt  the  weak.  Before  the  dinner  was  over,  the  bishop  si 
to  Mr.  Dunn: 

"  You  will  accompany  Mr.  Chiniquy  to  St.  Anne,  in  ort 


■^itt&;^:fiiiy^^ 


N'^T  '7 


THE    PEACE    SEALED. 


781 


versation,  the  dinner  hour 
1  his  right,  before  the  two 

jleasant  than  the  time  we 
ed  with  a  good  and  well 

happy  to  see  that  the 
rs.    No  -wine  nor  beer  to 

as  over,  the  bishop  said 

uy  to  St.  Anne,  in  order 


to  announce,  in  my  name,  to  the  people,  the  restoration  of  peace, 
next  Sabbath.  No  doubt  it  will  be  joyful  news  to  the  colony 
of  Father  Chiniquy. 

"  After  so  many  years  of  hard  fighting,  the  pastor  and  the 
people  of  St.  Anno  will  enjoy  the  days  of  peace  and  rest  which 
are  now  secured  to  them." 

Then,  addressing  himself  to  me,  the  bishop  said : 

«'  The  only  condition  of  that  peace  is  that  you  will  spend 
fifteen  days  in  retreat  and  meditation  in  one  of  the  religious 
houses  you  will  choose  yourself.'  I  think  that,  after  so  much 
noise  and  exciting  controversies,  it  will  do  you  good  to  pass  those 
days  in  meditation  and  prayer,  in  some  of  our  beautiful  and 
peaceful  solitudes." 

I  answered  him :  "  If  your  lordship  had  not  offered  me  the 
favor  of  those  days  of  perfect  and  Christian  rest,  I  would  have 
asked  you  to  grant  it.  I  consider  it  as  a  crowning  of  all  your 
acts  of  kindness  to  offer  rne  those  few  days  of  calm  and  medita- 
tion, after  the  terrible  storms  of  those  last  three  years.  If  your 
lordship  has  no  objection  to  my  choice,  I  will  go  to  the  beauti- 
ful solitude  where  M.  Saurin  has  built  the  celebrated  Monastery, 
College  and  University  of  St.  Joseph,  Indiana.  I  hope  that 
nothing  will  prevent  my  being  there  next  Monday.  After 
going,  next  Sabbath,*  in  the  company  of  Grand  Vicar  Dunn,  to 
proclaim  the  restoration  of  the  blessed  peace  to  my  people  of 
St.  Anne." 

"  You  cannot  make  a  better  choice,"  answered  the  bishop. 

"  But,  my  lord,"  I  rejoined,  "  I  hope  your  lordship  will  have 
no  objection  to  give  me  a  written  assurance  of  the  perfect  res- 
toration of  that  long-sought  peace.  There  are  people  who,  I 
know,  will  not  believe  me,  when  I  tell  them  how  quickly  and 
nobly  your  lordship  has  put  an  end  to  all  those  deplorable  diffi- 
culties. I  want  to  show  them  that  I  stand,  to-day,  in  the  same 
relation  with  my  superiors  and  the  church  in  which  I  stood  pre- 
vious to  these  unfortunate  strifes." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  bishop,  "  you  are  in  need  of  such  a 
document  from  your  bishop,  and  you  shall  have  it.  I  will  write 
it  at  once." 


B«-'%if^''i>  .'-'ji^*^^-^ 


782 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


But,  he  had  not  yet  written  two  lines,  when  Mr.  Du 
looked  at  his  watch  and  said :  "  We  have  not  a  minute  to  lo 
if  we  want  to  be  in  time  for  the  Chicago  train." 

I  then  said  to  the  bishop :  "  Please,  my  lord,  address  me  tl 
important  document  to  Chicago,  where  I  will  get  it  at  the  po 
oflice,  on  my  way  to  the  University  of  St.  Joseph,  next  Monda 
your  lordship  will  have  plenty  of  time  to  write  it,  this  afti 
noon." 

The  bishop,  having  consented,  I  hastily  took  leave  of  hi 
with  Mr.  Dunn,  after  having  received  his  benediction. 

On  our  way  back  to  St.  Anne,  the  next  day,  we  stopped 
Bourbonnais  to  see  the  grand  vicar  Mailloux,  one  of  the  prie 
who  had  been  sent  by  the  bishops  of  Canada  to  help  my  lo 
O'Regan  to  crush  me.  We  found  him  as  he  was  going  to  1 
dining  room  to  take  his  dinner.  He  was  visibly  humiliated  1 
the  comple  defeat  of  Bishop  O'Regan,  ai:  Rome. 

After  Mr.  Dunn  had  told  him  that  he  was  sent  to  proclai 
peace  to  the  people  of  St.  Anne,  he  coldly  asked  the  writt 
proof  of  that  strange  news. 

Mr.  Dunn  answered  him :  •♦  Do  you  think,  sir,  that  I  won 
be  mean  enough  to  tell  you  a  lie  ? " 

"  I  do  not  say  that  you  are  telling  me  a  lie,"  replied 
Mailloux,  "  I  believe  what  you  say.     But,  '.  want  to  know 
condition  of  that  unexpected  peace.     Has  Mr.  Chiniquy  m; 
his  submission  to  the  church  r  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  "  here  is  a  copy  of  my  act  of  subn 
sion." 

He  read  it,  and  coldly  said :  <^  This  is  not  an  act  of  submiss 
to  the  church,  but  only  to  the  authority  of  the  Gospel,  which  i 
very  different  thing.  This  document  can  be  presented  bji 
Protestant;  but,  it  cannot  be  offered  by  a  Catholic  priest  to 
bishop.  I  cannot  understand  how  our  bishop  did  not  see  tha 
once." 

Mr.  Dunn  answered  him :  *<  My  dear  grand  vicar  Maillou 
have  always  been  told  that  it  does  not  do  to  be  more  loyal  than 
king.  My  hope  was  that  you  would  rejoice  with  us  at  the  n< 
of  the  peace.     I  am  sorry  to  see  that  I  was  mistaken.    Howe 


THE    PEACE    SEALED. 


783 


11  think,  sir,  that  I  would 


py  of  my  act  of  submis- 


I  must  tell  you  that  if  you  want  to  fight,  you  will  have  nobody 
to  fight  against;  for  Father  Chiniquy  was,  yesterday,  accepted 
as  a  regular  priest  of  our  holy  church  by  the  administrator. 
This  ought  to  satisfy  you." 

I  listened  to  the  unpleasant  conversation  of  those  two  grand 
vicars,  with  painful  feelings,  without  saying  a  word.  For,  I 
was  troubled  by  those  mysterious  voices  which  were  reiterating 
in  my  mind  the  cry':  "  Do  you  not  see  that  in  the  Church  of 
Rome,  you  do  not  follow  the  Word  of  God,  but  only  the  lying 
traditions  of  men  ?  "  , ,  ' 

I  felt  much  relieved,  when  I  left  the  house  of  that  so  badly 
disposed  confrere,  to  come  to  St.  Anne,  where  the  people  had 
gathered  on  the  public  square,  to  receive  us,  and  rend  the  air 
with  their  cries  of  joy  at  the  happy,  news  of  peace. 

The  next  day,  27th  of  March,  was  Palm  Sunday,  one  of  the 
grand  festivities  of  the  Church  of  Rome;  there  was  an  immense 
concourse  of  people,  attracted  not  only  by  the  religious  solemnity 
of  the  feast;  but  also  by  the  desire  to  see  and  hear  the  deputy  sent 
by  their  bishop  to  proclaim  peace.  He  did  it  in  a  most  elegant 
English  address,  which  I  translated  into  French.  He  presented 
me  a  blessed  palm,  and  I  offered  him  another  loaded  with  beau- 
tiful flowers,  in  the  presence  of  the  people,  as  a  public  sign  of  the 
concord  which  was  restored  between  my  colony  and  the  au- 
thorities of  the  church. 

That  my  Christian  readers  may  understand  my  blindness,  and 
the  niercies  of  God  towards  me,  I  must  confess  here,  to  my 
shame,  that  I  was  glad  to  have  made  my  peace  with  those  sinful 
men,  which  was  not  peace  with  my  God.  But,  that  great  God  had 
looked  down  upon  me  in  mercy.  He  was  soon  to  break  that 
peace  with  the  great  apostate  church,  which  is  poisoning  the 
world  with  the  wine  of  her  enchantments,  that  I  might  walk,  in 
the  light  uf  the  Gospel  and  possess  that  peace  and  joy  which 
passeth  all  understanding. 


■•».-* 


*; 


Chapter  LXV. 

BZOELI^NT  TESTIMONIAI.  FBOMmr  BISHOP-MTBBTRBAT- 
OBAND  VIOAB  SAUBIN  AND  ^I8  ASSISTANT,  BBV.  U. 
aXtANOBB-OBAND  VIOAB  DUNN  WBITES  KB  ABOUT  THB 
NEW  STOBM  PBBFABED  BY  THE  JESXTITS-BISHOF  SSUTH 
OBDEBS  MB  BACK  TO  DUBUQUE-HE  BEJEOTS  THB  ACTS  OF 
SUBMISSION-THB  VOIOB  OF  OOD-THB  BISHOP  BEaUIBES 
A  NEW  AOT  OF  SUBUISSION-I BEFUSB  IT-YISION-OHBIST 
OFFEBS  HIUSBLF  AS  A  QIFT-I  AM  FOBOIVBN,  BIOH, 
HAPP'S'  AND  SAVED-BACK  TO  MT  PEOPIiB. 

BISHOP  SMITH  had  fulfilled  his  promise  in  addressing  to 
n^e  a  testimonial  letter,  which  would  show  to  both  friends 
and  foes  that  the  most  honorable  and  lasting  peace  between  us 
was  to  succeed  the  deplorable  years  of  strife  through  which  we 
had  just  passed.  I  read  it  with  grand  vicar  Dunn,  who  was  not 
less  pleased  than  I  with  the  kind  expressions  of  esteem  towards 
my  people  and  myself  with  which  it  was  filled.  I  had  never 
had  a  document  in  which  my  private  and  public  character  were 
so  kindly  appreciated.  I  put  it  in  my  portfolio  as  the  most  pre- 
cious treasure  I  had  ever  possessed,  and  my  gratitude  to  the 
bishop  who  had  written  such  friendly  lines,  was  boundless. 
I,  at  once,  addressed  a  short  letter  to  thank  and  bless  him :  and  I 
requested  him  to  pray  for  me  during  the  happy  days  of  retreat 
I  was  to  spend  at  the  monastery  of  St.  Joseph. 

The  venerable  grand  vicar  Saurin,  and  his  assistant,  Rev.  M. 
Granger,  received  me  as  two  Christian  gentlemen  receive  a 
brother  priest,  and  I  may  say  that,  during  my  stay  in  the  mon- 
astery,  they  constantly  overwhelmed  me  with  the  most  sincere 
marks  of  kindness.  I  found  in  them  both*  the  very  best  types 
of  priests  of  Rome.  A  volume,  and  not  a  chapter,  would  be  re- 
quired, were  I  to  tell  what  I  saw  thereof  the  zeal,  devotedness, 
ability  and  marvelous  success  of  their  labors.     Suffice  it  to  say, 

78* 


w 


[k:^  V^M 


mmmm- 


m 


m. 


EXCELLENT   TESTIMONIAL. 


785 


that  grand  vicar  Saurin  is  justly  considered  one  of  the  hirgest  and 
highest  intellects  Rome  has  ever  given  to  the  United  States. 
There  is  not,  perhaps,  a  man  who  has  done  so  much  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  that  church  in  this  country  as  that  highly  gifted 
priest.  My  esteem,  respect,  I  venture  to  say,  my  veneration  for 
him,  increased  every  time  I  had  the  privilege  of  conversing  with 
him.     The  only  things  which  pained  me  were: 

1st.  When  some  of  his  inferior  monks  came  to  speak  to 
him,  they  had  to  kneel  and  prostrate  themselves  as  if  he 
had  been  a  god,  and  they  had  to  remain  in  that  humble  and 
degrading  posttire,  till,  with  a  sign  of  his  hand  or  a  word  from 
his  lips,  he  told  them  to  rise. 

2nd.  Though  he  promised  to  the  numerous  Protestant  par- 
ents, who  entrusted  their  boys  and  girls  to  his  care  for  their  edu- 
cation, never  to  interfere  with  their  religion,  he  was,  neverthe- 
less, incessantly  proselytizing  them.  Several  of  his  Protestant 
pupils  were  received  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  renounced  the 
religion  of  their  fathers,  in  my  presence,  on  the  eve  of  Easter  of 
that  year. 

While,  as  a  priest,  I  rejoiced  in  the  numerous  conquests 
of  my  church  over  her  enemies,  in  all  our  colleges  and  nun- 
neries, I  objected  to  the  breach  of  promise,  always  connected 
with  those  conversions.  I,  however,  then  thought,  as  I  think 
to-day,  that  a  Protestant  who  takes  his  children  to  a  Roman 
Catholic  priest  or  a  nun  for  their  education,  had  no  religion. 

It  is  simply  an  absurdity  to  promise  that  we  will  respect  the 
religion  of  a  man  who  has  none.  How  can  we  respect  that 
which  does 'not  exist? 

As  a  general  thing,  there  are  too  few  people  who  understand 
the  profound  meaning  of  our  Saviour's  words  to  his  disciples: 
"  Come  ye  yourselves  apart  into  a  desert  place  and  rest  a  while." 
These  words,  uttered  after  the  apostles  had  gathered  themselves 
together  unto  Jesus,  and  told  him  all  things  both  what  they  had 
done  and  taught,  ought  to  receive  more  attention,  on  the  part  of 
those  whom  the  Son  of  God  has  chosen  to  continue  the  great 
work  of  preaching  his  Gospel  to  the  world.  I  had  never  before 
so  well  realized  how  good  it  was  to  be  alone  with  Christ,  and 


7S6 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


tell  him  nil  I  had  done,  said  and  taught.  Those  few  days  ol 
rest  and  communion  with  my  Saviour  were  one  of  the  greates 
favors  jTiy  merciful  God  had  ever  given  me. 

My  principal  occupation  was  to  read  and  meditate  on  the  Gos 
pel.  That  divine  book  had  never  been  so  precious  to  me  a: 
since  God  had  directed  me  to  put  it  as  the  fundamental  stone  of  mj 
faith  in  the  act  of  submission  I  had  just  given  to  my  bishop :  am 
my  church  had  never  been  so  dear  to  me  as  since  she  had  accep 
ted  that  conditional  submission.  I  felt  ,^  a  holy  pride  and  joy  a 
having  finally  silenced  the  voice  of  the  enemy  which,  so  often 
troubled  my  faith  by  crying  to  my  soul :  "  Do  you  not  see  that  ii 
your  Church  of  Rome,  you  do  not  follow  the  Word  of  God,  bu 
only  the  lying  traditions  of  men."  My  church,  through  he; 
bishop,  had  just  given  me  what  I  considered  an  infallible  assur 
ance  of  the  contrary,  by  accepting  the  document  signed  by  m( 
and  by  my  people,  where  we  had  clearly  said  that  we  woul( 
never  obey  any  authority  or  any  superior,  except  when  "  thei: 
orders  or  doctrines  would  be  based  upon  the  Gospel  of  Christ.' 
My  soul  was  rejoicing  in  those  thoughts,  when  on  the  5th  o: 
April  (Monday  after  Easter)  grand  vicar  Saurin  handed  me  : 
letter  from  Mr.  Dunn,  telling  me  that  a  new  storm,  brought  b; 
the  Jesuits,  and  more  formidable  than  the  past  ones,  was  abou 
to  break  on  me ;  that  I  had  to  prepare  for  new  and  more  seriou 
conflicts  than  I  had  ever  experienced. 

The  next  morning,  Mr.  Saurin  handed  ine  another  lette 
from   the   Bishop  of  Dubuque,  and  with  a  sympathy  which 
will  never  forget,  he  said: 

**  I  am  sorry  to  see  that  you  are  not  at  the  end  of  your  troi 
bles,  as  you  expected. 

«*  Bishop  Smith  orders  you   back    to   Dubuque   with   won 
which  are  far  from  being  friendly." 

But,  strange  to  say,  this  bad  news,  which  would  have  sac 
dened  and  discouraged  me,  in  other  circumstances,  left  me  pe 
fectly  calm  and  cheerful  on  that  day.  In  my  dear  Gospel,  whic 
had  been  my  daily  bread,  the  last  eight  days,  I  had  found  t 
helmet  for  my  head,  the  breastplate  and  the  shield  to  protect  m 
and  the  unconquerable  sword  with  which  to  fight. 


EXCELLENT    TESTIMONIAL. 


7S7 


at  the  end  of  your  trou- 
,   Dubuque   with  words 

which  would  have  sad- 
lumstanccs,  left  me  per- 
1  my  dear  Gospel,  which 
days,  I  had  found  the 

the  shield  to  protect  me, 
ch  to  fight. 


From  every  page,  I  heard  my  Saviour's  voice:  "  Fear  not,  i 
am  with  thee." 

When,  on  my  way  back  to  Dubuque,  I  stopped  at  Chicago, 
to  know  from  my  faithful  friend,  Mr.  Dunn,  the  cause  of  the 
new  storm.     He  said: 

♦'  You  remember  how  grand  vicar  Mailloux  was  displeased 
with  the  conditional  submission  you  had  given  to  the  bishop.  As 
soon  as  we  had  left  him,  he  sent  the  young  priest  who  is  with 
him,  to  the  Jesuits  of  Chicago,  to  tell  them  that  the  authority  of 
the  church  and  of  the  bishop  would  be  forever  lost,  if  Chiniquy 
were  allowed  to  submit  on  such  a  condition.  He  wanted  the  m 
to  notice  that  it  was  not  to  the  authority  of  the  bishops  and  the 
church  you  had  submitted;  but  9nly  to  the  authority  of  the 
Bible.  The  Jesuits  were  of  the  same  mind.  They  immediately 
sent  to  Dubuque,  and  said  to  the  bishop:  '  Do  you  not  see  that 
Chiniquy  is  a  disguised  Protestant;  that  he  has  deceived  you  by 
presenting  you  such  an  act  of  submission.  Does  not  yqur  lord- 
ship see  that  Chiniquy  has  not  submitted  himself  to  your  author- 
ity, but  to  the  authority  of  his  Bible  alone?  Do  you  not  fear 
that  the  whole  body  of  the  bishops  and  the  Pope  himself  will 
condemn  you  for  having  fallen  into  the  trap  prepared  by  that 
disguised  Protestant? 

«  Our  administrator,  though  a  good  man  when  left  to  himself, 
is  weak,  and  like  soft  wax,  can  be  manipulated  in  every  way.* 

"  The  Jesuits  who  want  to  rule  the  priests  and  the  church 
with  an  iron  rod,  and  who  are  aiming  to  chalnge  the  Pope  and 
the  bishops  into  the  most  heartless  tyrants,  have  advised  the  ad- 
ministrator to  force  you  to  give  ah  unconditional  act  of  submis- 
tion.  It  is  not  the  Word  of  God  which  must  rule  us,  now.  It  is 
the  old  Jupiter,  who  is  coming  back  to  rule  us  under  the  name  of 
a  modern  divinity,  called  *  the  authority  of  the  bishops.'  The 
administrator  and  the  Jesuits  themselves,  have  telegraphed  your 
submission  to  several  bishops  who  have  unanimously  answered 
that  it  must  be  rejected,  and  another  given,  without  condition,  re- 
quested from  you.  You  were  evidently  too  correct,  when  you 
told  me,  the  other  day,  that  your  act  of  submission  was  too  good 
for  the  bishops  and  the  Pope.     What  will  you  do?  " 


788 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


I  replied:  «  I  do  not  know  what  I  will  do,  but  be  sure  o 
this,  my  dear  Mr.  Dunn,  I  will  do  what  our  great  and  mercifu 
God  will  tell   me." 

"  Very  well,  very  well,"  he  answered,  "  May  God  help  you !"' 

After  warmly  shaking  hands  with  me,  I  left  to  take  th 
train  for  Dubuque  where  I  arrived,  next  morning.  I  went  im 
mediately  to  the  bishop''s  palace.  I  found  him  in  the  compan; 
of  a  Jesuit,  and  I  felt  myself  as  a  poor  helpless  ship  between  tw 
threatening  icebergs. 

"  Your  lordship  wants  to  see  me  again,"  I  said. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  want  to  see  you  again,"  he  answered. 

«  What  do  you  want  from  me  my  lord?"  I  replied. 

"  Have  you  the  testimonial  letter  I  addressed  to  you,  at  Ch 
<    jjo,  last  week." 

"  Yes  my  lord,  I  have  it  with  me." 

»•  Will  you  please  show  it  to  me,"  he  replied. 

«*  vviih  pleasure,  here  it  is:"  and  I  handed  him  the  precioi 
document. 

As  soon  as  he  had  assured  himself  that  it  was  the  very  lettc 
in  question,  he  ran  to  the  stove  and  threw  it  into  the  fire.  I  fe 
so  puzzled  at  the  action  of  my  bishop,  that  I  remained  almo 
paralyzed;  but  soon,  coming  to  myself,  I  i*an,  to  save  from  tl 
flames,  that  document  which  was  more  valuable  and  precious 
to  me  than  all  the  gold  of  California,  but  it  was  too  late, 
was  in  ashes. 

I  turned  to  the  bishop  and  said :  "  How  can  you  take  f rol 
me  a  document  which  is  my  property,  and  destroy  it  without 
permission?" 

He  answered  me  with  an  impudence  that  cannot  be  expressl 
on  paper:  "  I  am  your  superior,  and  have  no  account  to  give  yoiT 

1  replied:  «*  Yes,  my  lord,  you  are  my  superior  indeed.   Y| 
are  a  great  bishop  in  our  church,  and  I  am  nothing  but  a  pc 
miserable  priest." 

"  But,  there  is  an  Almighty  God  in  heaven,  who  is  as  mi 
above  you  as  he  is  above  me.     That  great  God  has  granted 

*  That  same  Mr.  Dunn  was  also  excommunicated,  not  long  after,  by  his  bishop, 
died  after  publiciy  refusing  to  be  relieved  from  that  sentence. 


BXCBLLBNT    TESTIMONIAL. 


789 


OF  KOMB. 

1  do,  but  be  sure  of 
ir  great  and   merciful 

May  God  help  you  r* 
ne,  I  left  to  take  the 
norning.    I  went  im- 
him  in  the  company 
pless  ship  between  two 

n  »  I  said, 
le  answered. 
rd?"  T  replied. 
Idressed  to  you,  at  Chi- 


replied. 

anded  him  the  precious 

It  it  was  the  very  letter 
;w  it  into  the  fire.     I  felt 

that  I  remained  almost 
I  ran,  to  save  from  the 
valuable  and  precious  to 

3ut  it  was  too  late.    It 

low  can  you  take  from 
nd  destroy  it  without  my 

..that  cannot  be  expressed 
re  no  account  to  give  you. » 
Tiy  superior  indeed.  You 
am  nothing  but  a  poor 

heaven,  who  is  as  much 
reat  God  has  granted  me 

not  long  after,  by  bU  bishop.  »d 
ntence. 


rights  which  I  will  never  give  up  to  please  any  man.     In  the 
presence  of  that  God,  I  protest  against  your  iniquity." 

«*Have  you  come  here  to  lecture  me?  "  replied  the  bishop. 

"  No,  my  lord,  I  did  not  come  to  lecture  you ;  I  come  at  your 
command,  but  I  want  to  know  if  it  was  to  insult  me  as  you  have 
just  done  that  you  requested  me  to  come  here  again." 

« I  ordered  you  to  come  here  again  because  you  deceived 
me  the  last  time  you  were  here,"  he  answered : «  you  gave  me  an 
act  of  submission  which  you  know  very  well  is  not  an  act  of  sub- 
mission. I  accepted  it  then,  But  I  was  mistaken ;  I  reject  it,  to-day." 

I  answered :  "  How  can  you  say  that  I  deceived  you  ?  The 
document  I  presented  you,  is  written  in  good,  plain  English.  It 
is  there,  on  your  table,  I  see  it:  you  read  it  twice,  and  under- 
stood it  well.  If  you  were  deceived  by  its  contents,  you  deceived 
yourself.  You  are,  then,  a  self-deceiver  and  you  cannot  accuse 
me  of  having  deceived  you." 

He  then  took  the  document,  read  it  slowly :  and  when  at  the 
words,  "we  submit  ourselves  to  your  authority,  according  to  the 
Word  of  God  as  we  find  it  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,"  he  stopped 
and  said:    "  What  do  you  mean  by  this? " 

I  answered,  "  I  mean  what  you  see  there.  I  mean  that  neither 
I  nor  my  people  will  ever  submit  ourselves  to  anybody,  except 
according  to  the  eternal  laws  of  truth,  justice  and  holiness  of 
God,  as  we  find  them  expressed  in  the  Bible." 

He  angrily  answered,  "  Such  language  on  your  part  is  sheer 
Protestantism.  I  cannot  accept  such  a  conditional  submission 
from  any  priest." 

Then,  again,  I  seemed  to  hear  the  mysterious  voice,  **  Do  you 
not  see  that  in  your  Church  of  Rome,  you  do  not  follow  the 
Word  of  God,  but  the  lying  traditions  of  men  ? " 

Thanks  be  to  God,  I  did  not  silence  the  voice  in  that  solemn 
hour. 

An  ardent,  though  silent  prayer,  went  from  the  bottom  of 
my  heart  to  the  mercy  seat.  With  all  the  fervor  of  my  soul  I 
said :  "  Oh  my  God  I  speak,  speak  again  to  thy  poor  servant, 
and  grant  me  the  grace  to  follow  thy  Holy  Word!"  I  then  siud 
to  the  bishop. 


790 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


'*  You  distress  me  by  rejecting  this  act  of  submission,  and 
asking  another.  Please  explain  yourself  more  clearly,  and  tell 
me  the  nature  of  the  new  one  you  require  from  me  and  my 
people." 

Taking  then  a  more  subdued  and  polite  tone,  the  bishop  said : 

"  I  hope,  Mr.  Chiniquy,  that,  as  a  good  priest,  you  do  not 
want  to  rebel  against  your  bishop,  and  that  you  will  give  me  the 
act  of  submission  I  ask  from  you.  Take  away  these  ♦  Words 
of  God,'  *  Gospel  of  Christ,'  and  » Bible,'  from  your  present 
document,  and  I  will  be  satisfied." 

**  But,  my  lord ;  with  my  people,  I  have  put  these  words 
because  we  want  to  obey  only  the  bishops  who  follow  the 
Word  of  God.  We  want  to  submit  only  to  the  church  which 
respects  and  follows  the  Gospel  of  Christ." 

In  an  irritated  manner,  he  quickly  answered :  "  Take  away 
from  your  act  of  submission,  those  ♦  Words  of  God,'  and  '  Gospel 
of  Christ'  and  ♦  Bible!'  or  I  will  punish  you  as  a  rebel." 

"  My  lord,"  I  replied,  "  those  expressions  are  there  to  show 
us  and  to  the  whole  world,  that  the  Word  of  God,  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  and  the  Bible,  are  the  fundamental  stones  of  our  holy 
church.  If  we  reject  those  precious  stones,  on  what  founda- 
tions will  our  church  and  our  faith  rest  ? " 

He  answered  angrily:  *«  Mr.  Chiniquy,  I  am  your  superior, 
I  do  not  want  to  argue  with  you :  You  are  my  inferior,  youi 
business  is  to  obey  me.  Give  me,  at  once,  an  act  of  submission, 
in  which  you  will  simply  say  that  you  and  your  people  will  sub- 
mit yourselves  to  my  authority,  and  promise  to  do  anything 
will  bid  you." 

I  calmly  answered :  <*  What  you  ask  me  is  not  an  act  of  sub- 
mission, it  is  an  act  of  adoration.  I  do  absolutely  refuse  to  give 
it." 

«  If  it  be  so,  sir,"  he  answered,  "  you   can   no   longer  be 
Roman  Catholic  priest." 

I  raised  my  hands  to  heaven,  and  cried  with  a  loud  voice 
«*  May  God  Almighty  be  forever  blessed." 

I  took  my  hat,  and  left  to  go  to  my  hotel.  When  alone,  ii 
viy  room,  I  locked  the  door  and  fell  on  my  knees,  to  consider,  ii 


[   OP    ROME. 


EXCELLENT   TESTIMONIAL 


791 


from  your  present 


can   no   longer  be   a 
led  with  a  loud  voice: 


the  presence  of  God,  what  I  had  just  done.  There,  the  awful, 
undeniable  truth  stared  me  in  the  face.  My  church  could  not 
be  the  Church  of  Christ !  That  sad  truth  had  noi  been  revealed 
to  me  by  any  Protestant,  nor  any  other  enemy  of  the  church.  It 
was  from  her  own  lips  I  had  got  it!  It  had  been  told  me  by 
one  of  her  most  learned  and  devoted  bishops!  My  church  was  the 
deadly,  the  irreconcil  able  enemy  of  the  Word  of  God,  as  I  had 
so  often  suspected !  I  was  not  allowed  to  remain  a  single  day 
longer  in  that  church  without  positively  and  publicly  giving  up 
the  Gospel  of  Christ!  It  was  evident  to  me  that  the  Gospel  was 
only  a  blind,  a  mockery  to  conceal  her  iniquities,  tyrannies, 
superstitions  and  idolatries.  The  only  use  of  the  Gospel  in  my 
church,  was  to  throw  dust  in  the  fives  of  the  priests  and  people! 
It  had  no  authority.  The  only  rule  and  guide  were  the  will,  the 
passions,  and  the  dictates  of  sinful  men! 

There,  on  my  knees,  and  alone  with  God,  it  was  evident  to 
me  that  the  voice  which  had  so  often  troubled  and  shaken  my 
faith,  was  the  voice  of  my  merciful  God  who  wanted  to  save  me. 
It  was  the  voice  of  my  dear  Saviour,  who  wanted  to  bring  me 
out  of  the  ways  of  perdition  in  which  I  was  walking.  And  I 
had  tried  so  often  to  silence  that  voice! 

"My  God!  my  God!"  I  cried,  «'The  Church  of  Rome  is 
not  thy  church.  To  obey  the  voice  of  my  conscience,  which  is 
thine,  I  gave  it  up.  When  I  had  the  choice  between  giving  up 
that  Church  or  the  Bible,  I  did  not  hesitate.  I  could  not  give 
up  thy  Holy  Word.  I  have  given  up  Rome!  But,  Oh  Lord, 
where  is  thy  church  ?  Oh !  speak ! !  where  must  I  go  to  be  saved  ?  " 

For  more  than  one  hour,  I  cried  to  God  in  vain ;  no  answer 
came.  In  vain,  I  cried  for  a  ray  of  light  to  guide  me.  The 
more  I  prayed  and  wept,  the  greater  was  the  darkness  which 
surrounded  me !  I  then  felt,  as  if  God  had  forsaken  me  and  an 
unspeakable  distress,  was  the  result  of  that  horrible  thought. 
To  add  to  that  distress,  the  thought  flashed  across  my  mind  that 
by  giving  up  the  Church  of  Rome,  I  had  given  up  the  church 
of  my  dear  father  and  mother,  of  my  brothers,  my  friends  and 
my  country:     In  fact,  all  that  was  near  and  dear  to  me! 

I  hope  that  none  of  my  readers  will  ever  experience  what  it 


79» 


FIFTY    YEARS    IV    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROMS. 


is  to  give  up  friends,  relatives,  parents,  honor,  country— eve 
thing!     I  did  not  regret  the  sacrifirc,  but  I  felt  as  if  I  could  i 
survive  it.     With  tears,  I  cried  to  God  for  more  strength  a 
faith  to  bear  the  cross  which  vras  laid  on  my  too  weak  should 
but  all  in  vnin. 

Then,  I  felt  that  an  implacable  war  was  to  be  declai 
against  me,  which  would  end  only  with  my  life.  The  Po 
the  bishops  and  priests,  all  over  the  world,  would  denounce  i\ 
curse  me.  They  would  attack  and  destroy  my  character,  i 
name  and  my  honor,  in  their  press,  from  their  pulpit,  and  in  th 
confessionals,  where  the  man  they  strike  can  never  know  whei 
the  blow  is  coming  I  Almost  in  despair,  I  tried  to  think  of  so 
one  who  would  come  to  my  help  in  that  formidable  conflict,  1 
could  find  none.  Every  one  of  the  millions  of  Roman  Cathol 
were  bound  to  curse  me.  My  best  friends — my  own  peoph 
even  my  own  brothers,  were  bound  to  look  upon  me  with  hor 
as  an  apostate,  a  vile  outcast !  Could  I  hope  for  help  or  p 
tection  from  Protestants?  No!  for  my  priestly  life  had  b« 
spent  in  writing  and  preaching  against  them.  In  vain  woulc 
try  to  give  an  idea  of  the  desolation  I  felt,  when  that  thou{ 
struck  my  mind. 

Forsaken  by  God  and  man,  what  would  become  of  n 
Where  would  I  go,  when  out  of  that  room? 

Expelled  with  contempt  by  my  former  Roman  Cath( 
friends;  repulsed  with  still  more  contempt  by  Protestants:  wh 
could  I  go  to  hide  my  shame  and  drag  my  miserable  existen 
How  could  I  go  again  into  that  world  where  there  was  no  m 
room  for  me ;  where  there  was  no  hand  to  press  mine ;  none 
smile  upon  me!  Life,  suddenly,  became  to  me  an  unbeara 
burden.  My  brain  seemed  to  be  filled  with  burning  coals, 
was  losing  my  mind.  Yea,  death,  an  instant  death  seemed  to 
the  great'est  blessing  in  that  awful  hour!  and,  will  I  say  it?  "V 
I  took  my  knife  to  cut  my  throat  and  put  an  end  to  my  mise 
ble  existence !  But  my  merciful  God,  who  wanted  only  to  hu 
ble  me,  by  showing  me  my  own  helplessness,  stopped  my  ha 
and  the  knife  fell  on  the  floor. 

Though  I  felt  the  pangs  of  that  desolation  for  more 


CH   OF   ROMB. 


EXCELLENT   TESTIMONIAL. 


793 


two  hours,  I  constantly  cried  to  God  for  a  ray  of  his  saving 
light,  for  a  word  telling  me  what  to  do,  where  to  go  to  be  saved. 
At  last,  drops  of  cold  sweat  began  to  cover  again  my  face  and  my 
whole  body.  The  pulsations  of  my  heart  began  to  be  very 
slow  and  weak:  I  felt  so  feeble  that  I  expected  to  faint  at  any 
moment,  or  fall  dead  1  At  first,  I  thought  that  death  would  be  a 
great  relief,  but  then,  I  said  to  myself:  "  If  I  die,  where  will  I 
go,  when  there  is  no  faith,  nor  a  ray  of  light  to  illumine  my 
poor  perishing  soul  1  "  Oh,  my  dear  Saviour,"  I  cried,  "  come  to 
my  help !  Lift  up  the  light  of  thy  reconciled  countenance  upon  me." 

In  that  very  instant,  I  remembered  that  I  had  my  dear  New 
Testament  with  me,  which  I  used,  then  as  now,  to  carry  every- 
where. The  thought  flashed  across  my  mind  that  I  would  find, 
in  that  divine  book,  the  answer  to  my  prayer,  and  light  to 
guide  me  through  that  dark  night,  to  that  house  of  refuge  and 
salvation,  after  which  my  soul  was  ardently  longing.  With  a 
trembling  hand  and  a  praying  heart,  I  opened  the  book  at  ran- 
dom; but,  not  not  I,  my  God  himself  opened  it  for  me.  My 
eyes  fell  oft  these  words:  «'YE  ARE  BOUGHT  WITH  A 
PRICE.  BE  NOT  YE  THE  SERVANTS  OF  MEN." 
(i  Cor.  6:  23.) 

Strange  to  say  1  Those  words  came  to  my  mind,  moi-e  as  a 
light  than  an  articulated  sound.  They,  suddenly,  but  most 
beautifully  and  powerfully,  gave  me,  as  much  as  a  man  can 
know  it,  the  knowledge  of  the  great  mystery  of  a  perfect  sal- 
vation through  Christ  alone.  They,  at  once,  brought  a  great 
and  delightful  calm  to  my  soul.  I  said  to  myself:  « Jesus 
has  bought  me,  then  I  am  His;  for  when  I  have  bought  a  thing, 
it  is  mine,   absolutely    mine!      Jesus  has  bought  me!  I,  then. 


desolation  for  more  than 


belong  to  Him !  He  alone  has  a  right  over  me.  I  do  not  belong 
to  the  bishops,  to  the  Popes;  not  even  to  the  church,  as  I  have 
been  told  till  now.  I  belong  to  Jesus  and  to  Him  alone!  His 
Word  must  be  my  guide,  and  my  light  by  day  and  by  night. 
Jesus  has  bought  me,  I  said  again  to  myself;  then  He  has  saved 
me!  and  if  so,  lam  saved,  perfectly  saved,  for  ever  saved!  for 
Jesus  cannot  save  me  by  half.  Jesus  is  my  God ;  the  works  of 
God  are  perfect.  My  salvation  must,  then,  be  a  perfect  sal- 
ration.     But  how  has  he  saved  me?     What  price  has  he  paid 


794 


KIKTY    VKAIIS    IN    THE    CliUKCII    OF    HOMK. 


for  my  poor  guilty  soul?  The  answer  came  as  qjickly  at 
lightning:  "He  bought  you  with  his  blood  shed  on  the  cross! 
He  saved  you  by  dying  on  Calvary  I" 

I,  then,  said  to  myself  again:  '» If  Jesus  has  perfectly  saved 
me  by  shedding  his  blood  on  the  cross;  I  am  not  saved  as  I  have 
thought  and  preached  till  now,  by  my  penances,  my  prayers  tc 
Mary  and  the  saints,  my  confessions  and  indulgencer  "■  even 
by  the  flames  of  purgatory! 

In  that  instant,  all  things  which,  as  a  Roman  Catholic,  I  had 
to  believe  to  be  saved — all  the  mummeries  by  which  the  pooi 
Roman  Catholics  are  so  cruelly  deceived,  the  chaplets,  indul- 
gences, scapularies,  auricular  confession,  invocation  of  the  virgin, 
holy  water,  masses,  purgatory  etc.,  given  as  means  of  salvation, 
vanished  from  my  mind  as  a  huge  tower,  when  struck  al  the 
foundation,  crumbles  to  the  ground.  Jesus  alone  remained  in 
my  mind  as  the  Saviour  of  my  soul ! 

Oh!  what  a  joy  I  felt  at  this  simple,  but  sublime  truth!  Bui 
it  was  the  will  of  God  that  this  joy  should  be  short.  It  suddenly 
went  away  with  the  beautiful  light  which  had  caused  it;  and  my 
poor  soul  was  again  wrapped  in  the  most  awful  darkney"  How- 
ever profound  that  darkness  was,  a  still  darker  objec  >sented 
itself  before  my  mind.     It  was  as  a  very  high  moun*  ut  nol 

composed  of  sand  or  stones,  it  was  the  mountain  of  my  sins.     ] 
saw  them  all  standing  before  me.     A.nd  still  more  horrified  wa 
I  when  I  saw  it  moving  towards  me  as  if,  with  a  mighty  hand,  tt 
crush  me.     I  tried  to  escape,  but  in  vain.     I  felt  tied  to  the  floor 
and  the  next  moment,  it'  had  rolled  oVer  me.     I  felt  as  crushec 
under  its   weight;  for   it  was     as  heavy  as   granite.       I    cou 
scarcely  breathe!      My  only  hope  was  to  cry  to  God  for  help 
With  a  loud  voice,  heard  by  many  in  the  hotel,  I  cried :  "  O  m 
God!  have  mercy  upon  me!  My  sins  are  destroying  me!  I  an 
lost,  save  me!"     But,  it  seemed  God  could  not  hear  me.     Th 
mountain  was  between,  to  prevent  my  cries  from  reaching  Mini 
and  to  hide  my  tears.     I  suddenly  thought  that  God  would  hav 
nothing  to  do  with   such  a  sinner,  but  to  open  the  gates  of  he 
to  throw  me  into  that  burning  furnace  prepared  for  his  enemie 
and  which  I  had  so  richly  deserved ! 


OP  noMK, 


BXCKLLBNT   TESTIMONIAL. 


795 


came  as  qiickly   as 
d  shed  on  the  cross! 

lis  has  perfectly  saved 
m  not  saved  as  I  have 
nances,  my  prayers  to 
indulgcncer        '  even 

Loman  Catholic,  I  had 
ies  hy  which  the  poor 
1,  the  chaplets,  indul- 
ivocation  of  the  virgin, 
I  as  means  of  salvation, 
;r,  when  struck  al  the 
isus  alone  remained  in 

,ut  sublime  truth  1  But 
be  short.  It  suddenly 
I  had  caused  it;  and  my 
awful  darknet-  How- 
larker  objec  ^sented 
highmoun^  at  not 

nountain  of  my  sins.    I 
Btill  more  horrified  was 
with  a  mighty  hand,  to 

I  felt  tied  to  the  floor, 
me.    I  feit  as  crushed 

as  granite.      I   could 
:o  cry  to  God  for  help. 

hotel,  I  cried:  «  O  my 

[e  destroying  me!  I  am 

,uld  not  hear  me.     The 

.ies  from  reaching  Him, 

[ht  that  God  would  have 

,  open  the  gates  of  hell 

•epared  for  his  enemies 


I  was  mistaken,  after  eight  or  ten  minutes  of  unspeakabl  e 
agony,  the  rays  of  a  new  and  beautiful  light  began  to  pierce 
through  the  dark  cloud  which  hung  over  me.  In  that  light,  I 
clearly  saw  my  Saviour.  There,  he  was,  bent  under  the  weight 
of  his  heavy  cross.  His  face  was  covered  with  blood,  the  crown 
of  thorns  was  op  his  head  and  the  nails  in  his  hands.  He  was 
looking  to  me  with  an  expression  of  compassion  of  love,  which 
no  tongue  can  describe.  Coming  to  me,  he  said:  "  I  have  heard 
thy  cries,  I  have  seen  thy  tears,  I  come  to  offer  myself  to  thee 
as  a  gift.  I  offer  thee  my  blood  and  my  bruised  body  as  a  gift 
to  pay  thy  debts;  wilt  thou  give  me  thy  heart?  Wilt  thou 
take  my  Word  for  the  only  lamp  of  thy  feet  and  the  only  light  of 
thy  path?     I  bring  thee  eternal  life,  as  a  gift!" 

I  answered:  ♦♦  Dear  Jesus,  how  sweet  art  thy  words  to  my 
soul!  Speak,  oh!  speak  again!  Yes,  beloved  Saviour,  I  want  to 
love  thee;  but  dost  thou  nut  see  that  mountain  which  is  crushing 
me?     Oh!  remove  it!     Take  away  my  sins!" 

I  had  not  done  speaking  when  I  saw  his  mighty  hand  stretched 
out.  He  touched  the  mountain,  and  it  rolled  into  the  deep,  and 
disappeared.  At  the  same  time,  I  felt  as  if  a  shower  of  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  were  falling  upon  me  to  purify  my  soul. 
And,  suddenly,  my  humble  room  was  transformed  into  a  real 
paradise.  The  angels  of  God  could  not  be  more  happy  than  I 
was  in  that  most  mysterious  and  blessed  hour  of  my  life.  With 
an  unspeakable  joy,  I  said  to  my  Saviour:  "  Dear  Jesus,  the  gift 
of  God,  I  accept  thee !  Thou  hast  offered  the  pardon  of  my  sins 
as  a  gift,  I  accept  the  gift.  •  Thou  hast  brought  me  eternal  life  as 
a  gift!  I  accept  it!  Thou  hast  redeemed  and  saved  nie,  beloved 
Saviour,  I  know,  I  feel  it.  But  this  is  not  enough.  I  do  not 
want  to  be  saved  alone.  Save  my  people  also.  Save  my  whole 
country!  I  feel  rich  and  happy  in  that  gift;  grant  me  to  show  its 
beauty,  and  preciousness,  to  my  people,  that  they  may  accept  it, 
and  rejoice  in  its  possession." 

This  sudden  revelation  of  that  marvellous  truth  of  salvation  as 
a  gift,,  had  so  completely  transformed  me,  that  I  felt  quite  a  new 
man.  The  unutterable  distress  of  my  soul  had  been  changed  into 
an  unspeakable  joy.     My  fears  had  gone  away,  to  be  replaced 


796 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH  OF    ROME. 


by  u  courage  and  a  strength  such  as  I  had  never  experienced. 
The  Popes,  with  their  bishops  and  priests,  and  millions  of  abject 
slaves  might,  now,  attack  me,  I  felt  that  I  was  a  match  for  them 
all.  My  great  ambition  was  to  go  back  to  my  people  and  tell 
them  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  my  soul.  I  washed  my  tears 
away,  paid  my  bill  and  took  the  train  which  brought  me  back 
into  the  midst  of  my  dear  countrymen.  At  that  very  same  hour 
they  were  very  anxiouu  and  excited,  for  they  had  just  received, 
at  Kankakee  City,  a  telegram  from  the  Bishop  of  Dubuque, 
telling  them:  «*  Turn  away  your  priest,  for  he  has  refused  to 
give  me  an  unconditional  act  of  submission.'* 

They  had  gathered  in  great  numbers  to  hear  the  reading  of  that 
strange  message.  But  they  unanimously  said:  "If  Mr.  Chiniquy 
has  refused  to  give  an  unconditional  act  of  submission,  he  nas 
done  right,  we  will  stand  by  him  to  the  end."  However  I  knew 
nothing  of  that  admirable  resolution.  I  arrived  at  St.  Anne  on  a 
Sabbath  day  at  the  hour  of  the  morning  service.  There  was  an 
immense  crowd  at  the  door  of  the  chapel.  They  rushed  to  me 
and  said:  "You  are  just  coming  from  the  bishop;  what  good 
news  have  you  to  bring  us  ?" 

I  answered :  "  No  news  here,  my  good  friends,  come  to  the 
chapel  and  I  will  tell  you  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  my  soul.'' 

When  they  had  filled  the  large  building,  I  told  them: 

"  Our  Saviour,  the  day  before  his  death,  said  to  his  disciples: 
♦  I  will  be  a  scandal  to  you,  this  night.'  I  must  tell  you  the  same 
thing.  I  will  be,  to-day,  I  fear,  the  cause  of  a  great  scandal  to 
every  one  of  you.  But,  as  the  scandal  which  Christ  gave  to 
disciples,  has  saved  the  world;  I  hope  that,  by  the  great  mercj 
of  God,  the  scandal  I  will  give  you,  will  save  you.  I  was  youi 
pastor  till  yesterday !  But,  I  have  no  more  that  honor  to-day 
for  I  have  broken  the  ties,  by  which  I  was  bound  as  a  slave 
the  feet  of  the  bishops  and  of  the  Pope." 

This  sentence  was  scarcely  finished,  when  a  universal  cry  o 
surprise  and  sadness,  filled  the  church:  "Ohl  what  does  tha 
mean,"  exclaimed  the  rongregation. 

■«  My  dear  countrymen,"  I  added,  "  I  have  not  come  to  tel 
you  to  follow  me!  I  did  not  die  to  save  your   immortal  souls 


rjSSiJMiiSil , 


EXCELLENT    TESTIMONIAL. 


797 


have  not  come  to  tell 
your   immortal  souls: 


I  have  not  shed  my  blood  to  buy  you  a  pkce  in  heaven;  but 
Christ  has  done  it.     Then  followr  Christ  and  him  alone!  Now,  I 
must  tell  you  why  I  have  broken  the  ignominious  and  unbeara- 
ble yoke  of  men,  to  follow  Christ.    .You  remember  that,  on  the 
2ist  of  March  last,  you  signed,  with  me,  an  act  of  submission  to 
the  authority  of  the  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  with  the  con- 
ditional clause,  that  we  would  obey  them  only  in  matters  which 
were  according  to  the  teachings  of  the  Word  of  God  as   found 
in  the  Gospel  of  Christ.     In  that  act  of  submission  we  did  not 
want  to  be  slaves  of  any  man,  but  the  servants  of  God,  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Gospel.     It  was  our  hope  then,  that  our  church 
would  accept  such  a  submission.  And  your  joy  was  great,  when 
you  heard  that  grand  vicar  Dunn  was  here  on  the  28th  of  March, 
to  tell  you  that  Bishop  Smith  had  accepted  the  submission.    But 
that  acceptation  was  revoked.     Yesterday,  I  was  told  in  the 
presence  of  God,  by  the  same  bishop,  that  he  ought  not  to  have 
accepted  an  act  of  submission  from  any  priest  or  people  based 
on  the  Gospel  of  Christ!  Yes!  yesterday.  Bishop  Smith  rejec- 
ted, with  the  utmost  contempt,  the  act  of  submission  we  had 
given  him  and  which  he  had  accepted  only  two  weeks  ago,  be- 
cause *  the  Word  of  God  '  was  mentioned  in  it!  When  I  respect- 
fully requested  him  to  tell  me  the  nature  of  the  new  act  of  sub- 
mission he  wanted  from  us,  he  ordered  me  to  take  away  from  it '  the 
Word  of  God,  the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  the  Bible,'  if   we  wan- 
ted to  be   accepted  as   good   Catholics!  We   had   thought,  till 
then,  that  the  sacred  Word  of  God,  and  the  Holy  Gospel  of 
Christ  were  the  fundamental  and  precious  stones  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.     We  loved  her  on  that  account,  we  wanted  to  remain 
in  her  bosom,  even  when  we  were  forced  to  fight,  as  honest 
men,  against  that  tyrant,  O'Regan.     Believing  that  the  Church 
of  Rome  was  the  child  of  the  Word  of  God,  that  it  was  the 
most  precious  fruit  of  the  divine  tree  planted  on  the  earth,  under 
the  name  of  the  Gospel,  we  would  have  given  the  last  drop  of 
our  blood  to  defend  her ! 

"  But,  yesterday,  I  have  learned,  from  the  very  lips  of  the 
Bishop  of  Rome,  that  we  were  a  band  of  simpletons  in  believing 
those  things.  I  have  learned  that  the  Church  of  Rome  has  nothing 


ri»»-«' 


798 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


to  do  with  the  Word  of  God,  except  to  throw  it  overboard,  to 
trample  it  under  their  feet,  and  to  forbid  us  even  to  name  it  in 
the  solemn  act  of  submission  we  had  given.  I  have  been  told 
that  we  could  no  longer  be  Roman  Catholics,  if  we  persisted 
in  putting  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Gospel  of  Christ  as  the 
foundation  of  our  religion,  our  faith  and  our  submission.  When 
I  was  told,  by  the  bishop,  that  I  had  either  to  renounce  the 
Word  of  God  as  the  base  of  my  submission,  or  the  title  of 
priest  of  Rome,  I  did  not  hesitate.  Nothing  could  induce  me 
to  give  up  the  Gospel  of  Christ;  and  so,  I  firave  up  the  title  and 
position  of  priest  in  the  Roman  Catho  Church.  I  would 
rather  suffer  a  thousand  deaths  than  renounce  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  I  am  no  longer  a  priest  of  Rome ;  but  I  am  more  than 
ever  a  disciple  of  Christ,  a  follower  of  the  Gospel.  That  Gos- 
pel is  for  me,  what  it  was  for  Paul :  '  The  power  of  God  unto 
salvation.'  It  is  the  bread  of  my  soul.  In  it  we  can  satisfy  our 
thirst  with  the  waters  of  eternal  life!  No!  no!!  I  could  not 
buy  the  honor  of  being  any  longer  a  slave  to  the  bishops  and 
popes  of  Rome,  by  giving  up  the  Gospel  of  Christ! 

"  When  I  requested  the  bishop  to  give  me  the  precise  form 
of  submission  he  wanted  from  us,  he  answered :  '  Give  me  an 
act  of  submission,  without  any  condition,  aud  promise  that  you 
will  do  anything  I  bid  you.'    I  replied : 

^  t  This  is  not  an  act  of  submission,  it  is  an  act  of  adoration ! 
I  will  never  give  it  to  you ! ' 

"« If  so,'  said  he,  'you  can  no  longer  be  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest.' 

'^  I  raised  my  hands  to  heaven  and  with  a  loud  and  cheerful  I 
voice,  I  said :  '  May  God  Almighty  be  forever  blessed.'  " 

I  then  told  them  something  of  my  desolation,  when  alone,  in  I 
my  room ;  of  the  granite  mountain  which  had  been  rolled  over  my  I 
shoulders,  of  my  tears  and  of  my  despair.  I  told  them  also  how| 
my  bleeding,  dying,  crucified  Saviour  had  brought  me  the  for- 
giveness of  my  sins;  how  he  had  offered  me  eternal  sal-^ 
vation  as  a  gift,  and  how  rich,  happy,  and  strong  I  felt  in  thaj 
gift.  I  then  offered  them  the  gift  and  besought  them  to  accept  itj 

My  address  lasted  more  than  two  hours,  and  God  blessed  if 


'.a^-^i&mi^,    -y"' — '•■''•'*V 


EXCELLENT    TESTIMONIAL. 


799 


in  act  of  adoration! 
be   a  Roman  Catholic 


in  a  marvellous  way.  Its  effects  were  profound  and  lasting,  but 
it  is  too  long  to  be  described  here.  In  substance,  I  said:  "  I  re- 
spect you  too  much  to  impose  myself  upon  your  honest  con- 
sciences, or  to  dictate  what  you  ought  to  do  on  this  most  solemn 
occasion.  I  feel  that  the  hour  has  come  for  me  to  make  a  great 
sacrifice;  I  must  leave  you!  but  no!  I  will  not  go  away  before 
you  tell  me  to  do  so.  You  will  yourselves  break  the  ties  so  dear 
which  have  united  us.  Please,  pay  attention  to  these,  my  part- 
ting  words :  "  If  you  think  it  is  better  for  you  to  follow  the 
Pope  than  to  follow  Christ ;  that  it  is  better  to  trust  in  the  works 
of  your  hands,  and  in  your  own  merits,  than  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  shed  on  the  cross,  to  be  saved ;  if  you  think  it  is  better 
for  you  to  follow  the  traditions  of  men  than  the  Gospel ;  and  if 
you  believe  that  it  is  be*  ^er  for  you  to  have  a  priest  of  Rome, 
who  will  keep  you  tied  as  slaves  to  the  feet  of  the  bishops,  and 
who  will  preach  to  you  the  ordinances  of  men,  rather  than  have 
me  preach  to  you  nothing  but  the  pure  Word  of  God,  as  we  find 
it  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  tell  it  to  me  by  rising  up,  and  I  will 
go!"  But  to  my  my  great  surprise  nobody  moved.  The  chapel 
was  filled  with  sobs;  tears  were  flowing  from  every  eye;  but 
not  one  moved  to  tell  me  to  leave  them !  I  was  puzzled.  For 
though  I  had  hoped  that  many,  enlightened  by  the  copies  of  the 
New  Testament  I  had  given  them,  tired  of  the  tyranny  of  the 
bishops,  arid  disgusted  with  the  superstitions  of  Rome,  would  be 
glad  to  break  the  yoke  with  me,  to  follow  Christ;  I  was  afraid 
that  the  greatest  number  would  not  dare  to  break  their  alleg- 
iance to  the  church,  and  publicly  give  up  her  authority.  After 
a  few  minutes  of  silence,  during  which  I  mixed  my  tears  and 
my  sobs  with  those  of  my  people,  I  told  them :  "  Why  do  you 
not,  at  once,  rise  up  and  tell  me  to  go?  You  see  that  I  can  no 
longer  remain  your  pastor  after  renouncing  the  tyranny  of  the 
bishops,  and  the  traditions  of  men,  to  follow  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  as  my  only  rule.  Why  do  you  not  bravely  tell  me  to  go 
away  ?" 

But  this  new  appeal  was  still  without  any  answer.  I  was 
filled  with  astonishment.  However,  it  was  evident  to  me  that  a 
great  and  mysterious  change  was  wrought  in  that  multitude. 


Soo 


FIFTY    YEARS  IN   THE  CHURCH  OF  ROMB. 


•3 


Their  countenances,  their  manners  were  completely  changed. 
They  were  speaking  to  me  with  their  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and 
their  manly  faces  beaming  with  joy.  Their  sobs,  in  some  way, 
told  me  that  they  were  filled  with  new  light;  that  they  were 
full  of  new  strength,  and  ready  to  make  the  most  heroic  sacrifi- 
ces, and  break  their  fetters  to  follow  Christ,  and  Him  alone.  There 
was  something  in  those  brave,  honest  and  happy  faces  which 
was  telling  me  more  effectually  than  the  most  eloquent  speech: 
"  We  have  accepted  the  gift,  we  want  to  be  rich,  happy,  free, 
and  saved  in  the  gift:  we  do  not  want  anything  else:  remain 
among  us  and  help  us  to  love  both  the  gift  and  the  giver!" 

A  thought  suddenly  flashed  accross  my  mind,  and  with  an 
inexpressible  sentiment  of  hope  and  joy,  I  told  them :    • 

« My  dear  countrymen  I  The  Mighty  God,  who  gave  me 
his  saving  light,  yesterday,  can  grant  you  the  samt;  favor, 
to-day.  He  can,  as  well,  save  a  thousand  souls  as  one,  I  see, 
in  your  noble  and  Christian  faces,  that  you  do  not  want  any  more 
to  be  slaves  of  men.  You  want  to  be  the  free  children  of  God, 
intelligent  followers  of  the  Gospel !  The  light  is  shining,  and 
you  like  it.  The  gift  of  God  has  been  offered  to  you,  and  you 
have  accepted  it!  With  me,  you  will  break  the  fetters  of  a  cap- 
tivity, worse  than  that  of  Egypt,  to  follow  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
and  take  possession  of  the  Promised  Land :  let  all  those  who 
think  it  is  better  to  follow  Jesus  Christ  than  the  Pope,  better  to 
follow  the  Word  of  God  than  the  traditions  of  men:  let  al 
those  of  you  who  want  me  to  remain  here  and  preach  to  you 
nothing  but  the  Word  of  God,  as  we  find  it  in  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  tell  it  to  me,  by  rising  up.     I  am  your  man!  Rise  up!  *' 

Without  a  single  exception,  that  multitude  arose!  More  than 
a  thousand  of  my  countrymen  had,  forever,  broken  their  fetters. 
They  had  crossed  the  Red  Sea  and  exchanged  the  servitude  of 
Egypt,  for  the  blessings  of  the  Promised  Land! 


Chapter  LXVI. 

THB  BOLBKN  BBSPONSIBXIiITIBB  OF  VY  NBW  POSITION- WB 
OTVXi  T7P  THB  NAKB  OF  SOMAN  OATHOLIO  TO  OALIi  OXTB- 
SBIiVXS  OHBIBTIAN  OATHOLIOS-DISUA7  OF  THX!  BOUAN 
OATHOLIO  BISHOPS-IET  LOBD  DT7GKJAN,  COADJTTTOB  OF 
8T.  IiOinS,  HTTBBIED  TO  OHIOAGK)— HB  COKES  TO  ST.  ANNB 
TO  PBBSXrADB  THE  PBOPUS  TD  STTBUIT  TO  HIS  AI7TH0BIT7 
-HB  IS  laNOlONIOITSI.'r  TXTBNBD  OUT  AN3>  BUNS  AWAT  IN 
THE  acmST  OF  THE  OBIBS  OF  THE  FEOFI.B. 

WHERE  shall  I  find  words  to  express  the  sentiments  of  sur- 
prise, admiration  and  joy  I  felt  when,  after  divine  service, 
alone  in  my  humble  study,  I  considered,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
what  His  mighty  hand  had  just  wrought  under  my  eyes.  The 
people  who  surrounded  the  Saviour  when  he  cried  1  >  Lazarus  to 
come  forth,  were  not  more  amazed  at  seeing  the  dead  coming 
out  of  his  grave  than  I  was  when  I  had  seen  not  one,  but  more 
than  a  thousand,  of  my  countrymen  so  suddenly  and  unexpect- 
edly coming  out  from  the  grave  of  the  degrading  slavery  in 
which  they  were  born  and  brought  up.  No,  the  heart  of  Moses 
was  not  filled  with  more  joy  than  mine,  when  on  the  shores  of 
the  Red  Sea,  he  sang  his  sublime  hymns : 

»« I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord :  for  He  hath  triumphed  glor- 
iously. The  horse  and  his  rider,  hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea. 
The  Lord  is  my  strength  and  song,  and  he  is  become  my  salva- 
tion. He  is  my  God  and  I  will  prepare  him  an  habitation:  My 
fathers*  God  and  I  will  exalt  him." — Ex.  15:  i,  2. 

My  joy  was,  however,  suddenly  changed  into  confusion, 
when  I  considered  the  unworthiness  of  the  instrument  which 
God  had  chosen  to  do  that  work.  I  felt  this  was  only  the  be- 
ginning of  the  most  remarkable  religious  reform  which  had  ever 

occurred  on  this  continent  of  America,  and  I  was  dismayed  at 

801 


iJiStit i^iiti.:i£!i>ii^'i^  ■„ 


8oa 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH   OF   ROME. 


the  thought  of  such  a  task  I  I  saw,  at  a  glance,  that  I  was  called 
to  guide  my  people  into  regions  entirely  new  and  unexplored. 
The  terrible  difficulties  which  Luther,  Calvin  and  Knox  had  met, 
at  almost  every  step,  were  to  meet  me !  Though  giants,  they 
had,  at  many  times,  been  brought  low  and  almost  discouraged  in 
their  new  positions.  What  would  become  of  me,  seeing  that  I 
was  so  deficient  in  knowledge,  wisdom  and  experience ! 

Many  times,  during  the  first  night  after  the  deliverance  of 
my  people  from  the  bondage  of  the  Pope,  I  said  to  my  God  in 
tears: 

«  Why  hast  not  thou  chosen  a  more  worthy  instrument  of  thy 
mercies  towards  my  brethren  j" "  I  would  have  shrank  before 
the  task,  had  not  God  said  to  me  m  his  Word :  «  For  ye  see  your 
calling,  brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise  men  after  the  flesh, 
not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called ;  but  God  hath 
chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise. 
And  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound 
the  things  which  are  mighty,  and  base  things  of  the  world  and 
things  which  are  despised,  hath  God  chosen ;  yea,  the  things 
which  are  not,  to  bring  to  naught  the  things  which  are,  that  no 
flesh  should  glory  in  his  presence." — i  Cor.  i  :26-3o. 

These  words  calmed  my  fears  and  gave  me  new  courage, 
Next  morning,  I  said  to  myself :  "  Is  it  not  God  alone,  who  has 
done  the  great  things  of  yesterday?  Why  should  I  not  relj 
upon  him  for  the  things  which  remain  to  be  done? 

"  I  am  weak,  it  is  true,  but  he  is  strong  and  mighty.  I  an 
unwise,  but  he  is  the  God  of  light  and  wisdom :  I  am  sinful,  bui 
he  is  the  God  of  holiness:  He  wants  the  world  to  know  thatH< 
is  the  worker." 

It  would  make  the  most  interesting  book,  were  I  to  tell  a 
the  marvellous  episodes  of  the  new  battle  my  dear  countrymei 
and  I  had  to  fight  against  Rome,  in  those  stormy  but  blesse< 
days.  Let  me  ask  my  readers  to  come  with  me  to  that  Romai 
Catholic  family  and  see  the  surprise  and  desolation  of  the  wi 
and  children  when  the  father  returned  from  public  service  an^ 
said:  "  My  dear  wife  and  children,  I  have,  forever,  left  th 
Church  of  Rome,  and  hope  that  you  will  do  the  same.     Th 


OF   ROME. 

ince,  that  I  was  called 
lew  and  unexplored. 
r'm  and  Knox  had  met, 
Though  giants,  they 
almost  discouraged  in 
J  of  me,  seeing  that  I 
d  experience! 
it  the  deliverance  of 
I  said  to  my  God  in 

rthy  instrument  of  thy 
d  have  shrank  before 
brd:  "For  ye  see  your 
5  men  after  the  flesh, 
called;  but  God  hath 
to  confound  the  wise. 
:  the  world  to  confound 
lings  of  the  world  and 
:hosen;yea,  the  things 
ngs  which  are,  that  no 
'or.  1 :26-30. 

rave  me  new  courage, 
not  God  alone,  who  has 
*rhy  should  I  not  rely 
» be  done? 

ig  and  mighty.  I  am 
isdom :  I  am  sinful,  but 
world  to  know  that  He 

ook,  were  I  to  tell  all 
my  dear  countrymen 
ose  stormy  but  blessed 
Arith  me  to  that  Roman 

desolation  of  the  wife 
rom  public  service  and 

have,  forever,  left  the 
vrill  do  the  same.     The 


SOLEMN    RESPONSIBILITIES. 


803 


ignominious  chains  by  which  we  were  tied,  as  the  slaves  of  the 
bishops  and  of  the  Pope,  are  broken.  Christ  Jesus  alone  will 
reign  over  us  now.  His  Holy  Word  alope  will  rule  and  guide 
us.  Salvation  is  a  gift.  I  have  accepted  it  and  am  happy  in  its 
possession." 

In  another  house,  the  husband  had  not  been  able  to  come  to 
church,  but  the  wife  and  children  had.  It  was  now  the  wife 
who  announced  to  her  husband  that  she  had,  forever,  renounced 
the  usurped  authority  of  the  bishops  and  the  Pope:  and  that  it 
was  her  firm  resolution  to  obey  no  other  master  than  Christ,  and 
accept  no  other  religion  than  the  one  taught  in  the  Gospel. 

At  first,  this  was  considered  only  as  a  joke ;  but  as  soon  as  it 
was  realized  to  be  a  fact,  there  were,  in  many  places,  confusion, 
tears,  angry  words  and  bitter  discussions.  But  the  God  of  truth, 
light  and  salvation  was  there;  and  as  it  was  His  work,  the  storms 
were  soon  calmed,  the  tears  dried,  and  peace  restored. 

A  week  had  scarcely  passed,  when  the  Gospel  cause  had 
achieved  one  ot  the  most  glorious  victories  over  its  implacable 
enemy,  the  Pope.  In  a  few  days,  405  out  of  500  families  which 
were  around  me  in  St.  Anne,  had  not  only  accepted  the  Gospel 
of  Christ,  as  their  only  authority  in  religion ;  but  had  publicly 
given  up  the  name  of  Roman  Catholics,  to  call  themselves 
Christian  Catholics. 

A  few  months  later,  a  Romish  priest,  legally  questioned  on 
the  subject,  by  the  Judge  of  Kankakee,  had  to  swear  that  only 
15  families  had  remained  Roman  Catholics  in  St.  Anne. 

A  most  admirable  feature  of  this  religious  movement,  was 
the  strong  determination  of  those  who  had  never  been  taught 
to  read,  to  lose  no  time  in  acquiring  the  privilege  of  reading 
for  themselves  the  Divine  Gospel  which  had  made  them  free 
from  the  bondage  of  man.  Half  of  the  people  had  never  been 
taught  to  read  while  in  Canada;  but  as  their  children  were  at- 
tending the  schools  we  had  established  in  different  parts  of  the 
colony,  every  house,  as  well  as  our  chapel,  on  Sabbath  days, 
was  soon  turned  into  a  school  house,  where  our  school  boys  and 
girls  were  the  teachers,  and  the  fathers  and  mothers,  the  pupils. 
In  a  short  time,  ther^i  were  but  few,  except  those  who  refused  to 


8b4 


FIFTY  YEARS  IN  THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


leave  Rome,  who  could   not  read  for  themselves  the  Hoi} 
Word  of  God. 

But,  however  great  the  victory  we  had  gained  over  the  Pope 
it  was  not  yet  complete.  It  was  true  that  the  enemy  had  re 
ceived  a  deadly  wound.  The  beast,  with  the  seven  heads,  hac 
its  principal  one  severed.  The  usurped  authority  of  the  bishops 
had  been  destroyed,  and  the  people  had  determined  to  accept  none 
but  the  authority  of  Christ.  But  many  false  notions,  drank  witl 
the  milk  of  their  mothers,  had  been  retained.  Many  errors  and  su 
perstitions  still  remained  in  their  minds,  as  a  mist  after  the  rising 
of  the  sun,  to  prevent  them  from  seeing  clearly  the  saving  Ugh 
of  the  Gospel. 

It  was  my  duty  to  destroy  those  superstitions,  and  root  out  thest 
noxious  weeds.  But,  I  knew  the  formidable  difficulties  the  re 
formers  of  the  I5tli  century  had  met,  the  deplorable  divisions 
which  had  spread  among  them,  and  the  scandals  which  hac 
so  seriously  retarded  and  compromised  the  reformation. 

I  cried  to  God  for  wisdom  and  strength.  Never  had  I  un 
derstood  so  clearly,  as  I  did  in  that  most  solemn  and  difficul 
epoch  of  my  life,  the  truth  that  prayer  is  to  the  troubled  mint 
what  oil  is  to  the  raging  waves  of  the  sea. 

My  people  and  I,  as  are  all  Roman  Catholics,  were  mucl 
given  to  the  worship  of  images  and  statues.  There  were  four 
teen  beautiful  pictures  hung  on  the  walls  of  our  chapel  called 
"  The  Way  of  the  Cross,"  on  which  the  cirumstances  of  th 
passion  of  Jesus  Christ  were  represented,  each  surmounted  wit 
a  cross.  One  of  our  favorite  devotional  exercises,  was  to  knee 
three  or  four  times  a  week,  before  them,  prostrate  ourselves  an 
say,  with  a  loud  voice:  «*  Oh!  holy  cross,  we  adore  thee." 

We  used  to  address  our  most  fervent  prayers  to  them,  as 
they  could  hear  us,  asking  them  to  change  our  hearts  and  purif 
our  souls  t  Our  blind  devotions  were  so  sincere  that  we  used 
bow  our  heads  to  the  ground  before  them.  I  may  say  the  san: 
of  a  beautiful  statue,  or  rather  idol,  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  represei 
ted  as  a  child  learning  to  read  at  the  feet  of  her  mother,  S 
Anne. 

The  group  was  a  masterpiece  of  art,  sent  to  me  by  son 


SOLEMN    RESPONSIBILITIES. 


805 


art,  sent  to  me  by  some 


rich  friends  from  Montreal,  not  long  after  I  hr.d  left  that  city  to 
form  the  colony  of  St.  Anne,  in  1852.  We  had  frequently  ad- 
dressed  our  most  fervent  prayers  to  those  statues,  but  after  the 
blessed  pentecost  on  which  we  had  broken  the  yoke  of  the  Pope, 
I  never  entered  my  church  without  blushing  at  the  sight  of 
those  idols  on  the  altar. 

I  would  have  given  much  to  have  the  pictures,  crosses  and 
images  removed,  but  dare  not  lay  hands  suddenly  on  them,  I 
was  afraid,  lest  I  should  do  harm  to  some  of  my  people  who,  it 
seemed  to  me,  were  yet  too  weak  in  their  religious  views  to  bear 
it.  I  was  just  then  reading  how  Knox  and  Calvin  had  made 
bonfires  of  all  those  relics  of  old  Paganism,  and  I  wished  I 
could  do  the  same;  but  I  felt  like  Jacob,  who  could  not  follow 
the  rapid  march  of  his  brother,  Esau,  towards  the  land  of  Seir. 
**  The  children  were  tender  and  the  flocks  and  herds  were 
young.  If  men  had  overdriven  them  one  day,  all  the  flocks 
would  have  died." — Gen.  33:  13. 

Our  merciful  God  saw  the  perplexity  in  which  1  was,  and 
taught  me  how  to  get  rid  of  those  idols  without  harming  the  weak. 
One  Sabbath,  on  which  I  preached  on  the  2nd  Commandment: 
«  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thyself  any  graven  image,"  etc.  I 
remained  in  the  chapel  to  pray  after  the  people  had  left.  I 
looked  up  to  the  group  of  statues  on  the  altar,  and  said  to  them : 
"  My  good  ladies,  you  must  come  down  from  that  high  position: 
God  Almighty  alone  is  worshiped  here  now :  if  you  could  walk 
out  of  this  place  I  would  politely  invite  you  to  do  it.  But  you 
are  nothing  but  mute,  deaf,  blind  and  motionless  idols:  You 
have  eyes,  but  you  cannot  see:  ears,  but  you  cannot  hear:  feet, 
but  you  cannot  walk.  What  will  I  do  with  you  now  ?  Your 
reign  has  come  to  an  end." 

It  suddenly  came  to  my  mind  that  when  I  had  put  these 
statues  on  their  high  pedestal,  I  had  tied  them  with  a  very 
slender,  but  strong  silk  cord,  to  prevent  them  from  falling.  I 
said  to  myself:  «  If  I  were  to  cut  that  string,  the  idols  would 
surely  fall,  the  first  day  the  people  would  shake  the  floor  when 
entering  or  going  out"  Their  fall  and  destruction  would  then 
scandalize   no  one.      I   took   my   knife   and  scaled   the   altar. 


'■^.'^ftv'' 


806 


FIFTY    YEARS     IN     THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


cut  the  string,  and  said :  <*  Now,  my  good  ladies,  take  care  of 
yourselves,  especially  when  the  chapel  is  shaken  by  the  wind,  or 
the  coming  in  of  the  people." 

I  never  witnessed  a  more  hearty  laugh  than,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  religious  services,  on  the  next  Sabbath.  The  chapel, 
being  shaken  by  the  action  of  the  whole  people  who  fell  on  their 
knees  to  pray,  the  two  idols,  deprived  of  their  silk  support,  after 
a  couple  of  jerks  which,  in  former  days,  we  might  have  taken 
for  a  friendly  greeting,  fell  down  with  a  loud  crash,  and  broke 
into  fragments.  Old  and  young,  strong  and  weak,  and  even 
babes  in  the  faith,  after  laughing  to  their  hearts'  content,  at  the 
sad  end  of  their  idols,  said  to  each  other:  "How  foolish  and 
blind  were  we,  to  put  our  trust  in,  and  pray  to  these  idols,  that 
they  might  protect  us,  when  they  cannot  take  care  of  them- 
selves !" 

The  last  vestige  of  idol  worship  among  our  dear  converts, 
disappeared  for  ever  with  the  dust  and  broken  fragments  of 
those  poor  helpless  statues.  The  very  next  day,  the  people  them- 
selves took  away  all  the  images  before  which  they  had  so  often 
abjectly  prostrated  themselves,  and  destroyed  them. 

From  the  beginning  of  this  movement,  it  had  been  my  plan 
to  let  the  people  draw  their  own  conclusions  as  much  as  possible 
from  their  own  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  I  used  to  direct 
their  steps,  in  such  a  way,  that  they  might  understand  that  I  was 
myself  led  with  them  by  the  mighty  and  merciful  arm  of  God, 
in  our  new  ways. 

It  was  also  evident  to  me  that,  from  the  beginning,  the  great 
majority,  after  searching  the  Scriptures  with  prayerful  attention, 
had  found  oi.t  that  Purgatory  was  a  diabolical  invention  used  by 
the  priests  of  Rome,  to  enrich  themselves,  at  the  expense  of  their 
poor,  blind  slaves.  But  I  was  also  convinced  that  quite  a  num- 
ber were  not  yet  altogether  free  from  that  imposture. 

I  did  not  know  how  to  attack  and  destroy  that  error  without 
wounding  and  injuring  some  of  the  weak  children  of  the  Gospel, 
After  much  praying,  I  thought  that  the  best  way  to  clear  the 
clouds  which  were  still  hovering  around  the  feeblest  intelligen* 
ces,  was  to  have  recourse  to  the  following  device: 


H    OK    ROME. 


SOLEMN    RESPONSiniLITIBS. 


807 


\  ladies,  take  care  of 
[laken  by  the  wind,  or 

than,  at  the  beginning 
ibbath.  The  chapel, 
(cople  who  fell  on  their 
heir  silk  support,  after 
ffc  might  have  taken 
,  loud  crash,  and  broke 
;  and  weak,  and  even 
hearts'  content,  at  the 
r:  "How  foolish  and 
ay  to  these  idols,  that 
ot  take  care  of  them- 

>ng  our  dear  converts, 
1  broken  fragments  of 
xt  day, the  people  them- 
hich  they  had  so  often 
»yed  them. 

nt,  it  had  been  my  plan 
ons  as  much  as  possible 
ures.  I  used  to  direct 
It  understand  that  I  was 
merciful  arm  of  God, 

he  beginning,  the  great 
ith  prayerful  attention, 
olical  invention  used  by 
.,  at  the  expense  of  their 
iced  that  quite  a  num- 
it  imposture. 
;troy  that  error  without 
children  of  the  Gospel, 
best  way  to  clear  the 
the  feeblest  intelligen- 
device : 


The  AlUSouls  Day  (ist  Nov.)  had  come,  when  it  was  the 
usage  to  take  up  collections  for  the  sake  of  hav*'-  prayers  and 
masses  said  for  the  souls  in  purgatory.  I  then  said  to  the  people, 
from  the  pulpit:  "  You  have  been  used,  from  your  infancy,  to 
collect  money,  to-day,  in  order  to  have  prayers  said  for  the 
souls  in  purgatory.  Since  we  have  left  the  Church  of  Rome, 
for  the  Church  of  Christ,  we  have  spent  many  pleasant  hours 
together  in  reading  and  meditating  upon  the  Gospel.  You 
know  that  we  have  not  found  in  it  a  single  word  about  purga- 
tory. From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  that  divine  book,  we 
have  learned  that  it  was  only  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
shed  on  the  Cross,  that  our  g*iilty  souls  could  be  purified  from 
their  sins.  I  know,  however,  that  a  few  of  you  have  retained 
something  of  the  views  taught  to  you,  when  in  the  Church  of 
Rome,  concerning  purgatory.  I  do  not  want  to  trouble  them 
by  useless  discussions  on  the  subject,  or  by  refusing  the  money 
they  want  to  give  for  the  souls  of  their  dear  departed  parents 
and  friends.  The  only  thing  I  want  to  do  is  this:  You  used  to 
have  a  small  box  passed  to  you  to  receive  that  money.  To-day, 
Instead  of  one  box,  two  boxes  will  be  passed,  one  white,  the 
other  black.  Those  who,  like  myself,  do  not  believe  in  purga- 
tory, will  put  their  donations  in  the  white  box,  and  the  money 
will  be  given  to  the  poor  widows  and  orphans  of  the  parish,  to 
help  them  to  get  food  and  clothing  for  next  winter.  Those  of 
you  who  still  believe  in  purgatory,  will  put  their  money  into  the 
black  box,  for  the  benefit  of  the  dead.  The  only  favor  I  ask  of 
them  is  that  they  should  tell  me  how  to  convey  their  donations 
to  their  departed  friends.  I  tell  you  frankly  that  the  money 
you  give  to  the  priests,  never  goes  to  the  benefit  of  the  souls  of 
purgatory.  The  priests,  everywhere,  keep  that  money  for  their 
own  bread  and  butter.'* 

My  remarks  were  followed  by  a  general  smile.  Thirty-five 
dollars  were  put  in  the  white  box  for  the  orphans  and  widows, 
and  not  a  cent  fell  into  the  box  for  the  souls  of  purgatofy. 

From  that  day,  by  the  great  mercy  of  God,  our  dear  con- 
verts were  perfectly  rid  of  the  ridiculous  and  sacrilegious  belief 
in  purgatory.      That  is  the  way  I  have  dealt  with  all  the  errors 


8o8 


FIFTY   YEARS    IN  THB   CHURCH  OF    ROME. 


and  idolatries  of  Rome.  We  had  two  public  meetings  every 
week,  when  our  chapel  was  as  well  filled  as  on  Sabbath.  After 
the  religious  exercises,  every  one  had  the  liberty  to  question  me 
and  argue  on  the  various  subjects  announced  at  the  last  meeting. 

The  doctrines  of  auricular  confession,  prayers  in  an  unknown 
language,  the  mass,  holy  water  and  indulgences,  were  calmly 
examined,  discussed  and  thrown  overboard,  one  after  the  other, 
in  a  very  short  time.  The  good  dune  in  those  public  discussions, 
was  incalculable.  Our  dear  converts,  not  only  learned  the  great 
truths  of  Christianity,  but  they  learned  also  how  to  defend  and 
preach  them  to  their  relations,  friends  and  neighbors.  Many 
would  come  from  long  distances  to  see  for  themselves  that 
strange  religious  movement  which  was  making  so  much  noise  all 
over  the  country.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  few  of  them  went 
back  without  having  received  some  rays  of  the  saving  light 
which  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  was  so  abundantly  pouring  upon 
me  and  my  dear  brethren  of  St.  Anne. 

Three  months  after  our  exit  from  the  land  of  bondage,  we 
were  not  less  than  six  thousand  French  Canadians  marching 
towards  the  Promised  Land. 

How  can  I  express  the  joy  of  my  soul,  when,  under  cover  of 
the  darkness  of  night,  I  was  silently  pacing  the  streets  of  our 
town,  I  heard,  from  almost  every  house,  sounds  of  reading  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  or  the  melodies  of  our  delightful  French 
hymns!  How  many  times  did  I  then,  uniting  my  feeble  voice 
with  that  old  prophet,  say  in  the  rapture  of  my  joy :  "  Bless  the 
Lord,  O !  my  soul :  and  all  that  is  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy 
name." 

But  it  was  neccessary  that  such  a  great  and  blessed  work 
should  be  tried.  Gold  cannot  be  purified  without  going  through 
the  fire. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  a  devoted  priest,  through  my  i,,^ud 
Mr.  Dunn,  of  Chicago,  sent  me  the  follow!'^  of  a  letter, 

written   by   the  Roman   Catholic  Bishop  .inois,  my  1 

Duggan,  to  several  of  his  co-bishops : 

"  The  schism  of  the  apostate,  Chiniquy,  is  spread  ng  with  an 
incredible  and  mo^lt  irresistible  velocity.     I  am  told  liiat  he  has 


^^ji^MmitkimkimiuM 


OP   ROME. 


SOLEMN    RESPONSIBILITIES. 


S09 


t,  through    my   in  end 


not  less  than  ten  thousand  followers  from  his  countrymen. 
Though  I  hope  that  this  number  is  an  exaggeration,  it  shows 
that  the  evil  is  great;  and  that  wc  must  not  lose  any  time  in  try- 
ing to  open  the  eyes  of  the  deluded  people  he  is  leading  to  per- 
dition. I  intend,  (D.  V.),  to  visit  the  very  citadel  of  that 
deplorable  schism,  next  Tuesday,  the  3rd  of  August.  As 
I  speak  French  almost  as  well  as  English,  I  will  address  the 
deluded  people  of  St.  Anne,  in  their  own  language.  My  inten- 
tion is  to  unmask  Chiniquy,  and  show  what  kind  of  a  man  he  is. 
Then  I  will  show  the  people  the  folly  of  believing  that  they 
can  read  and  interpret  the  Scriptures,  by  their  own  private 
judgment.  After  which,  I  will  easily  show  them  that  out  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  there  is  no  salvation.  Pray  to  the  blessed 
Virgin  Mary  that  she  may  help  me  reclaim  that  poor  deceived 
people." 

Having  read  that  letter  to  the  people  on  the  ist  Sabbath  of 
August,  I  said: 

♦♦  We  know  a  man  only  after  he  has  been  tried.  So  we 
know  the  faith  of  a  Christian  only  after  it  has  been  through  the 
fire  of  tribulations.  I  thank  God  that,  next  Tuesday,  will  be 
the  day  chosen  by  Him  to  show  the  world  that  you  are  worthy 
of  being  in  the  front  rank  of  the  great  army  Jesus  Christ  is 
gathering  to  fight  his  implacable  enemy,  the  Pope,  on  this  con- 
tinent. 

"  Let  every  one  of  you  come  and  hear  what  the  bishop  has 
to  say.  Not  only  those  who  are  in  good  health, -must  come; but 
even  the  sick  must  be  brought  and  hear  and  judge  for  themselves. 
If  the  bishop  fulfills  his  promise  to  show  yoti  that  I  am  a  de- 
praved and  wicked  man,  you  must  turn  me  out.  You  must 
give  up,  or  burn  your  Bibles,  at  his  bidding,  if  he  proves  that 
you  have  neither  the  right  to  read,  nor  the  intelligence  to  under- 
stand them ;  and  if  he  shows  you  that,  out  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  there  is  no  salvation,  you  must,  without  an  hour's  delay, 
return  to  that  church  and  submit  yourselves  to  the  Pope's 
bishops.  But  if  he  fails,  (as  he  will  surely  do)  you  know  what 
you  have  to  do.  Next  Tuesday  will  be  a  most  glorious  day  for 
us  all.     A  great  and  decisive  battle  will  be  fought  here,  such  as 


8io 


FIFTY    YEARS  IN    THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


this  continent  has  never  witnessed,  between  the  great  principles 
of  Christian  truth  and  liberty,  and  the  principles  of  lies  and 
tyranny  of  the  Pope.  I  have  only  one  word  more  to  say :  From 
this  moment  to  the  solemn  hour  of  the  conflict,  let  us  humbly, 
but  fervently  ask  our  jjreat  God,  through  His  beloved  and 
eternal  Son,  to  look  down  upon  us  in  his  mercy,  enlighten  and 
strengthen  us,  that  we  mjiy  be  true  to  Him,  to  ourselves  and  to 
His  Gospel :  and  then,  the  angels  of  heaven  will  unite  with  all 
the  elects  of  God  on  earth  to  bless  you  for  the  great  and  glorious 
victory  you  will  win." 

Never  had  the  sun  shone  more  brightly  on  our  beautiful  hill 
than  on  the  3rd  of  August,  1858.  The  hearts  had  never  felt  so 
happy,  and  the  faces  had  never  been  so  perfectly,  the  mirrors  of 
joyful  minds,  as  on  that  day,  among  the  multitudes  which  began 
to  gather  from  every  corner  of  the  colony,  a  little  after  iz 
o'clock,  noon. 

Seeing  that  our  chapel,  though  very  large,  would  not  be 
able  to  contain  half  the  audience,  we  had  raised  a  large  and  solid 
platform,  ten  feet  high,  in  the  middle  of  the  public  square,  in 
front  of  the  chapel.  We  covered  it  with  carpets  and  put  a  sofa, 
with  a  good  number  of  chairs  for  the  bif,!iop,  his  long  suite  of 
priests,  and  one  for  myself,  and  a  large  table  for  the  different 
books  of  references  I  wanted  to  have  at  hand,  to  answer  the 
bishop. 

At  about  2  o'clock  P.  M.,  we  perceived  his  carriage,  followed 
by  several  others  filled  with  priests.  He  was  dressed  in  his 
white  surplices,  and  his  ofHcial  "bonnet  quarre"  on  his  head, 
evidently  to  more  surely  command  the  respect  and  awe  of  the 
IT.  '-Tl.titude. 

I  had  requested  the  people  to  keep  silence  and  show  him  all 
the  respect  and  courtesy  due  a  gentleman  who  was  visiting  them, 
for  the  first  time. 

As  soon  as  his  carriage  was  near  the  chapel,  I  gave  a  signal, 
and  up  went  the  American  flag  to  the  top  of  a  mast  put  on  the 
sacred  edifice.  It  w  as  to  warn  the  ambassador  of  the  Pope  that 
he  was  not  trending  the  land  of  the  holy  inquisition  and  slavery, 
but  the  land  of  Freedom  and  Liberty.    The  bishop  understood  it 


)F  ROME. 


SOLEMN    RESPONSIBILITIES. 


8ll 


a  little   after   12 


lapel,  I  gave  a  signal, 
of  a  mast  put  on  the 
ador  of  the  Pope  that 

nquisition  and  slavery, 
bishop  understood  it 


For,  raising  his  head  to  see  that  splendid  flag  of  stripes  and 
stars,  waving  to  the  breeze,  he  became  pale  as  death.  And  his 
uneasiness  did  not  abate,  when  the  thousands  around  him  rent 
the  air  with  the  cry :  "  Hurrah  for  the  flag  of  the  free  and  the 
brave!"  The  bishop  and  his  priests  thought  this  was  the  signal 
I  had  given  to  slaughter  them ;  for  they  had  been  told  several 
times,  that  I  and  my  people  were  so  depraved  and  wicked  that 
their  lives  were  in  great  danger  among  us.  Several  jM-iests  who 
had  not  much  relish  for  the  crown  of  martyrdom,  jumped  from 
their  carriages  and  ran  away,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the 
crowd.  Pei'ceiving  the  marks  of  the  most  extreme  terror  on  the 
face  of  the  bishop,  I  ran  to  tell  him  that  there  was  not  the  least 
danger,  and  assured  him  of  <he  pleasure  we  had  to  see  him  in 
our  midst. 

I  offered  my  hand  to  help  him  down  from  his  carriage,  but 
he  refused  it.  After  some  minutes  of  trembling  and  hesitation, 
he  whispered  a  few  words  in  the  ear  of  his  grand  vicar  Mailloux, 
who  was  well  known  by  my  people,  and  of  whom  I  have 
already  spoken.  I  knew  that  it  was  by  his  advice  that  the 
bishop  was  among  us,  and  it  was  by  his  instigation  liiat  Bishop 
Smith  had  refused  the  submission  we  had  given  him. 

"Rising  slowly,  he  said  with  aloud  voice:  "  My  dear  French 
Canadian  countrymen:  Here  is  your  holy  bishop.  Kneel  down 
and  he  will  give  you  his  benediction." 

But  to  the  great  disgust  of  the  poor  grand  vicar,  this  so  well 
laid  plan  for  beginning  the  battle,  failed  entirely.     Not  a  single 
.  one  of  that  immense  multitude  cared  for  the  benediction.     No 
body  knelt. 

Thinking  that  he  had  not  spoken  loud  enough,  he  raised  his 
voice  to  the  highest  pitch  and  cried : 

"My  dear  fellow  countrymen:  This  is  your  holy  bishop: 
He  comes  to  visit  you:  Kneel  down  and  he  will  give  you  his 
benediction." 

But  noboOy  knelt,  and  what  was  worse,  a  voice  from  the 
crowd  answered: 

"  Do  you  not  know,  sir,  that  here,  we  no  longer  bend  the 
knee  before   any   man?  It   is   only   before   God   we   kneel." 


.,-.ii>iSAT,iSit  • 


Pii 


up 


mF 


^><!^*"^vi^fPfii||pilPlf|ii 


812 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


The  whole  people  cried :  "  Amen !"  to  that  noble  answer.  I 
could  not  refrain  a  tear  of  joy  from  falling  down  my  cheeks, 
when  I  saw  how  this  first  effort  of  the  ambassador  of  the  Pope 
to  entrap  my  people,  had  signally  failed.  But,  though  I  thanked 
God  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  for  this  first  success  He  had 
given  to  his  soldiers,  I  knew  the  battle  was  far  from  beinj^ 
over. 

I  implored  him  to  abide  with  us,  to  be  our  wisdom  and  our 
strength  to  the  end.  I  looked  at  the  bishop,  and  seeing  his 
countenance  as  distressed  as  before,  I  o£fered  him  my  hand 
again,  but  he  refused  it  the  second  time  with  supreme  disdain, 
but  accepted  the  invitation  I  gave  him  to  come  to  the  plat- 
form. 

When  half  way  up  the  stairs,  he  turned,  and  seeing  me  fol- 
lowing him  he  put  forth  his  hand  to  prevent  me  from  ascend- 
ing any  f uither,  and  said : 

«  I  do  not  want  you  on  this  platform :  Go  down  and  let  my 
priests  alone  accompany  me." 

I  answered  him:  "  It  may  be  that  you  do  not  want  me  there: 
But  I  want  to  be  at  your  side,  to  answer  you.  Remember  that 
you  are  not  on  your  own  ground  here;  but  on  mine!" 

He  then,  silently  and  slowly,  walked  up.  When  on  the 
platform,  I  offered  him  a  good  arm  chair,  which  he  refused,  and 
sat  on  one  of  his  own  choice,  with  his  priests  around  him.  I 
then  addressed  him  as  follows: 

"  My  lord,  the  people  and  pastor  of  St.  Anne  are  exceed- 
ingly pleased  to  see  you  in  their  midst.  We  promise  to  listen 
attentively  to  what  you  have  to  say,  on  condition  that  we 
have  the  privilege  of  answering  you." 

He  answered  angrily :  "  I  do  not  want  you  to  say  a  word 
here." 

Then,  stepping  to  the  front,  he  began  his  address  in  French, 
with  a  trembling  voice.  But  it  was  a  miserable  failure  from 
beginning  to  end.  In  vain  did  he  try  to  prove  that  out  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  there,  is  no  salvation.  He  failed  still  more 
miserably  to  prove  that  the  people  have  neither  the  right  to  read 
the  Scriptures,  nor  the  intelligence  to  understand  them.  He  said 


OF   ROME. 


SOLEMN    RESPONSIBILITIES. 


813 


Go  down  and  let  my 


you  to  say  a  word 

lis  address  in  French, 
iserable  failure  from 
)rove  that  out  of  the 

He  failed  still  more 
ither  the  right  to  read 

rstand  them.  He  said 


such  ridiculous  things  on  that  point,  that  the  people  went  into 
fits  of  laughter,  and  some  said : 

«  This  is  not  true.  You  do  not  know  what  you  are  talking 
about.     The  Bible  says  the  very  contrary." 

But  I  stopped  them  by  reminding  them  of  the  promise  they 
had  made  of  not  interrupting  him. 

A  little  before  closing  his  address,  he  turned  to  me,  and  said : 

«*  You  are  a  wicked,  rebel  priest  against  your  holy  church. 
Go  from  here  into  a  monastery  to  do  penance  for  your  sins.  You 
say  that  you  have  never  been  excommunicated  in  a  legal  way! 
Well,  you  will  not  say  that  any  longer,  for  T  excommunicate  you 
now  before  this  whole  people." 

I  interrupted  him  and  said :  «« You  forget  that  you  have  no 
right  to  excommunicate  a  man  who  has  publicly  left  your  church, 
long  ago." 

He  seemed  to  realize  that  he  had  made  a  fool  of  himself  in 
uttering  such  a  sentence,  and  stopped  speaking  for  a  moment. 
Then,  recalling  his  lost  courage,  he  took  a  new  and  impressive 
manner  of  speaking.  He  told  the  people  how  their  friends, 
their  relatives,  their  very  dear  mothers  and  fathers,  in  Canada, 
were  weeping  over  their  apostacy.  He  spoke  for  a  time,  with 
great  earnestness,  of  the  desolation  of  all  those  who  loved  them, 
at  the  news  of  their  defection  from  their  holy  mother  church. 
Then,  resuming,  he  said : 

♦«  My  dear  friends :  Please  tell  me  what  will  be  your  guide 
in  the  ways  of  God,  after  you  have  left  the  holy  church  of  your 
fathers,  the  church  of  your  country ;  who  will  lead  you  in  the 
ways  of  God?" 

Those  words,  which  had  been  uttered  with  great  emphasis 
and  ear  -tness,  were  followed  by  a  most  complete  and  solemn 
silence.  Was  that  silence  the  result  of  a  profound  impression 
made  on  the  crowd,  or  was  it  the  silence  which  always  precedes 
the  storm  ?  I  could  not  say. 

But  I  must  confess  that,  though  I  had  not  lost  confidence  in 
God,  I  was  not  without  anxiety.  Though  silent  and  ardent 
prayers  were  going  to  the  mercy-seat,  from  my  heart,  I  felt  that 
that  poor  heart  was  troubled  and  anxious,  as  it  had  never  been 


8i4 


FIFTY    YEARS   IN   THE   CHURCH  OF   ROME. 


before.  I  could  have  easily  answered  the  bishop  and  confounded 
him,  in  a  few  words;  but  I  thought  that  it  was  much  better  to 
let  the  answer  and  rebuke  come  from  the  people. 

The  bishop,  hoping  that  the  long  and  strange  silence  was  a 
proof  that  he  had  successfully  touched  the  sensitive  cords  of  the 
hearts,  and  that  he  was  to  win  the  day,  exclaimed  a  second  time 
with  still  more  power  and  earnestness: 

'*  My  dear  French  Canadian  friends:  I  ask  you,  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  your  Saviour  and  mine,  in  the  name  of  your 
desolated  mothers,  fathers  and  friends,  who  are  weeping  along 
the  banks  of  your  beautiful  St.  Lawrence  River.  I  ask  it  in  the 
name  of  your  beloved  Canada !  Answer  me !  now  that  you  refuse 
to  obey  the  holy  Church  of  Rome,  who  will  g^ide  you  in  the 
ways  of  salvation  ?" 

Another  solemn  silence  followed  that  impassionate  and  earn- 
est appeal.  But  this  silence  was  not  to  be  long.  When  I  had 
invited  the  people  to  come  and  hear  the  bishop,  I  requested  them 
to  bring  their  Bibles.  Suddenly  we  heard  the  voice  of  an  old 
farmer,  who,  raising  his  Bible  over  his  head,  with  his  two  hands, 
said: 

"  This  Bible  is  all  we  want  to  guide  us  in  the  ways  of  God. 
We  do  not  want  anything  but  the  pure  Word  of  God  to  teach 
us  what  we  must  do  to  be  saved.  As  for  you,  sir,  you  had  better 
go  away  and  never  come  here  any  more.'* 

And  more  than  5,cxx5  voices  said :  "  Amen  I "  to  that  simple 
and  yet  sublime  answer.  The  whole  crowd  filled  the  air  with 
cries:  «  The  Bible  1  the  Holy  Bible,  the  Holy  Word  of  God  is 
our  only  guide  in  the  ways  of  eternal  life!  Go  away,  sir,  and 
never  come  again ! " 

These  words,  time  and  again  repeated  by  the  thousands  of 
people  who  surrounded  the  platform,  fell  upon  the  poor 
bishop's  ears  as  formidable  claps  of  thunder.  They  were  ring- 
ing as  his  death  knell  in  his  ears.  The  battle  was  over,  and  he 
had  lost  it. 

Bathed  in  his  tears,  suffocated  by  his  sobs,  he  sat,  or  to  speak 
more  correctly,  he  fell  into  the  arm  chair,  and  I  feared,  at  first, 
lest  he  should  faint.     When  I  saw  that  he  was  recovering,  and 


■'iipf' 


SOLEMN   RESPONSIBILITIES. 


Sis 


d  by  the  thousands  of 
:ell  upon  the  poor 
r.  They  were  ring- 
itle  was  over,  and  he 

|bs,  he  sat,  or  to  speak 
and  I  feared,  at  first, 
was  recovering,  and 


strong  enough  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say,  I  stepped  to  the  front 
of  the  platform.  But  I  had  scarcely  said  two  words,  when  I 
felt  as  if  the  claws  of  a  tiger  were  on  my  shoulders.  I  turned 
and  found  that  it  was  the  clenched  fingers  of  the  bishop,  who 
was  shaking  me,  while  he  was  saying  with  a  furious  voice: 

"No I  nol  not  a  word  from  you." 

As  I  was  about  to  show  him  that  I  had  a  right  to  refute 
what  he  had  said,  my  eyes  fell  on  a  scene  which  baffles  all  des- 
cription. Those  only  who  have  seen  the  raging  waves  of  the 
sea,  suddenly  raised  by  the  hurricane,  can  have  an  idea  of  it. 
The  people  had  seen  the  violent  hand  of  the  bishop  raised  against 
me,  they  had  heard  his  insolent  and  furious  words  forbidding  me 
to  say  a  single  word  in  answer;  and  a  universal  cry  of  indigna- 
tion was  heard: 

"The  infamous  wrechi  Down  with  him!  He  wants  to 
enslave  us  again!  he  denies  us  the  right  of  free  speech!  he  re- 
fuses  to  hear  what  our  pastor  has  to  reply !  Down  with  him !" 

At  the  same  time  a  rush  was  made  by  many  toward  the 
platform,  to  scale  it,  and  others  were  at  work  to  tear  it  down. 
That  whole  multitude,  absolutely  blinded  by  their  uncontrollable 
rage,  were  as  a  drunken  man  who  does  not  know  what  he  does. 
I  had  read  that  such  things  had  occurred  before,  but  I  hope  I 
shall  never  see  it  again.  I  rushed  to  the  head  of  the  stairs  and, 
with  great  difficulty,  repulsed  those  who  were  trying  to  lay 
their  hands  on  the  bishop.  In  vain,  I  raised  my  voice  to  calm 
them,  and  make  them  realize  the  crime  they  wanted  to  commit. 
No  voice  could  be  heard  in  the  midst  of  such  terrible  confusion. 
It  was  very  providential  that  we  had  built  the  scaffold  with 
strong  materials,  so  that  it  could  resist  the  first  attempt  to 
break  It. 

Happily,  we  had  in  our  midst  a  very  intelligent  young  man, 
called  Bechard,  who  was  held  in  great  esteem  and  respect.  His 
influence,  I  venture  to  say,  was  irresistible  over  the  people.  I 
called  him  to  the  platform,  and  requested  him,  in  the  name  of 
God,  to  appease  the  blind  fury  of  that  multitude.  Strange  to 
say  his  presence,  and  a  sign  from  his  hand,  acted  like  magic. 

"  Let  us  hear  what  Bechard  has  to  say,"  whispered  every  one 


^    ,^:     J-'.'.V-J^,  J    \-ll^i 


V.'     ■    .  .     ,  ...       .1     ,         ., 


.8i6 


FIFTY   YEARS    IN   THB   CHURCH  OF   ROME. 


to  his  neighbor,  and  suddenly,  the  most  profound  calm  succeed- 
ed the  most  awful  noise  and  confusion  I  had  ever  witnessed.  In 
a  few  appropriate  and  eloquent  words,  that  young  gentleman, 
showed  the  people  that,  far  from  being  angry,  they  ought  to  be 
glad  at  the  exhibition  of  the  tyranny  and  cowardice  of  the 
bishop.  Had  he  not  confessed  the  weakness  of  his  address 
when  he  refused  to  hear  the  answer?  Had  he  not  confessed  that 
he  was  the  vilest  and  the  most  impudent  of  tyrants,  when  he  had 
come  into  their  very  midst  to  deny  them  the  sacred  right  of 
speech  and  reply?  Had  he  not  proved,  before  God  and  man, 
that  they  had  done  well  to  reject,  forever,  the  authority  of  the 
Bishop  of  Rome,  when  he  was  giving  them  such  an  unanswera- 
ble proof  that  that  authority  meant  the  most  unbounded  tyranny 
on  his  part,  and  the  most  degraded  and  ignominious  moral  degra- 
dation on  the  part  of  his  blind  slaves." 

Seeing  that  they  were  anxious  to  hear  me;  I  then  told  them: 
"  Instead  of  being  angry,  you  ought  to  bless  God  for  what 
you  have  heard  and  seen  from  the  Bishop  of  Chicago.  You 
have  heard:  and  you  are  witnesses  that  he  has  not  given  us  a 
single  argument  to  show  that  we  were  wrong,  when  we  gave  up 
the  words  of  the  Pope  to  follow  the  Words  of  Christ.  Was 
he  not  right  when  he  told  you  that  there  was  no  need,  on 
my  part,  to  answer  him !  Do  you  not  all  agree  that  there  was 
nothing  to  answer,  nothing  to  refute  in  his  long  address  I  Has 
not  our  merciful  God  brought  that  bishop  into  your  midst,  to-day, 
to  show  you  the  truthfulness  of  what  I  have  so  often  told  you, 
that  there  was  nothing  manly,  nothing  honest,  or  true  in  him? 
Have  you  heard  from  his  lips  a  single  word  which  could  have 
come  from  the  lips  of  Christ?  A  word  which  could  have  come 
from  that  great  God  who  so  loved  the  world  that  he  sent  his 
eternal  Son  to  save  it,  on  the  simple  condition  that  we  should  re- 
pent, love  and  trust  in  Him.  Was  there  a  single  sentence  in  all 
you  have  heard  which  would  remind  you  that  salvation  through 
Christ  was  a  gift?  that  eternal  life  was  a  free  gift  offered  to  all 
those  who  accepted  him  as  their  true  and  only  Saviour?  Have 
you  heard  anything  from  him  to  make  you  regret  that  you  are 
no  longer  his  obedient  and  abject  sla\es?" 


iaimlMimmiiitkimm 


|g^^ 


rtirtittti 


^m 


UUta 


^m 


f   ROME* 


SOLEMN    RESPONSIBILITIES. 


817 


)und  calm  succeed- 
ever  witnessed.  In 
;  young  gentleman, 
jr,  they  ought  to  be 
1  cowardice  of  the 
ess   of   his   address 
e  not  confessed  that 
jrrants,  when  he  had 
the  sacred  right  of 
fore  God  and  man, 
he  authority  of  the 
1  such  an  unanswera- 
t  unbounded  tyranny 
minious  moral  degra- 

ne;  I  then  told  them: 
bless  God  for  what 
p  of  Chicago.    You 
;  has  not  given  us  a 
ng,whenwegaveup 
ords  of  Christ.     Was 
■re  was  no  need,  on 
[agree  that  there  was 
is  long  address  I   Has    . 
ito  your  midst,  to-day, 
.e  so  often  told  you, 
[nest,  or  true  in  him? 
rd  which  could  have 
hich  could  have  come 
lorld  that  he  sent  his 
ion  that  we  should  re- 
single  sentence  in  all 
[hat  salvation  through 
•ee  gift  offered  to  all 
►nly  Saviour?    Have 
regret  that  you  are 


«*Nol  nol"  they  replied. 

**  Then,  instead  of  being  angry  with  that  man,  you  ougnt  to 
thank  him  and  let  him  go  in  peace,"  I  added. 

««YesI  yes!"  replied  the  people,  *' but  on  condition  that  he 
shall  never  come  again." 

Then  Mons.  Bechard  stepped  to  the  front,  raised  his  hat,  and 
cried  with  his  powerful,  melodious  voice: 

"People  of  St.  Anne!  you  have  just  gained  the  most  glor- 
ious victory  which  has  ever  been  won  by  a  people  against  their 
tyrants.  Hurrah  for  St.  Anne,  the  grave  of  the  tyranny  of  the 
Bishops  of  Rome  in  America!" 

That  whole  multitude,  filled,  with  joy,  rent  the  air  with  the 
cry :  "  Hurrah  for  St.  Anne,  the  grave  of  the  tyranny  of  the 
Bishops  of  Rome  in  America!  " 

I  then  turned  towards  the  poor  bishop  and  his  priests,  whose 
distress  and  fear  were  beyond  description,  and  told  them : 

"  You  see  that  the  people  forgive  you  the  indignity  of  youf 
conduct,  by  not  allowing  them  to  answer  you ;  but  I  advise  you 
not  to  repeat  that  insult  here.  Please  take  the  advice  they  gave 
you;  go  away  as  quickly  as  possible.  T  will  go  with  you  to  your 
carnage,  through  the  crowd,  and  I  pledge  myself  that  you  will 
be  safe,  provided  you  do  not  insult  them  again." 

Opening  their  ranks,  the  crowd  made  a  passage,  through 
which  I  led  the  bishop  and  his  long  suite  of  priests,  to  their  car- 
riages. 

This  was  done  in  a  most  profound  silence.  Only  a  few 
women  whispering  to  the  prelate,  as  he  was  hurrying  by : 

♦*  Away,  with  you,  and  never  come  here  again.  Hencefor- 
ward we  follow  nothing  but  Christ." 

Crushed  by  waves  of  humiliation,  such  as  no  bishop  had 
ever  met  with  on  this  continent,  the  weight  of  the  ignominy 
which  he  had  reaped  in  our  midst  completely  overpowered  his 
mind,  and  ruined  him.  He  left  us  to  wander  every  day  nearer 
the  regions  of  lunacy.  That  bishop,  whose  beginning  had  been 
so  brilliant,  after  his  shameful  defeat  at  St.  Anne,  on  the  3rd  of 
August,  1858,  was  soon  to  end  his  broken  career  in  the  lunatic 
asylum  of  St.  Louis,  where  he  is  still  confined  to-day. 


Chapter  LXVII. 


BIBD'B-BTB  VIBW  OF  THB  FBINOXPAI.  BYBIVTS  VBOK  KT 
OONVXSB8XON  TO  THIS  DAT-KT  NABBOW  BSCA7BS-THB 
END  or  THB  VOTAOB  THBOUOH  THB  DB8BBT  TO  THE 
PBOKISBD  LAND. 

THE  marvellous  power  of  the  Gospel  to  raise  a  man  above 
himself  and  give  him  a  supernatural  strength  and  wisdom 
in  the  presence  of  the  most  formidable  difficulties  has  seldom 
been  more  gloriously  manifested  than  on  the  3rd  of  August, 
1S58,  on  the  hill  of  St.  Anne,  Illinois. 

Surely  the  continent  of  America  had  never  seen  a  more  ad- 
mirable transformation  of  a  whole  people  than  was,  then  and 
there,  accomplished.  With  no  other  help  than  the  reading  of 
the  Gospel,  that  people  had  suddenly  exchanged  the  chains  of 
the  most  abject  slavery  for  the  royal  sceptre  of  Liberty  which 
Christ  offers  to  those  who  believe  in  Him ! 

By  the  strength  of  their  faith  they  had  pulverized  the  gigan- 
tic  power  of  Rome,  put  to  flight  the  haughty  representative  of 
the  Pope,  and  had  raised  the  banners  of  Christian   Liberty  on 
the  very  spot  marked  by  the  bishop  as  the  future  citadel  of  the  I 
empire  of  Popery  in  the  United  States. 

Such  work  was  so  much  above  my  capacity,  so  much  above  I 
the  calculation  of  my  intelligence,  that  I  felt  that  I  was  more  its 
witness  than  its  instrument.  The  merciful  and  mighty  hand  of  I 
God  was  too  visible  to  let  any  other  idea  creep  into  my  mind  ;l 
and  the  only  sentiments  which  filled  my  soul  were  those  of  ani 
unspeakable  joy,  and  of  gratitude  to  God. 

But  I  felt  that  the  greater  the  favors  bestowed  upon  us  froml 
heaven,  the  greater  were  the  responsibilities  of  my  new  positionJ 

The  news  of  that  sudden  religious  reformation  spread  wit! 
lightning  speed  all  over  the  continents  of  America  and  EuropcJ 
and  an  incredible  number  of  inquiring  letters  reached  me  fror 
every   corner.     Episcopalians,   Methodists,   Congregationalistsl 
Baptists,  and    Presbyterians,  of   every  rank  and  color,  kindh 

818 


MY    NARROW    ESCAPES. 


8l< 


,estowed  upon  us  Irom 
;ies  of  my  new  position, 
formation  spread  with 
E  America  and  Europe, 
letters  reached  me  from 
sts,  Congregationalists, 
'rank  and  color,  kindly 


pressed  me  to  give  them  some  details.  Of  course,  those  letters 
were  often  accompanied  by  books  considered  the  most  apt  to 
induce  me  to  join  their  particular  denominations. 

Feeling  too  young  and  inexpert  in  the  ways  of  God  to  give 
a  correct  appreciation  of  the  Lord's  doings  among  us,  I  generally 
answered  those  kind  enquirers  by  writing  them :  "  Please  come 
and  see  with  your  own  eyes  the  marvellous  things  our  merciful 
God  is  doing  in  the  midst  of  us,  and  you  will  help  us  to  bless 
him." 

In  less  than  six  months,  more  than  one  hundred  venerable 
ministers  of  Christ,  and  prominent  Christian  laymen  of  different 
denominations,  visited  us.  Among  those  who  first  honored  us  with 
their  presence  was  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Helmuth,  of  London, 
Canada;  then,  the  learned  Dean  of  Quebec,  so  well  known  and 
venerated  all  over  Great  Britain  and  Canada.  He  visited  us 
twice,  and  was  one  of  the  most  blessed  instruments  of  the  mer- 
cies of  God  totvards  us. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  those  eminent  Christians,  without 
any  exception,  after  having  spent  from  one  to  twenty  days  in 
studying  for  themselves  this  new  religious  movement,  declared 
that  it  was  the  most  remarkable  and  solid  evangelical  reforma- 
tion among  Roman  Catholics,  they  had  ever  seen.  The  Chris- 
tians of  the  cities  of  Chicago,  Baltimore,  Washington,  Philadel- 
phia, New  York,  Boston,  etc.,  having  expressed  the  desire  to 
hear  from  me  of  the  doings  of  the  Lord  among  us,  I  addressed 
them  in  their  principal  churches,  and  was  received  with  such 
marks  of  kindness  and  interest,  for  which  I  shall  never  be  able 
sufficiently  to  thank  God. 

I  have  previously  said  that  we  had,  at  first,  adopted  the  beau- 
tiful name  of  Christian  Catholics,  but  we  soon  perceived  that  un- 
less we  joined  one  of  the  Christian  denominations  of  the  day, 
we  were  in  danger  of  forming  a  new  sect. 

After  many  serious  and  prayerful  considerations,  it  seemed 
that  the  wisest  thing  we  could  do  was  to  connect  ourselves  with 
that  branch  of  the  vine  which  was  the  nearest,  if  not  identical, 
with  that  of  the  French  Protestants,  which  gave  so  many  mar- 
tyrs to  the  Church  of  Christ.     Accordingly,  it  was  our  privi- 


820 


PIKTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OP    ROME. 


lege  to  be  admitted  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United 
States.  The  Presbytery  of  Chicago  had  the  courtesy  to  ad- 
journ their  meeting  from  that  city  to  our  humble  town,  on  the 
15th  of  April,  i860,  when  I  presented  them  with  the  names  of 
nearly  2,000  converts,  who,  with  myself,  were  received  into  full 
communion  with  the  Church  of  Christ. 

This  solemn  action  was  soon  followed  by  the  establishment 
of  missions  and  congregations  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  Chicago, 
Aurora,  Kankakee,  Middleport,  Watseka,  Momcncc,  Sterling, 
Manteno,  &c.,  where  the  light  of  the  Gospel  had  been  received 
by  large  numbers  of  our  French  Canadian  emigrants,  whom  I 
had  previously  visited. 

The  census  of  the  converts  taken  then  gave  us  about  6,500 
precious  souls  already  wrenched  from  the  iron  grasp  of 
Popery.  It  was  a  result  much  beyond  my  most  sanguine  hopes, 
and  it  would  be  difficult  to  express  the  joy  it  gave  me.  But  my 
joy  was  not  without  a  mixture  of  anxiety.  It  was  impossible 
for  me,  if  left  alone,  to  distribute  the  bread  of  life  to  such  mul- 
titudes, scattered  over  a  territory  of  several  hundred  miles.  1 
determined,  with  the  help  of  God,  to  raise  a  college,  where  the 
children  of  our  converts  would  be  prepared  to  preach  the 
Gospel. 

Thirty-two  of  our  young  men,  having  oflTered  themselves,  I 
added,  at  once,  to  my  other  labors,  the  daily  task  of  teaching 
them  the  preparatory  course  of  study  for  their  future  evangeli- 
cal work. 

That  year  (i860)  had  been  chosen  by  Scotland  to  celebrate 
the  tercentenary  aniversary  of  her  Reformation.  The  co.mmittee 
of  management,  composed  of  Dr.  Guthrie,  Professor  Cunning- 
ham and  Dr.  Begg,  invited  me  to  attend  their  general  meetings 
in  Edinburgh.  On  the  i6th  of  August,  it  was  my  privilege  to 
be  presented  by  those  venerable  men  to  one  of  the  grandest  and 
noblest  assemblies  which  the  Church  of  Christ  has  ever  seen. 
After  the  close  of  that  great  council,  which  I  addressed  twice,  I 
was  invited,  during  the  next  six  months,  to  lecture  in  Great 
Britain,  France  and  Switzerland,  and  to  raise  the  funds  neces- 
sary for  our  college.     It  is  during  that  tour  that  I  had  the  privi- 


■i^.t^-mmt(m^^m 


MY    NARROW    ESCAPES. 


8a  I 


the  United 
tesy  to  ad- 
>wn,  on  the 
le  names  of 
ed  into  full 


I  about  6,500 

a  grasp  "^ 
guine  hopes, 
ne.  But  my 
IS  impossible 
to  such  mul- 
red  miles.  1 
[e,  where  the 
preach  the 


I  to  celebrate 
he  co.mmittce 

isor  C"nn>"g- 
eral  meetings 
privilege  to 
:  grandest  and 
las  ever  seen, 
ressed  twice,  I 
;ture  in  Great 
funds  neces- 
had  the  privi- 


tl 


lege  of  addressing,  at  St.  Etienne,  the  Synod  of  the  Free  Pro- 
testant  Church  of  France,  lately  established  through  the  indomi- 
table  energy  and  ardent  piety  of  the  Rev.  Felix  Monod. 

Those  six  months'  efforts  were  crowned  with  the  most  com- 
plete success,  and  more  than  $15,000  were  handed  me  for  our 
college,  by  the  disciples  of  Christ. 

But  it  was  the  will  of  God  that  I  should  pass  through  the 
purifying  fires  of  the  greatest  tribulations.  On  my  return  from  . 
Europe  into  my  colony,  in  the  beginning  of  1861, 1  found  every, 
thing  in  confusion.  The  ambition  of  the  young  man  I  had  in- 
vited  to  preach  in  my  place,  and  in  whom  I  had  so  imprudently 
put  too  much  confidence,  encouraged  by  the  very  man  I  had 
chosen  for  my  representative  and  my  attorney  during  my 
absence,  came  very  near  ruining  that  great  evangelicjil  work,  by 
sowing  the  seeds  of  division  and  hatred  among  our  dear  converts. 
Through  the  dishonest  and  false  reports  of  those  two  men,  the 
money  I  had  collected  and  left  in  England,  (in  the  hands  of  a 
gentleman  who  was  bound  to  send  it  at  my  order)  was  retained 
nearly  two  years,  and  lost  in  the  failure  of  the  Gelpeck  New 
York  Bank,  through  which  it  was  sent.  The  only  way  we  found 
to  save  ourselves  from  ruin,  was  to  throw  ourselves  into  the  hands 
of  our  Christian  brothers  of  Canada, 

A  committee  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  composed  of 
Rev's.  Dr.  Kemp,  Dr.  Cavan  and  Mr.  Scott,  was  sent  to  inves- 
tigate the  causes  of  our  troubles,  and  they  soon  found  them. 

Dr.  Kemp  published  a  critical  resume  of  their  investigation, 
which  clearly  showed  where  the  trouble  lay.  Our  integinty  and 
innocence  were  publicly  acknowledged,  and  we  were  solemnly 
and  officially  received  as  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Canada,  on  the  nth  of  June,  1863. 

We  may  properly  acknowledge  here  that  the  Christian  de- 
votedness,  the  admirable  ability  and  zeal  of  the  late  Dr.  Kemp  in 
performance  of  that  work,  has  secured  him  our  eternal  gratitude. 

In  1874,  I  was  again  invited  to  Great  Britain  by  the  com- 
mittee appointed  to  prepare  the  congratulatory  address  of  the 
English  people  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany  and  Bismark,  for 
their    noble    resistance   to   the   encroachments   of   Popery.      I 


assss^MS^ 


«.WWWWHWUW."l"'»l'''?WB!W^y 


823 


KIKTY    YKAKS    IN    TlIK    Clll/itCH    OF    ROME. 


m- 


addruAscil  the  mvctings  held  for  that  purpose  in  Exeter  Hall, 
under  the  Presidency  of  Lord  John  Russell,  on  the  27th  of 
January,  1874.  The  next  day,  several  Gospel  ministers  pressed 
me  to  puhlish  my  25  years'  experience  of  auricular  confession,  as 
an  antidote  to  the  criminal  and  too  successful  efforts  of  Dr.  Pusey, 
who  wanted  to  restore  that  infamous  practice  among  the  Protest- 
ants of  England. 

After  much  iicsitation  and  many  prayers,  I  wrote  the  hook 
entitled:  "The  Priest,  the  Woman  and  the  Confessional," 
which  God  has  so  much  hlesscd  to  the  conversion  of  many,  that 
twenty  seven  editions  have  already  been  published. 

I  spent  the  next  six  months  in  lecturing  on  Romanism  in  the 
principal  cities  of  England,  Scotland  and  Ireland. 

On  my  return,  pressed  by  the  Canadian  Church  to  leave  my 
colony  of  Illinois,  for  a  time  at  least,  to  preach  in  Canada,  I 
went  to  Montreal,  where,  in  the  short  space  of  four  years,  we 
had  the  unspeakable  joy  to  see  seven  thousand  of  French 
Canadian  Roman  Catholics  and  emigrants  from  France,  publicly 
renouncing  the  errors  of  Popery,  to  follow  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

In  1878,  exhausted  by  the  previous  years  of  incessant  labors, 
I  was  advised,  by  my  physicians,  to  breathe  the  bracing  air  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  I  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  spent  two 
months  lecturing  in  San  Francisco,  Portland,  Oregon,  and  in 
Washington  Territory,  where  I  found  a  great  many  of  my 
French  countrymen,  many  of  whom  received  the  light  of  the 
Gospel  with  joy. 

After  this,  I  visited  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  I  preached 
on  my  return,  crossed  the  Pacific  and  went  to  the  Antipodes, 
lecturing  two  years  in  Australia,  Tasmania  and  New  Zealand. 
It  would  require,  a  large  volume  to  tell  the  great  mercies  of  God 
towards  me  during  that  long,  perilous,  but  interesting  voyage. 
During  those  two  years,  I  gave  610  public  lectures,  and  came 
back  to  my  colony  of  St.  Anne  with  such  perfectly  restored  healthy 
that  I  could  say  with  the  Psalmist:  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul, 
thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagle's." 

But  the  reader  has  the  right  to  know  something  of  the 
dangers  through  which  it  has  pleased  God  to  make  me  pass. 


,i|  .    iiiiliMI 


MY    NAKROW    BSCAPBS. 


833 


Rome  is  the  same  to-day  es  she  was  when  she  burned  John 
Huss  and  Wishart,  and  when  she  caused  70,000  Protestants  to  be 
slaughtered  in  France,  and  100,000  to  be  exterminated  in 
Piedmont  and  Italy. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1869,  I  forced  the  Rt.  Rev. 
Bishop  Foley  of  Chicago,  to  swciir  before  the  civil  court,  at 
Kankakee,  that  the  following  sentence  was  an  exact  translation 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  Rome  as  taught  to-'lay  in  all' 
the  Roman  Catholic  seminaries,  colleges  and  universities,  through 
the  "  Summa  Thelogica  "  of  Thomas  Aquinas,  (vol.  4,  p.  90). 
"  Though  heretics  must  not  be  tolerated  because  they  deserve  it, 
we  must  bear  with  them  till,  by  a  second  admonition,  they  may 
be  brought  back  to  the  faith  of  the  church.  But  those  who, 
after  a  second  admonition,  remain  obstinate  to  their  errors,  must 
not  only  be  excommunicated,  but  they  must  be  delivered  to  the 
secular  power  to  be  exterminated." 

It  is  on  account  of  this  law  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  which 
is  today,  in  full  force,  as  it  was  promulgi.ted  for  the  first  time, 
that  not  less  than  thirty  public  attempts  have  been  made  to  kil\ 
me  since  my  conversion. 

The  first  time  I  visited  Quebec,  in  the  spring  of  1859,  ^^*y 
men  were  sent  by  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  (Baillargeon)  to  force 
me  to  swear  that  I  would  never  preach  the  Bible,  or,  to  kill  mc 
in  case  of  my  refusal. 

At  4  o'clock  A.  M.,  sticks  were  raised  above  my  head,  a 
dagger  stuck  in  my  breast,  and  the  cries  of  the  furious  mob  were 
ringing  in  my  ears: 

"  Infamous  apostate !  Now  you  are  in  our  hands,  you  are  a 
dead  man,  if  you  do  not  swear  that  you  will  never  preach  your 
accursed  Bible." 

Never  had  I  seen  such  furious  men  around  me.  Their  eyes 
were  more  like  the  eyes  of  tigers  than  of  men.  I  expected,  every 
moment,  to  receive  the  deadly  blow,  and  I  asked  my  Saviour  to 
come  and  receive  my  soul.  But  the  would-be  murderers,  with 
more  horrible  imprecations,  cried  again : 

"  Infamous  renagadel  Swear  that  you  will  never  preach  any 
more  your  accursed  Bible,  or  you  are  a  dead  man !  " 


f 

*         f 

i 

i( 

} 

^U 

^^ 

is^iki 

.S^.*.    . 

■.i9,Eeawwa=»*5«f«»;»*»?r'3;K^^^^ 


824 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE   CHURCH    OF   ROME. 


\     I 


I  raised  my  eyes  and  hands  towards  heaven  and  said :  *'  Oh ! 
my  God!  hear  and  bless  the  last  words  of  thy  poor  servant:  I 
solemnly  swear,  that  so  long  as  my  tongue  can  speak,  I  will 
preach  thy  Word,  as  I  find  it  in  the  Holy  Bible!" 

Then  opening  my  vest  and  presenting  my  naked  breast,  I  said : 

"Now!  Strike!" 

But  my  God  was  there  to  protect  me:  they  did  not  strike.  I 
.  went  through  their  ranks  into  the  streets,  where  I  found  a  carter, 
who  drove  me  to  Mr.  Hall,  the  Mayor  of  the  city,  for  that  <?  ly. 
I  showed  him  my  bleeding  breast  and  said: 

'^  I  just  escaped,  almost  miraculously,  from  the  hands  of  men 
sworn  to  kill  me,  if  I  preach  again  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  I  am, 
however,  determined  to  preach  again  to-day,  at  noon,  even  if  I 
have  to  die  in  the  attempt."  I  put  myself  under  the  protection 
of  the  British  flag. 

Soon  after,  more  than  1,000  British  soldiers  were  around  me, 
with  fixed  bayonets.  They  formed  themselves  into  two  lines 
along  the  streets,  through  which  the  Mayor  took  me,  in  his  own 
sleigh,  to  the  lecture  room.  T  could  then,  deliver  my  address  on 
"  The  Bible,"  to  at  least  10,000  people  who  were  crowded  inside 
and  outside  the  w^alls  of  the  large  building.  After  this,  I  had 
the  joy  of  distributing  between,  five  and  six  hundred  Bibles  to 
that  multitude,  who  received  them  as  thirsty  and  hungry  people 
receive  fresh  water  pnd  pure  bread,  after  many  days  of  s.arvation. 

I  have  been  sto  led  20  times.  The  principal  places  in  Can- 
ada where  I  was  struck  and  wounded,  and  almost  miraculously 
escaped,  were:  Quebec,  Montreal,  Ottawa,  Charlotte  Town, 
Halifax,  Antigonish  etc.  In  the  last  ment'oned,  on  the  loth  of 
July,  1873,  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  P.  Goodfellow,  standing  by  me 
when  going  out  of  his  church,  was  also  struck  several  times  by 
stones,  which  missed  me.  At  last,  his  head  was  so  badly  cut, 
that  he  fell  on  the  ground  bathed  in  blood.  I  took  him  up  in 
my  arms,  though  wounded  and  bleeding  myself.  We  would 
surely  have  been  slaughtered  there,  had  not  a  noble  Scotchman, 
named  Cameron,  opened  the  door  of  his  house,  at  the  peril  of 
his  own  life,  to  give  us  shelter  against  the  assassins  of  the  Pope. 
The  mob,  furious  that  we  had  escaped,  broke  the  windows  and 


--   ■!_   -■^^" 


aid:    "Oh! 

servant:    I 

eak,  I  will 

-east,  I  said : 

>t  stiike.     I 
und  a  carter, 


or  that 


t?,iy. 


mds  of  rnen 
irist.  I  am, 
)n,  even  if  I 
e  protection 

around  me, 
o  two  lines 
!,  in  his  own 
yr  address  on 
jwded  inside 
iv  this,  I  had 
:d  Bibles  to 
ingry  people 
jf  starvation, 
ces  in  Can- 
miraculously 
lotte  Town, 
the  loth  of 
iding  by  me 
jral  times  by 
o  badly  cut, 
i.  him  up  in 
We  would 
Scotchman, 
the  peril  of 
af  the  Pope, 
rindows  and 


I 


MY    NARROW    ESCAPES. 


825 


besieged  the  house  from  10  A.  M.  till  3  next  morning.  Many 
times,  they  threatened  10  set  fire  to  Mr.  Cameron's  house,  if  he 
did  not  deliver  me  into  their  hands  to  be  hung.  They  were 
prevented  from  doing  so,  only  from  fear  of  burning  the  whole 
town,  composed  in  part,  of  their  own  dwellings.  Several  times, 
they  put  long  ladders  against  the  walls,  with  the  hope  of  reach- 
ing the  upper  rooms,  where  they  could  find  and  kill  their  victim. 

All  this  was  done  under  the  very  eyes  of  five  or  six  priests, 
who  were  only  at  a  distance  of  a  few  rods. 

At  Montreal,  in  the  winter  of  1870,  one  evening,  coming  out 
of  Cote  Street  Church,  where  I  had  preached,  accompanied  by 
Principal  Mac  Vicar,  we  fell  into  a  kind  of  ambuscade,  and  re- 
ceived a  volley  of  stones  which  would  have  seriously,  if  not 
fatally,  injured  the  doctor,  had  he  not  been  protected  from  head  to 
foot  by  a  thick  fur  cap  and  overcoat,  worn  in  the  cold  days  of 
winter  in  Canada. 

After  a  lecture  given  at  Paramenta,  near  Sidney,  Australia, 
I  was  again  attacked  with  stones  by  the  Roman  Catholics.  One 
struck  my  left  leg  with  such  force  that  I  thought  it  was  broken, 
and  I  was  lame  for  several  days. 

In  New  South  Wales,  Australia,  I  was  beaten  with  whips 
and  sticks,  which  left  marks  upon  my  shoulders. 

At  Marsham,  in  the  same  Province,  on  the  ist  of  April, 
1879,  *'^®  Romanists  took  possession  of  the  church  where  I  was 
speaking,  rushed  towards  me  with  daggers  and  pistols  crying: 

"Kill  him!  Kill  him!" 

In  the  tumult,  I  providentially  escaped  through  a  secret  door. 
But  I  had  to  crawl  on  hands  and  knees  a  pretty  long  distance, 
in  a  ditch  filled  with  mud,  not  to  be  seen  and  escape  death. 
When  I  reached  the  hospitable  house  of  Mr.  Cameron,  the 
windows  were  broken  with  stones,  much  of  the  furniture  des- 
troyed, and  it  was  a  wonder  I  escaped  with  my  life. 

At  Ballarat,  in  the  same  Province,  three  times  the  houses  where 
I  lodged  were  attacked  and  broken.  Rev.  Mr.  Inglis,  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  ministers  of  the  city,  was  one  of  the  many  who 
were  wounded  by  my  side.  The  wife  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Quick  came 
also  nearly  being  killed  while  I  was  under  their  hospitable  roof. 


I  "i 


^.>?«1RF^«»W 


M&ttAi 


J:. 


^m 


826 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROME. 


h 


\i 


In  the  same  city,  as  I  was  waiting  for  the  train  at  the  station, 
a  well  dressed  lady  came  as  near  as  possihle  and  spat  in  my  face. 
I  was  blinded,  and  my  face  covered  with  filth.  She  immediately 
fled,  but  was  soon  brought  back  by  my  secretary  and  a  police- 
man, who  said: 

"  Here  is  the  miserable  woman  who  has  just  insulted  you, 
what  shall  we  do  with  her?  " 

I  was  then  almost  done  cleaning  my  face  with  my  handker- 
chief and  some  water,  brought  by  some  sympathizing  friends.  I 
answered : 

"  Let  her  go  home  in  peace.  She  has  not  done  it  of  her  own 
accord,  she  was  sent  by  her  confessor,  she  thinks  she  has  done  a 
good  accion.  When  they  spat  in  our  Saviour's  face,  he  did 
not  punish  those  who  insulted  him.  We  must  follow  his  exam- 
ple."   And  she  was  set  at  liberty,  to  the  great  regret  of  the  crowd. 

The  very  next  day  (21st  of  April)  at  Castlemain,  I  was 
again  fiercely  attacked  and  wounded  on  the  head,  as  I  came  from 
addressing  the  people.  One  of  the  ministers  who  was  standing 
by  mc,  was  .seriously  wounded  and  lost  much  blood. 

At  Geelong,  I  had  again  a  very  nari'ow  escapes  from  stones 
thrown  at  me  in  the  streets. 

In  1879,  while  lecturing  in  Melbourne,  the  splendid  capital 
of  Victoriii,  Australia,  I  received  a  letter  from  Tasmania,  signed 
by  twelve  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  saying: 

"  We  are  much  in  need  of  you  here,  for  though  the  Protest- 
ants are  in  the  majority,  they  leave  the  administration  of  the 
country  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Roman  Catholics,  who 
rule  us  with  an  iron  rod.  The  Governor  is  a  Roman  Catholic, 
etc.  We  wish  to  have  you  among  us,  though  we  do  not  dare  to 
invite  you  to  come.  For,  we  know  that  your  life  will  be  in 
danger,  day  and  night  while  in  Tasmania.  The  Roman  Catho- 
lics have  sworn  to  kill  you,  and  we  have  too  many  reasons  to 
fear  that  they  will  fulfill  their  jjromises.  But,  though  we  do  not 
dare  ask  you  to  come,  we  assure  you  that  there  is  a  great  work 
for  you  here,  and  that  we  will  stand  by  you  with  our  people.  If 
you  fall,  you  will  not  fall  alone," 

I  answered:  "Are  we  not  soldiers  of  Christ,  and  must  we  not 


MY    NARROW    ESCAPES. 


837 


from  stones 


must  we  not 


be  ready  and  willing  to  die  for  him,  as  he  did  for  us?  I  will  go." 

On  the  24th  of  June,  as  I  was  delivering  my  first  lecture  in 
Hobart  Town,  the  Roman  Catholics,  with  the  approbation  of 
their  bishop,  broke  the  door  of  the  hall,  and  rushed  towards 
me,  crying:  "  Kill  him!  kill  him!  "  The  mob  was  only  a  few- 
feet  from  me,  brandishing  their  daggers  and  pistols,  when  the 
Protestants  threw  themselves  between  them  and  me,  and  a  furi- 
ous hand-to-hand  fight  occurred,  during  which  many  wounds 
were  received  and  given.  The  soldiers  of  the  Pope  were  over- 
powered, but  the  Governor  had  to  put  the  city  under  martial 
law  for  four  days,  and  call  the  whole  militia  to  save  my  life 
from  the  assassins  drilled  by  the  priests. 

In  a  dark  night,  as  T  was  leaving  the  steamer  to  take  the 
train,  on  the  Ottawa  River,  Canada,  twice,  the  bullets  of  the  mur- 
derers whistled  at  no  more  than  two  or  three  inches  from  my  ears. 

Several  times  in  Monti'eal  and  Halifax,  the  churches  where 
I  was  preaching,  were  attacked  and  the  windows  broken  by  the 
mobs  sent  by  the  priests,  and  several  of  my  friends  were 
wounded  (two  of  whom,  I  believe,  died  from  the  effects  of  their 
wounds)  whilst  defending  me. 

The  17th  of  June,  1884,  after  I  had  preached,  In  Quebec,  on 
the  text:  "What  would  I  do  to  have  Eternal  Life."  A  mob 
of  more  than  1,500  Roman  Catholics,  led  by  two  priests,  broke 
the  windows  of  the  church  and  attacked  me  with  stones,  with 
the  evident  object  to  kill  me.  More  than  one  hundred  stones 
struck  me,  and  I  would  surely  have  been  killed  there,  had  I  not 
had,  providentially,  two  heavy  overcoats  which  I  put  one  around 
my  head,  and  the  other  around  my  shoulders.  Notwithstanding 
that  protection  I  was  so  much  bruised  and  wounded,  from  head 
to  feet  that  I  had  to  spend  the  three  following  weeks  on  a  bed 
of  suffering,  between  life  and  death.  A  young  friend,  Zotique 
Lefevore,  who  had  heroically  put  himself  between  my  would- 
be-assassin  and  me,  escaped  only  after  receiving  six  bleeding 
wounds  in  the  face. 

The  same  year,  1884,  in  the  month  of  November,  I  was 
attacked  with  stones  and  struck  several  times,  when  preaching 
or  coming  out  from  the  church  in  the  city  of   Montreal.     Num- 


U     i 


-^.^n^i/.j.i,;.--.'»j^i..  .,  r... ,.».,,  f.),.,. 


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vrr!^^W^W^%V'^V^~^W'^'''^ 


"W^ 


!■■% 


828 


FIFTY    YEARS  IN    THE  CHURCH  OF  ROME. 


,. 


V      I 


bers  of  of  policemen  and  other  friends  who  came  to  my  rescue, 
were  wounded,  my  life  was  saved  only  by  an  organization  of  a 
thousand  young  men,  who,  under  the  name  of  Protestant 
Guard,  wrenched  me  from  the  hands  of  the  would-be-murderers. 

When  the  bishops  and  priests  saw  that  it  was  so  difficult  to 
put  me  out  of  the  way  with  stones,  sticks,  and  daggers,  they 
determined  to  destroy  my  character  by  calumnies,  spread  every- 
where, and  sworn  before  civil  tribunals  as  gospel  truths. 

During  eighteen  years,  they  kept  me  in  the  hands  of  the 
sheriffs,  a  prisoner,  under  bail,  as  a  criminal.  Thirty-two  times, 
my  name  has  been  called  before  the  civil  and  criminal  courts  of 
Kankakee,  Joliet,  Chicago,  ITrbana  and  Montreal,  among  the 
names  of  the  vilest  and  most  criminal  of  men. 

I  have  been  accused  by  Grand  Vicar  Mailloux  of  having 
killed  a  man  and  thrown  his  body  into  a  river  to  conceal  my 
crime.  I  have  been  accused  of  having  set  fire  to  the  church  of 
Bourbonnais  and  destroyed  it.  Not  less  than  seventy-two  false 
witnesses  have  been  brought  by  the  priests  of  Rome,  to  support 
this  last  accusation. 

But  thanks  be  to  God,  at  every  time,  from  the  very  lips  of 
the  perjured  witnesses,  we  got  the  proof  that  they  were  swear- 
ing falsely,  at  the  instigation  of  their  fathi-r  confessors.  And 
my  innocence  was  proven  by  the  very  men  who  had  been  paid 
to  destroy  me.  In  this  last  suit,  1  thought  it  was  my  duty,  as  a 
Christian  and  citizen,  to  have  one  of  those  priests  punished  for 
having  so  cruelly  and  publicly  trampled  under  his  feet  the  most 
sacred  laws  of  society  and  religion.  Without  any  vengeance  on 
my  part,  God  knows  it,  I  asked  the  protection  «»!  my  country 
against  those  incessant  plots.  Father  Brunet,  found  i^uilty  of 
having  invented  those  calumnies  and  supported  tliem  by  false 
witnesses,  was  condemned  to  pay  $2,500  or  go  to  gaol  for  four- 
teen years.  He  preferred  the  last  jjunishment,  ha\;ngtlv>  jiiom- 
ise  from  his  Roman  Catholic  friends  that  they  would  break  the 
doors  o'  he  prison  and  let  him  go  free  to  some  remote  place. 
He  wr  ncarcerated  at  Kankakee;  but  on  :i  dark  and  stormy 
night,  s  months  later,  he  was  rescued,  and  fled  to  Montreal. 
(distant  about  900  •     les.)  There,  he  made  the  Roman  Catholics 


».?T^T!^j5?rr-«^,?T'«f^5»!(^!(^pBfl 


MP 


my  rescue, 
pzation  of  a 
Protestant 
-murderers, 
difficult  to 
Jiggers,  they 
jread  every- 
Jtbs. 
lands  of  the 
(y-two  times, 
lal  courts  of 
among  the 

of  having 

conceal  my 

le  church  of 

ty-two  false 

e,  to  support 

very  lips  of 
were  swear- 
Jssors.     And 
ad  been  paid 
ly  duty,  nH  a 
)unishL'd  for 
;et  the   most 
engeance  on 
niy  country 
id  .L;uilty  of 
t^m  by  false 
ol  for  four- 
ff  tbo  pi  om- 
I  break  the 
note  place. 
and  stormy 
Montreal. 
n  Catholics 


MY    NARROW   ESCAPES. 


829 


believe  that  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary,  dressed  in  a  beautiful 
white  robe,  had  come  in  person,  to  open,  for  him,  the  gates  of 
the  prison. 

I  do  not  mention  these  facts  here,  to  create  bad  feelings 
against  the  poor  blind  slaves  of  the  Pope.  It  is  only  to  show  to 
the  world  that  the  Church  of  Rome  of  to-day  is  absolutely  the 
same  as  when  she  recdened  Europe  with  the  blood  of  millions 
of  martyrs. 

My  motive  in  speaking  of  those  murderous  attacks,  is  to  fn- 
duce  the  readers  to  help  mc  to  bless  God  who  has  so  mercifully 
saved  me  from  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  More  than  any  living 
man,  I  can  say  with  the  ol  1  prophet:  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shep- 
herd, I  shall  not  want."  With  Paul,  I  could  ofte;i  say :  «  We 
are  troubled  on  every  side,  yet,  not  distressed.  We  are  perplexed, 
but  not  in  despair:  Persecuted,  but  not  forsaken,  cast  down,  but 
not  destroyed:  Always  bearing  about  in  the  body  the  dying  of 
ihe  Lord  Jesus,  that  the  life  also  of  Jesus,  might  be  manifest  in 
o»ir  body." 

Those  constant  persecutions,  far  from  hindering  the  onward 
march  of  the  evangelical  movement  to  which  I  have  consecrated 
my  life,  seem  to  have  given  it  a  new  impulse  and  a  fresher  life. 
I  have  even  remarked  that  the  very  day  after  I  had  been  bruised 
and  wounded,  the  number  of  converts  had  inveriably  increased.  I 
will  never  forget  the  day,  after  the  terrible  night  when  more 
than  a  thousand  Roman  Catholics  had  come  to  stone  me,  and  on 
which  I  had  received  a  severe  wound,  more  than  one  hundred  of 
my  countrymen  asked  me  to  enroll  their  names  under  the  banner  of 
the  Gospel  and  publicly  sent  tlieir  recantation  of  the  errors  of 
Rome  to  the  bishop.  To-day,  the  Gospel  of  Christ  is  advancing 
with  an  irresistible  power  among  the  French  Canadians  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Oceans.  We  find  numbers  of  converts  in 
almost  every  town  and  city  from  New  York  to  San  Francisco. 
Rallied  around  the  banners  of  Christ,  they  form  a  larj^e  army 
of  fearless  soldiers  of  the  Cross.  Among  those  converts,  we 
count  now,  twenty-five  priests,  and  more  than  fifty  young 
zealous   ministers  born  in  tlie  Church  of  Rome. 

In  hundreds  of  places,  the   Church  of  Rome   has  lost  her 


*^| 


(^/ 


■WAiii^:.w.- 


'i 


830 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN   THE   CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


<  I 


c 


past  prestige,  and  the  priests  are  looked  upon  with  indifference, 
if  not  contempt,  even  by  those  who  have  not  yet  accepted  the 
light. 

A  very  remarkable  religious  movement  has  also  been  lately 
inaugurated  among  the  Irish  Roman  Catholics,  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Rev'ds.  McNamara,  O'Connor  and  Quinn,  which 
promises  to  keep  pace  with,  "if  not  exceed  the  progress  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  French. 

To-day,  more  than  ever,  we  hear  the  good  Master's  voice : 
"  Lift  up  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields,  for  they  arc  white, 
already  to  harvest." 

Oh!  may  the  day  soon  come  when  all  my  dear  countrymen 
will  hear  the  voice  of  tlie  Lamb  and  come  to  wash  their  robes 
in  his  blood!  Will  I  see  the  blessed  hour  when  the  dark  night  in 
which  Rome  keeps  my  dear  Canada  will  be  exchanged  for  the 
bright  and  saving  light  of  the  Gospel? 

At  all  events,  I  cannot  but  bless  God  for  what  mine  eyes 
have  seen  and  mine  ears  have  heard  of  his  mcMcics  towards  me 
and  my  countrymen.  From  my  infancy,  he  has  taken  me  into 
his  arms,  and  led  me  most  mercifully,  through  ways  I  did  not 
know,  from  the  darkest  regions  of  superstition,  to  the  blessed 
regions  of  light,  truth  and  life! 

From  tlie  day  he  granted  me  to  read  his  divine  word  on  my 
dear  mother's  knees,  to  the  hour  He  came  to  me  as  "  the  Gift  of 
God,"  He  has  not  left  a  single  day  pass  without  speaking  to  me 
some  of  liis  warning  and  saving  words.  I  liave  not  always  paid 
sufficient  attention  to  his  sweet  voice,  I  confess  it  to  my  shame. 
My  mind  was  so  filled  with  the  glittering  sophisms  of  Rome, 
that  many  times,  I  refused  to  yield  to  the  still  voice  wliich  was 
almost  night  and  day  heard  in  my  soul.  But  my  God  was  not 
repelled  by  my  infidelities,  as  the  reader  will  find  in  this 
book.  When  driven  away  in  the  morning.  He  came  back  in  the 
silent  hours  of  the  night.  For  more  than  twenty-five  years,  he 
forced  me  to  sec,  as  a  priest,  the  abominations  which  exist  inside 
the  walls  of  the  modern  Babylon.  I  may  say,  He  took  me  by 
the  look  of  mine  head,  as  he  did  with  the  prophet  of  old,  and 
3aid: 


/ 


MY    NAUROW    ESCAPES. 


831 


ference, 
)ted  the 

In  lately 
|he  lead- 

wliich 
h  of  the 

voice  ; 
white, 


\\ 


A 


W 


'■ 

WlM    /(-: 

'   ^^1 

^■l  s  . 

■''S 

H 

H  A   ,  f).' 

^1 

^v  t~'^D.     <>h^ 

1 

pill 

I 

iM# 

"  Son  of  man,  lift  up  thine  e^'es  now  the  way  towards  the  North  and 
behold,  northward  at  the  gate  of  the  altar,  this  image  of  Jealousy  in  the 
entry.  He  said  furthermore  unto  me :  Son  of  man,  seest  thou  what  they 
do,  even  the  great  aliominations  that  the  house  of  Israel  committeth  here, 
that  I  should  go  far  off  from  my  sanctuary  ?  But  turn  thee  yet  again,  and 
thou  shalt  see  greater  abominuttons.  And  he  brought  me  to  the  door  of  the 
court ;  and  when  I  looked,  behold  a  hole  in  the  wall.  Then  said  he  unto  me, 
son  of  man,  dig  now  in  the  wall;  and  when  I  had  digged  in  the  wall,  and 
behold  the  wicked  abominations  that  they  do  here.  So  I  went  and  saw;  and 
behold  every  form  of  creeping  things,  and  abominable  beasts  and  all  the 
idols  of  the  house  of  Israel,  portrayed  upon  the  wall  round  about.  And 
there  stood  before  them  seventy  men  of  the  ancients  of  the  house  of  Israel, 
and  in  the  midst  of  them  stood  Zaazaniah,  tlie  son  of  Shaj  han,  with  every 
man  his  censer  in  his  hand ;  and  a  thick  cloud  of  incense  went  up. 

"  Then  said  he  unto  me:  Son  of  man,  hast  thou  seen  what  the  ancients 
of  the  house  of  Israel  do  in  the  dark,  every  man  in  the  chambers  of  his  ima- 
gery ?  for  they  say  the  Lord  hath  forsaken  the  earth.  He  said  also  unto  me : 
turn  thee  yet  again,  and  thou  shalt  see  greater  abominations  than  they  do. 
Then  he  brought  me  to  the  door  of  the  gate  of  the  Lord ;  and,  behold,  there 
sat  women  weeping  for  Tarn  muz. 

"Then  said  he  unto  me:  Hast  thou  seen  this,  O  son  of  man?  Turn  thee 
yet  again,  and  thou  shalt  see  greater  abominations  than  these.  And  he 
brought  me  into  the  inner  court  of  the  Lord's  house,  and,  behold,  at  the 
temple  of  the  Lord,  between  the  porch  and  the  altar,  were  about  five  and 
twenty  men,  with  their  backs  toward  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and  their  faces 
toward  the  east ;  and  they  worshipped  the  sun  toward  Lhe  east. 

"  Then  he  said  unto  me :  Hast  thou  seen  this,  O  son  of  man  ?  Is  it  a 
light  thing  to  the  house  of  Judah  that  they  commit  the  abominations  which 
they  commit  here?  for  they  have  filled  the  land  with  violence  ard  have  re- 
turned to  provoke  me  into  anger;  and  lo!  they  put  the  branch  to  their  nose. 
Therefore,  will  I  also  deal  in  fury ;  mine  eye  shall  not  spare,  neither  will  I 
have  pity ;  and  they  cry  in  mine  ears,  with  a  loud  voice,  yet  will  I  not  hear 
them."  "(Ezok.  8.) 

I  can  say  witli  John :  "  One  of  the  seven  angels  said  unto  me :  T  will 
show  unto  thee  the  judgment  of  the  great  whore  that  sitteth  upon  many 
waters;  with  whom  the'kings  of  the  earth  liave  committed  fornication, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  have  been  made  drunk  with  the  wine  of  her 
fornications.  So  he  carried  me  away  into  the  wilderness;  and  I  saw  a 
woman  sit  up  on  a  scarlet  colored  beast  full  of  names  of  blasphemy  having 
seven  heads  and  ten  horns  And  the  woman  was  arrayed  In  purple  and 
scarlet  color,  and  decked  with  gold  and  precious  stones  and  pearls,  having  a 
golden  cup  in  her  hand  full  of  atmminations  and  iilthliness  of  her  fornica- 
tion: and  upon  her  forehead  was  a  name  written:  'Mystery,  Babylon,  vhe 
Great,  the  mother  of  the  harlots  and  abominations  of  the  earth.'  And  I  saw 


.'•)■■■« 


rfiiii7iliHiipi'iii^yifflr^-^M[aMa&^^ 


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■  ''.1. 


833 


FIFTY    YEARS    IN    THE    CHURCH   OF    ROME. 


'^^: 


the  woman  drunken  with  the  blood  of  the  saints,  and  with  the  blood  of  the 
martyrs  of  Jesus ;  and  when  I  saw  her  I  wondered  with  great  admiration." 
(Rev.  17.) 

And  after  the  Lord  had  shown  me  all  these  abominations,  he  took  me 
out  as  the  eagle  takes  his  own  young  ones  on  his  wings.  He  brought  me  into 
his  beautiful  and  beloved  Zion  and  he  set  my  feet  on  the  rock  of  my  salva- 
tion. There,  he  quenched  my  thirst  with  the  pure  waters  which  flow  from 
the  fountains  of  eternal  life,  and  he  gave  me  to  eat  the,  true  bread  which 
comes  from  heaven. 

Oh  I  that  I  might  go  all  over  the  world,  through  this  book, 
and  say  with  the  psalmist :  "  Come,  all  ye  that  fear  God,  and  I 
will  declare  what  he  hath  done  for  my  soul." 

Let  all  the  children  of  God  who  will  read  this  book  lend  me 
their  tongues  to  praise  the  Lord.  Let  them  lend  me  their  hearts, 
to  love  him.  For,  alone,  I  cannot  praise  him,  I  cannot  love  him 
as  he  deserves.  When  I  look  upon  the  seventy-six  years  which 
have  passed  over  me,  my  heart  leaps  for  joy,  for  I  find  myself 
at  the  end  of  trials.     1  have  nearly  crossed  the  desert. 

Only  the  narrow  stream  of  Jordan  is  between  me  and  the 
new  Jerusalem.  I  already  hear  the  great  voice  out  of  heaven 
saying :  "  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will 
dwell  with  them  and  they  shall  be  his  people  and  God  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  their  eyes;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death, 
neither  sorrow,  nor  crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain; 
for  the  former  things  have  passed  away.  He  that  overcometh 
shall  inherit  all  things."     (Rev.  21 :  34.) 

Rich  with  the  unspeakable  gift  which  has  been  given  me,  and- 
pressing  my  dear  Bible  to  my  heart,  as  the    richest   treasure!     I 
hasten   my  steps  with    an   unspeakable  joy  toward  the  Land  of 
Promise.     I  already  hear  the  angel's  voice  telling  me:    "Come: 
the  Master  calls  thee." 

A  few  days  more  and  the  bridegroom  will  say  to  my  soul: 
"  Surely  I  come  quickly."  And  I  will  answer:  "Even  so, come 
Lord  Jesus."     Amen. 


^BAi^y  o,^ 


CANADA. 


^/^LIAM^ 


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